French (FREN)
Chair: Professor Becky J. Boling
Professors: Scott D. Carpenter, Cherif Keïta, Dana J. Strand, Cathy M. Yandell
Associate Professor: Éva Pósfay
Visiting Assistant Professor: Scott Andrew Homler
Lecturer: Christine Lac
Senior Lecturer: Cynthia Luck Shearer
Visiting Lecturer: Annick Fritz-Smead
Language Courses:
Language courses 101, 102, 103, 204 are a sequential series of courses designed to prepare the student in the basic language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) through the study of grammar, literature, and culture, and/or to provide the foundation for pursuing advanced work in language and literature. French 206 and 209 are designed to develop the student's spoken and written mastery of the language through compositions and intensive oral work based on cultural and literary topics. Admission to these courses is determined either by appropriate high school CEEB or Carleton placement test scores or by completion of the previous course in the sequence with a grade of C- or better.
Literature Courses:
We examine literary works for both their aesthetic and human values. Our literature courses have a number of goals: to refine and expand students' linguistic ability, to broaden their cultural understanding, to improve their ability to engage in literary analysis, to enhance their knowledge of literary history and criticism, and to help students better understand themselves and the human condition. In our discussions, we address universal themes and concerns, but we also try to uncover what is peculiarly French or Francophone about the works.
Requirements for a French Major:
Sixty-six credits including French 309, Literary and Cultural Studies 245 (usually in the junior year), French 398-399 (usually in the senior year), and the integrative exercise, French 400. Courses 101, 102, 103, 204 do not count toward the major. The sixty-six credits must include thirty-six credits at the 300 level (French 398, 399, or 400 does not count in this category). All courses taught in French on the Paris and Mali programs count for the major, as well as French 238 from the Pau program. In addition to the sixty-six credits in the major, six credits are required in literature outside the major, read in the original language or in translation.
Concentration: See separate section for French and Francophone Studies.
Programs Abroad: Participation in a Carleton or in another approved foreign study program is highly recommended for students majoring or concentrating in the above areas. Students interested in study abroad should consult the section on international off-campus programs, and discuss alternatives with faculty in French and with the Director of Off-Campus Studies.
Certificate of Advanced Study in Foreign Language and Literature or Foreign Language and Area Studies: In order to receive the Certificate of Advanced Study in French, students must fulfill the general requirements (refer to Academic Regulations) in the following course distribution: six courses completed with a grade of C- or better in French beyond 103, including at least two upper-level literature courses (300-395). No more than 12 credits from non-Carleton off-campus studies programs may be applied toward the certificate.
Language Houses: Students have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the language by living in the Language House. The Associate is a native speaker, and students organize and participate in numerous cultural activities in the language houses.
French Courses
FREN 101, 102. Elementary French The goals of these courses are: a) to learn to speak, read, write and understand the fundamental structures of French grammar and vocabulary; b) to learn to create with the French language and express your thoughts in essentially correct French prose; c) to acquire an initial awareness of French and Francophone cultures. 6 credits cr., ND, Fall,Winter—Staff
FREN 103, 204. Intermediate French Through discussion of literature, cultural texts and films as well as a review of grammar, these courses aim to help students acquire greater skill and confidence in both oral and written expression. 6 credits cr., ND, Fall,Winter,Spring—Staff
FREN 206. Composition and Conversation Cross-listed with FRST 206. Designed to encourage students to express themselves orally and in writing while strengthening their knowledge of contemporary French through discussions of current issues in France. A wide range of topics and activities will allow students to function in diverse situations from practical tasks to much more specialized language situations. Students will learn useful and practical strategies for improving effective communication and refining their own writing style. Prerequisite: French 204 or equivalent. 6 credits cr., ND, Spring—Staff
FREN 207. Mali Program: Composition and Conversation Cross-listed with FRST 207. Since the official language of Mali is French, this course is aimed at strengthening the ability of the students to discuss, orally and in writing, topics related to life in Mali and in other West African countries. They will read articles form the Malian press and report on radio/TV programs and other cultural events. 6 credits cr., ND, Winter—C. Keïta
FREN 208. Paris Program: Conversation and Composition Cross-listed with FRST 208. Focusing on topics of current interest in French society, this course is designed to help students speak and write French with grace and ease. It will be taught by a local instructor with the assistance of graduate students in FLE (French as a Foreign Language) from the University of Paris. The course will include both in-class activities and tutorials. 6 credits cr., AL, Spring—Non-Carleton Faculty
FREN 233. The French Cinema Cross-listed with MEDA 241. In this overview of the major trends in French cinema, we will consider the intersections of the political, social, cultural, and artistic dimensions of films by Renoir, Truffaut, Godard, Varda, Chabrol, and others. Discussions will focus on such questions as the following: In what ways has French cinema mobilized (or undermined) national myths? How have films established and mediated French historical memory? How have French films dealt with the nation's (colonial) others? Course materials will incorporate critical theory and cultural readings. Taught in English with all films subtitled. 6 credits cr., AL, Not offered in 2001-2002.
