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FREN B000 French TA/Drill/Discussion

Fall 2025

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FREN B001 Elementary French

Fall 2025

The speaking and understanding of French are emphasized particularly during the first semester, and written competence is stressed as well in semester II. The work includes intensive oral practice sessions. The course meets five hours a week in non-intensive sections. This is a year-long course and students must register for both semesters.

Course does not meet an Approach

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FREN B001IN Intensive Elementary French

Fall 2025

French 001 Intensive Elementary is the first half of a two-semester beginning sequence designed to help students attain a level of proficiency to function comfortably in a French-speaking environment. This course allows students to: major, minor, and be able to do their JYA in a French-speaking country. It is both speaking-intensive (through pair work, group work, and drills) and writing-intensive (through blogs and essays). In TA sessions, students develop the ability to speak and understand increasingly well through songs, skits, debates, and a variety of activities. The course meets nine hours per week.

Course does not meet an Approach

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FREN B002 Elementary French

Spring 2026

The speaking and understanding of French are emphasized particularly during the first semester, and written competence is stressed as well in semester II. The work includes intensive oral practice sessions. The course meets in non-intensive (five hours a week) sections. This is a year-long course.

Course does not meet an Approach

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FREN B002IN Intensive Elementary French

Spring 2026

The second half of a two-semester beginning sequence designed to help students attain a level of proficiency to function comfortably in a French-speaking environment. It is both speaking-intensive (through pair work, group work and drills) and writing-intensive (through blogs and essays). In drill sessions, students develop the ability to speak and understand increasingly well through songs, skits, debates, and a variety of activities. Class meets nine hours per week.

Course does not meet an Approach

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FREN B003 Intermediate French

Fall 2025

The emphasis on speaking, understanding, and writing French is continued; texts from French literature and cultural media are read; and short papers are written in French. Students regularly attend supplementary oral practice sessions. The course meets in non-intensive (three hours a week) sections that are supplemented by an extra hour per week with an assistant. This is a year-long course. Prerequisite: FREN B002 or placement required.

Course does not meet an Approach

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FREN B004 Intermediate French

Spring 2026

The emphasis on speaking, understanding, and writing French is continued; texts from French literature and cultural media are read; and short papers are written in French. Students regularly attend supplementary oral practice sessions. The course meets in non-intensive (three hours a week) sections that are supplemented by an extra hour per week with an assistant. This is a year-long course.

Course does not meet an Approach

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FREN B005 Intensive Intermediate French

Fall 2025

The emphasis on speaking and understanding French is continued; literary and cultural texts are read and increasingly longer papers are written in French. In addition to three class meetings a week, students develop their skills in group sessions with the professors and in oral practice hours with assistants. Students use internet resources regularly. This course prepares students to take 102 or 105 in semester II. Open only to graduates of Intensive Elementary French or to students placed by the department or recommended by their instructor from 002 regular. Two additional hours of instruction outside class time required. Additional meeting hours on Tuesday and Thursday will be scheduled according to students availability. Prerequisite: FREN B002IN (intensive) or Placement exam. Approach: Course does not meet an Approach

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Counts Toward: Africana Studies.

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FREN B101 Textes, Images, Voix I

Fall 2025

Presentation of essential problems in literary and cultural analysis by close reading of works selected from various periods and genres and by analysis of voice and image in French writing and film from female and male authors in Metropolitan France, Africa, and other Francophone regions. Participation in discussion and practice in written and oral expression are emphasized, as are grammar review and exercises. This is a writing intensive course. Prerequisites: FREN B004, placement, or permission of instructor.

Critical Interpretation (CI)

Cross-Cultural Analysis (CC)

Power, Inequity, and Justice (PIJ)

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FREN B105 Directions de la France contemporaine

Spring 2026

Ce cours se donne pour but de vous faire goûter à la culture française actuelle, mais aussi de vous donner une idée claire de la société où elle naît. Nous en aborderons des aspects très variés en nous concentrant sur ces institutions dont le fonctionnement la distingue d'autres pays (école, hôpital, etc.). Les films que nous allons voir nous permettront d'analyser ces particularités françaises. Il s'agit également de vous encourager à vous exprimer aisément en français : les discussions seront privilégiées et nous réviserons régulièrement des points de grammaire afin d'améliorer votre expression tant écrite qu'orale. Au terme de ce cours, vous pourrez vivre en France sans vous sentir sur une planète étrangère. Prerequisite: FREN 005 or 101.

Cross-Cultural Analysis (CC)

Counts Toward: Gender Sexuality Studies; Museum Studies; Visual Studies.

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FREN B207 Ouvrir la voix: Introduction aux études francophones

Fall 2025

This course provides students with an overview of foundational concepts, methods and texts relevant to Francophone Studies. We will engage with past and present debates relating to identity, diversity, nation and empire in the colonial and postcolonial contexts and explore the specificity of Francophone Studies with regards to the field of postcolonial studies. While focused on literature, the course will also explore other forms of cultural production (movies, graphic novels, political speeches, etc.) from sub-Saharan Africa, the Maghreb, the Caribbean and Vietnam. The course will train students in literary analysis and develop their ability to speak and write critically in French. Prerequisites: FREN 102 or 105.

