Global French Studies Courses

Courses in Global French Studies

Elementary French I

Introduction to the French language with emphasis on development of proficiency in speaking, listening, reading and writing. The essentials of French grammar. Emphasis on communication and Francophone cultures. FREN 101 is open only to beginners in French or those with two years or less of high school French.

Elementary French II

A continuation of FREN 101. Prerequisite: FREN 101.

Review of Elementary French

Practice in speaking, listening, reading and writing. Review of French grammar and study of Francophone cultures. For those students who have prior experience in French.Open to students who are placed into this level by test results or departmental direction. Not open to those who have credit for FREN 101 or 102.

First-Year Seminar

A seminar focused on a theme related to Global French Studies. Open only to first-year students.

Outsiders and Insiders: Immigration in Post-Colonial France

Who gets to be "French"? Who belongs and who doesn't? Do 'differences' matter? This course will address these questions and more through French young-adult fiction and film that explore the migratory experience as well as distinct perspectives on sociocultural integration in today's France. This course will also serve as an introduction to literary and film analysis in French.

Sex, Gender, and Identity in Contemporary France

This course introduces students to non-normative expressions of gender, sexuality, and identity in contemporary France. Throughout the course, students explore (graphic) novels, films, shorts, as well as cultural and political content and campaigns with these three themes in mind. The course begins by interrogating the notion of identity through critical markers like gender, sexuality, race, class, ableism, and religion. Using these tools students scrutinize expressions of masculinity and homophobia in francophone high schools and the banlieue; critically analyze the representation of sexuality and gender in media; and are introduced to the concerns of French trans-identified citizens.

Recent Fiction in French

Through close study of novels and short stories by contemporary writers, students will gain familiarity with, and appreciation of, recent fiction published in France and across the francophone world, and they will develop skills for discussing and writing about literature in French.

Screening Borders in Contemporary French and Francophone Media

This interdisciplinary course examines the complex concept of "borders" as a critical space of inquiry through a wide range of contemporary media resources including, but not limited to, films, documentaries, blogs, podcasts, radio, television, music, and print media. This course will also serve as an introduction to media text analysis in French.

A la Une: France Today

Students will learn about issues and problems of high interest in contemporary France as they work with sources in the French press (including radio, television, and online newspapers) to explore current events and ideas from such fields as politics, business and the economy, energy and the environment, women's rights, religion, ethics, education, health, family, arts, entertainment, and sports. This course is designed to enrich vocabulary, strengthen students' grasp of the structures of the French language, and build oral and written proficiency.

Topics: French

An examination of a specific theme or issue in French and francophone literature and culture. May be repeated for credit with a different topic.

GFS topics taught in English

An examination of a specific theme or issue in French and francophone literature and culture taught in English. No prerequisites. May be repeated for credit with a different topic.

Queer Francophone Identities

In this interdisciplinary course, students will be introduced to key themes and critical frameworks in the interrelated fields of LGBT and Queer studies within a francophone and anglophone context. Through graphic novels, topical magazines, journals, and media, as well as personal, fictional, and historical accounts of LGBTQI+ francophone expression, students will learn to interrogate conceptions of gender, sex, the body, and sexuality; will explore the politics of sexuality and sexual identity; will survey diverse expressions of sexuality, activism, and community; and will consider the reception/application of Queer studies in France. Particular attention will be paid to the ways in which sexual identities intersect with and shape other categories of identity, including gender, race, religion, class, culture and nationality.

Advanced Topics: French

An examination of a specific theme or issue in French and francophone literature and culture, at the advanced level. May be repeated for credit with a different topic.

GFS topics taught in English

An examination of a specific theme or issue in French and francophone literature and culture taught in English. No prerequisites. May be repeated for credit with a different topic.

Eux et nous: Francophone Peripheral Voices

A critical appreciation of the construction of individual and/or collective identities in Francophone literatures and cultures. Students examine the complex dynamics between "national identity" and cultural diversity through a variety of contemporary texts, each of which engages with questions of, among others, race, privilege, space(s), displacement of colonial ideology, representation, and freedom of religion

Literary Voices

Students will read, discuss, and write about a variety of literary works past and present, in multiple genres (including poetry, prose, and drama) and from multiple perspectives within France and throughout the French-speaking world. Students will consider how writers engage in aesthetic, intellectual, social, and political issues; they will assess the enduring value of writers and texts; and they may even do some creative writing of their own in French.

Global French Studies Senior Seminar

FREN 420 is the capstone course in the Global French Studies major. Students will engage in close study of a topic in French literature or culture and will complete a writing project in French on a related subject. They will present their work in English at a public panel.