FREN 235. Francophone Literature of Africa and the Caribbean Cross-listed with AFAM 235. Reading and discussion of literary works, with analysis of social, historical and political issues. Conducted in English. 6 credits cr., AL,RAD, Not offered in 2001-2002.
FREN 238. Border Crossings: Postmodern Perspectives on French and German Cinema Cross-listed with GERM 220,MEDA 238,FRST 220. In this course, we will explore the responses of French and German filmmakers to the challenges facing Europe as it redefined itself throughout the twentieth century. Taking Foucault's and Derrida's theories about the center and the margin as a starting point, we will examine such issues as national identity, marginalization, shifting gender roles and technological change. Filmmakers to be discussed will be Jean-Luc Godard, Jean Renoir, Agnes Varda, Fritz Lang, Rainer W. Fassbinder and Helma Sanders-Brahms. 6 credits cr., AL, Not offered in 2001-2002.
FREN 240. Introduction to French and Francophone Literatures: Dreams of Trespass Cross-listed with FRST 240. From sweet-talking medieval troubadours to free-spirited Moroccan harem women, French and Francophone literature offers fascinating glimpses of what happens when we dare to flirt with the forbidden. In this survey course, we will explore the transgressive acts imagined by such authors as Fatima Mernissi, George Sand, Gustave Flaubert (along with his cinematographic interpreter, Claude Chabrol), Tahar Ben Jelloun and Jean Genet. Conducted in French. 6 credits cr., AL, Fall—D. Strand
FREN 241. Introduction to French and Francophone Literatures: "Invitation au Voyage" Cross-listed with FRST 241. From Rabelais to Le Petit Prince, the voyage has been a compelling force in the French literary imagination. This course will explore the question of the voyage in French and Francophone literature, film and music. What does it mean to go elsewhere (both literally and figuratively)? Through travel or displacement how are both the self and the other redefined? These are the sorts of questions we will discuss, through literary works of Montaigne, Voltaire, Madame de Grafigny, Baudelaire, Gide, Sebbar and Duras; recent films of Téchiné and Varda; and selected contemporary songs. Conducted in French. Prerequisite: French 204 or equivalent. 6 credits cr., AL, Spring—C. Yandell
FREN 243. Topics in Cultural Studies: Language and Identity in France and the Francophone World Cross-listed with FRST 243. We will take a sociolinguistic approach to the study of French culture as we focus on the parallel evolution of the French language and the society that produced it and was created by it. After examining the concept of French identity from an historical and linguistic perspective, we will analyze specific elements of that identity in the contemporary world, notably, education, regionalism, postcolonialism (within and outside of France), and the influence of Europe and the U.S.A. We will look at movies, songs, cartoons, recipes, toys, short stories, essays and other types of cultural artifacts as the object of our study. Conducted in French. Prerequisite: French 204 or equivalent. 6 credits cr., AL, Winter—C. Lac
FREN 245. Francophone Literature of Africa and the Caribbean Cross-listed with AFAM 245,FRST 245. Reading and discussion of literary works, with analysis of social, historical and political issues. Conducted in French. Prerequisite: French 204 or equivalent. 6 credits cr., AL,RAD, Not offered in 2001-2002.