Critical Interpretation (CI)

Cross-Cultural Analysis (CC)

Power, Inequity, and Justice (PIJ)

Counts Toward: Comparative Literature.

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FREN B208 La diversité dans le cinéma français contemporain

Spring 2026

Until the closing years of the 20th century, ethnic diversity was virtually absent from French cinema. While Francophone directors from Northern and Sub-Saharan Africa debunked colonialism and neocolonialism in their films, minorities hardly appeared on French screens. Movies were made by white filmmakers for a white audience. Since the 1980's and the 1990's, minorities have become more visible in French films. Are French Blacks and Arabs portrayed in French cinema beyond stereotypes, or are they still objects of a euro-centric gaze? Have minorities gained agency in storytelling, not just as actors, but as directors? What is the national narrative at play in the recent French films that focus on diversity? Is it still "us against them", or has the new generation of French filmmakers found a way to include the different components of French identity into a collective subject? From Bouchareb to Gomis, from Kechiche to Benyamina and Jean-Baptiste, this course will map out the visual fault lines of the French self and examine the prospects for a post-republican sense of community. This course will be taught in French. Open to non-majors. There will be a weekly screening on Sunday, 7:00pm-9:00pm.

Critical Interpretation (CI)

Power, Inequity, and Justice (PIJ)

Counts Toward: Africana Studies; Film Studies.

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FREN B215 Etudes théâtrales

Not offered 2025-26

Ce cours est destiné à l'étude du théâtre français et francophone. Le sujet est variable. Prerequistie: FREN 102 or FREN 105

Critical Interpretation (CI)

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FREN B229 Monstres et Merveilles

Not offered 2025-26

Sous leurs dehors simples, les contes merveilleux ont fasciné les critiques littéraires comme les spécialistes du folklore. Ces derniers ont tenté de définir leur structure primordiale et de les classer selon des motifs universels. Nous nous inspirerons à la fois de l'analyse structurale et de l'analyse symbolique pour réenchanter des contes devenus parfois trop familiers. Pour y voir plus clair, nous lirons plusieurs versions d'un même conte. A la fin du cours, vous pourrez répondre à ces questions : quel est le rapport entre Cendrillon et les cendres ? Pourquoi le chaperon du Petit Chaperon Rouge est-il rouge ? Le devoir final sera un conte que vous écrirez vous-même.

Writing Attentive

Critical Interpretation (CI)

Cross-Cultural Analysis (CC)

Counts Toward: Comparative Literature.

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FREN B230 Les Monstres

Spring 2026

Nous examinerons comment la peinture de la monstruosité physique et morale a peu à peu constitué une nouvelle esthétique littéraire en France, du XVIIème au XXIème siècle. Pourquoi préférer la peinture de la difformité physique et morale à l'idéal classique de la beauté ? Quels sont les effets affectifs et esthétiques recherchés : horreur, indignation, sentiment du sublime ? Comment les écrivains s'emparent-ils de l'histoire (Néron, Révolution Française) et de certains « faits divers » pour dépeindre des figures monstrueuses ? Il s'agira aussi de se demander si, en retour, la littérature accroît notre compréhension de l'histoire et de la violence (extra)ordinaire. Auteurs étudiés : Racine, France, Barbey d'Aurevilly, Slimani, Genet, Baudelaire. Prerequisite: FREN B102 or B105 or French Placement (200 level or higher) or course at 200 level

Critical Interpretation (CI)

Inquiry into the Past (IP)

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FREN B262 Débat, discussion, dialogue

Fall 2025

Despite their differences, all countries face similar problems. Examples of challenges include humanitarian aid international justice, the environment, economic inequalities, invisibility and access to health and food. What can we learn from each other in order to find solutions to shared problems? In this course, students will develop the skills necessary to debate and deal with international/global issues. Everyone will expand their vocabulary in areas such as: politics, commerce, human rights, cultural diplomacy to name only a few key areas. We will gain in-depth knowledge of a particular region of the Francophone world as we explore shared themes. Each student will choose a francophone country and speak from that region, using the local press as reference. This will require independent research; including developing a bibliography pertaining to your country for each of the themes we study. Students will regularly share your expertise with others in formats ranging from reports to debates.

Counts Toward: Africana Studies; Africana Studies.

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FREN B312 Advanced Topics in Literature

Section 001 (Spring 2026): Inventing the Maghreb

Spring 2026

This is a topics course. Course content varies. Prerequisites: two 200-level courses.

Counts Toward: Comparative Literature.

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FREN B325 Topics: Etudes avancées

Section 001 (Fall 2025): La France du Roi-Soleil
Section 001 (Fall 2026): La France du Roi-Soleil

Fall 2025

An in-depth study of a particular topic, event or historical figure in French civilization. This is a topics course. Course content varies. The seminar topic rotates among many subjects: La Révolution française: Histoire, littérature et culture; L'environnement naturel dans la culture française; Mal et valeurs éthiques; Le Cinéma et la politique, 1940-1968; Le Nationalisme en France et dans les pays francophones; Étude socio-culturelle des arts du manger en France du Moyen Age à nos jours; Crimes et criminalité; Ecrire la Grande Guerre: 1914-10; Le "Rentrée Littéraire"; Proust/Baudelaire; L'Humain et l'environnement.