FREN 246. Paris Program: City of Visions: Paris in the Arts Cross-listed with FRST 242. Home of some of the finest and best-known museums in the world, Paris has long been a recognized center for artistic activity. Students will have the opportunity to study first-hand French art of the last two centuries through classroom study and guided visits to the unparalleled collections at the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay and other celebrated museums. Conducted in French. 6 credits cr., AL, Spring—Non-Carleton Faculty
FREN 248. African Cinema: In Search of Identity and Self Definition Cross-listed with AFAM 247,MEDA 247. This course will introduce students (who are not expected to have an extensive knowledge of African history and culture) to films that engage the socio-political issues central to an emerging African cultural identity. The course will focus on work by African filmmakers such as Souleymane Cissé (whose The Brightness won the Prix du Jury at Cannes in 1987), but it will also touch on the cinemas of the diaspora—particularly in the Caribbean. In contrast, we will also consider colonial and post-colonial "definitions" of Africa from Hollywood in the ‘30s (where "the natives" are the ones with the spears) to France in the ‘70s (Jean-Jacques Arnaud's Oscar-winning Black and White in Color Not offered in 2001-2002.
FREN 249. Paris Program: Reading and Writing the City Cross-listed with FRST 253. Paris is a world capital, a crossroads of cultures, classes, and languages. How does one make sense of the immense complexity of a city of this scope? "Reading and Writing the City" will study the city both within texts (literary, sociological, historical), and as a text. Drawing on signifying systems as varied as maps, street signs, film, and poetry (just to give a few examples), students will learn about how and what the city means to its various "readers" and "users." An independent project will enable students to discuss a particular representation of the city, or to represent it in the medium of the student's choice. 6 credits cr., AL, Spring—S. Carpenter
FREN 250. Mali Program: Film, Literature and Society in Mali Cross-listed with FRST 250. . This course will concentrate on the dynamics of orality, writing, and the art of cinema in Mali. The works of writers such as Amadou Hampaté Bâ, Seydou Badian, Massa Makan Diabate, and filmmakers such as Souleymane Cisse, Cheick Oumar Sissoko, and Adama Drabo will be studied. This course will also introduce the students to the life and work of traditional and modern performers in Mali. 6 credits cr., AL, Winter—C. Keïta
FREN 251. Mali Program: Negotiating the Past: Cross-listed with FRST 249. This course will look at various issues in Malian history (ancient and modern) and the process of political and economic change. A component of this course will be an introduction to conversational Bambara, the lingua franca of Mali. 4 credits cr., AL, Winter—Non-Carleton Faculty
FREN 290. Mali Program: Directed Reading Cross-listed with FRST 290. 2 credits cr., S/CR/NC, ND, Winter—C. Keïta
FREN 309. Beyond Words: The Fine Art of Writing in French Cross-listed with FRST 309. Designed to help students develop strategies to master the writing of literary essays, "exposés" and "explication de textes" in French, while perfecting their own writing style through creative writing and translation. Required for the major in French. Prerequisite: at least one course above 204. 6 credits cr., AL, Winter—C. Lac
FREN 346. Methods of Teaching Modern World Languages Cross-listed with EDUC 346,GERM 347,RUSS 346,SPAN 346. Methods of, and curricular materials for, the teaching of modern world languages in the secondary school. Prerequisite: Senior standing, permission of the instructor and Educational Studies 234. 6 credits cr., ND, Not offered in 2001-2002.
FREN 349. Paris Program: Reading and Writing the City Cross-listed with FRST 349. Paris is a world capital, a crossroads of cultures, classes, and languages. How does one make sense of the immense complexity of a city of this scope? "Reading and Writing the City" will study the city both within texts (literary, sociological, historical), and as a text. Drawing on signifying systems as varied as maps, street signs, film, and poetry (just to give a few examples), students will learn about how and what the city means to its various "readers" and "users." An independent project will enable students to discuss a particular representation of the city, or to represent it in the medium of the student's choice. Conducted in French. 6 credits cr., AL, Spring—S. Carpenter
FREN 351. Topics in the Sixteenth Century: Metamorphoses: Love, War and Monsters in Early Modern France Cross-listed with FRST 351. The French Renaissance continues to intrigue students and critics by its propensity for paradox, ambiguity, and contradiction. Just as literature and the arts reached new levels of aesthetic achievement, the bloodiest civil war in French history was taking shape. Simultaneously producing lyric poetry praising beautiful bodies, bawdy tales, moralizing dialogue, and chronicles of monsters, French sixteenth-century culture was in a constant state of flux. Through such authors as Rabelais, Marguerite de Navarre, Ronsard, Louise Labé and Montaigne, as well as contemporaneous artistic and musical works, we will investigate the meaning of these metamorphoses. Recommended preparation: 240 or equivalent. 6 credits cr., AL, Not offered in 2001-2002.
FREN 352. Seventeenth-Century Literature: Eccentrics in Classical France Cross-listed with FRST 352. Seventeenth century France is often touted as the pinnacle of French grandeur. Under Louis XIV's absolutist rule, France supported an astounding number of normative measures-from founding academies to policing codes of behavior-designed to help the French nation to become a political, economic and cultural world power. But in the midst of all these pressures towards normativeness, could one express any dissent in the age of Versailles? We will explore the creative strategies used in a whole range irreverent writings by of Molière, Racine, Perrault, Lafayette, Choisy and many more. Conducted in French. Recommended preparation: 240-level course or equivalent. 6 credits cr., AL, Spring—É. Pósfay
FREN 354. Literature of the Other Cross-listed with FRST 354. What is the division between Us and Them? The way we define the groups we belong to and those we differ from has always been of capital importance, and these definitions change over time. By looking at texts and events of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, including travel literature, tales of the supernatural, texts from the Revolution and documents of colonization, we will investigate the creation and manipulation of various "Others," as they have been defined socially, culturally, and sexually. Authors may include Mme de Graffigny, Diderot, Sade, Mme de Sta"l, Balzac, Flaubert, Baudelaire, among others. Conducted in French. Recommended preparation: 240-level course or equivalent. 6 credits cr., AL, Winter—S. Carpenter
FREN 357. Modern French Poetry Cross-listed with FRST 357. How does a poem mean? We will address this question in the light of nineteenth and twentieth-century French poetry. This is a dynamic period, one which witnesses a series of poetic revolutions: classical verse, forms, and esthetics shatter under the weight of new understandings of language. Authors studied include Lamartine, Hugo, Baudelaire, Siefert, Mallarmé, Valéry, Apollinaire, Eluard, Ponge, and more. Topics will include literary movements (e.g., Romanticism, Symbolism, Surrealism), lyrical forms (from the sonnet to the picture-poem to free verse), and such key notions as mimesis the unconscious, and the function of language. Conducted in French. Recommended preparation: 240-level course or equivalent. 6 credits cr., AL, Not offered in 2001-2002.
FREN 358. Twentieth-Century Literature: Theater of Derision Cross-listed with FRST 358. Derisive laughter echoes hauntingly throughout much of modern French theater, challenging both the spectator's self-complacency and the play's unquestioned representation of the real. In this course, we will explore the subversive effects that techniques of derision have on the theatrical experience in the works of such innovative twentieth century playwrights as Sartre, Beckett, Vian, and Genet. Conducted in French. Prerequisite: at least one course above the 240-level or equivalent. 6 credits cr., AL, Not offered in 2001-2002.
FREN 359. Twentieth-Century Literature: The Novel and Memory Cross-listed with FRST 359. Marcel Proust's quest to retrieve the past set the stage for future writers who, in their turn, have undertaken the challenging task of probing what bell hooks has referred to as "the debris of history." Memory, whether real or imagined, experiential or experimental, has been a central concern in the works of such twentieth-century authors as Maguerite Duras, Patrick Modiano, Charlotte Delbo, and Albert Camus. In this course we will pay particular attention to the high stakes of remembering (and forgetting) at the intersection of story (personal) and history (collective). Taught in French. 6 credits cr., AL, Not offered in 2001-2002.
FREN 395. Writing and Identity Cross-listed with FRST 395. Drawing upon autobiographical writings from French and Francophone traditions, this course will address questions of culture and identity (personal, familial, national, ethnic and sexual). Authors may include Montaigne, Rousseau, Sartre, Sarraute, Agag, Bugul, Guibert and Ernaux. To complement these literary and theoretical considerations, students will engage in their own autobiographical projects throughout the class. Conducted in French. Recommended preparation: French 240 or equivalent. 6 credits cr., AL, Fall—C. Yandell
FREN 398. Senior Essay The planning, preparation and writing of a significant paper in French or French and Francophone Studies under the direction of the department. Devoted to formulating a thesis and establishing a critical bibliography. 3 credits cr., S/CR/NC, ND, Fall—D. Strand
FREN 399. Senior Essay The planning, preparation and writing of a significant paper in French or French and Francophone Studies under the direction of the department. Discussion of drafts with other seminar members and the completion of the essay 3 credits cr., ND, Winter—D. Strand
FREN 400. Integrative Exercise A colloquium in which students present and defend their senior essays and discuss the essays of others. 3 credits cr., S/NC, ND, Spring—Staff