Current topic description: Depuis ses origines, le théâtre s'impose comme un espace privilégié de contestation et de réflexion, où le rire sert de puissante arme critique qui dénonce les défauts de la société, les abus de pouvoir et les hypocrisies morales. Ce cours se propose d'examiner comment les dramaturges français ont utilisé le rire et la caricature pour critiquer les travers de la société, les abus de pouvoir et les hypocrisies morales du Moyen-Âge à aujourd'hui. Nous découvrirons ainsi les stratégies satiriques employées par les auteurs tels que Molière, Beaumarchais, Ionesco et Yasmina Reza - entre autres - mais aussi des expressions scéniques moins conventionnelles comme les humoristes et le stand-up. À travers l'analyse de ces oeuvres, nous mettrons en lumière la censure et la controverse qu'elles ont provoquées, et découvrirons ainsi la nature hautement subversive du théâtre. Cette exploration nous permettra ainsi de mettre en lumière le veritable rôle du rire sur scène, entre simple divertissement et véritable arme critique.

Counts Toward: Comparative Literature.

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FREN B326 Etudes avancées

Section 001 (Spring 2026): Witches

Spring 2026

An in-depth study of a particular topic, event or historical figure in French civilization. This is a topics course. Course content varies.

Counts Toward: Comparative Literature.

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FREN B398 Senior Seminar

This weekly thesis development workshop examines French and Francophone literary texts and cultural documents from all periods, and the interpretive problems they raise. Close reading, complemented by extensive secondary readings from different schools of interpretation, prepare students to analyze other critical stances and to develop their own.

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FREN B400 Thesis Advising

Weekly or bi-weekly meetings with your thesis advisor will allow you to write your senior thesis efficiently and to prepare for a successful defense.

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FREN B701 Supervised Work

Spring 2026

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COML B200 Introduction to Comparative Literature

Spring 2026

This course explores a variety of approaches to the comparative or transnational study of literature through readings of several kinds: texts from different cultural traditions that raise questions about the nature and function of storytelling and literature; texts that comment on, respond to, and rewrite other texts from different historical periods and nations; translations; and readings in critical theory.

Critical Interpretation (CI)

Cross-Cultural Analysis (CC)

Counts Toward: French and Francophone Studies.

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COML B213 Theory in Practice: Critical Discourses in the Humanities

Spring 2026

What is a postcolonial subject, a queer gaze, a feminist manifesto? And how can we use (as readers of texts, art, and films) contemporary studies on animals and cyborgs, object-oriented ontology, zombies, storyworlds, neuroaesthetics? By bringing together the study of major theoretical currents of the 20th century and the practice of analyzing literary works in the light of theory, this course aims at providing students with skills to use literary theory in their own scholarship. The selection of theoretical readings reflects the history of theory (psychoanalysis, structuralism, narratology), as well as the currents most relevant to the contemporary academic field: Post-structuralism, Post-colonialism, Gender Studies, and Ecocriticism. They are paired with a diverse range of short stories across multiple language traditions (Poe, Kafka, Camus, Borges, Calvino, Morrison, Djebar, Murakami, Ngozi Adichie) that we discuss along with our study of theoretical texts. We will discuss how to apply theory to the practice of interpretation and of academic writing, and how theoretical ideas shape what we are reading. The class will be conducted in English, with an additional hour taught by the instructor of record in the target language for students wishing to take the course for language credit.

Critical Interpretation (CI)

Cross-Cultural Analysis (CC)

Counts Toward: Africana Studies; Africana Studies; East Asian Languages & Culture; English; French and Francophone Studies; Gender & Sexuality Studies; Gender Sexuality Studies; Gender Sexuality Studies; German and German Studies; History of Art; Italian and Italian Studies; Philosophy; Russian; Spanish.

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HLTH B275 Global Eugenics

Fall 2025

Eugenics is usually associated with genocidal and discriminatory theories and policies elaborated in the US (before WWII) and in Nazi Germany (1933-1945). This mainstream narrative implies eugenics belongs to the past, even though some controversial writers have recently been trying to rehabilitate eugenic theories. In this seminar, we will take a closer look at the emergence of eugenics in the Western world and reframe the usual narrative by going back - not to Francis Galton's invention of the word (1883) - but to the first treatise of modern eugenics, Vandermonde's Essay on the manner of perfecting the human species (1756). We will also expand the scope of our inquiry by including countries beyond the "usual suspects" (UK, US, and Germany). This reframing will have huge consequences on the way we perceive and interpret the historical significance of eugenics and the current controversy around gene editing.

Inquiry into the Past (IP)

Power, Inequity, and Justice (PIJ)

Counts Toward: French and Francophone Studies; Health Studies.

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