Language courses
111 – Elementary French
Essentials of French, stressing the four skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing. Required additional scheduled session of language practice. Given in French. Designed for students with no experience in French. Three hours. Staff.
112 – Elementary French
Second half of elementary French. Prerequisite: FREN 111. Required additional scheduled session of language practice. Given in French. Three hours. Staff.
115 – Intensive Elementary French
A review of elementary French intended for students having previously studied French in high school. Required additional scheduled session of language practice. Given in French. Admittance through placement testing only. Students who have taken FREN 111 and/or FREN 112 may not enroll in FREN 115. Four hours. Staff.
211 – Intermediate French
A review of French grammar with increased emphasis on reading, writing, conversation and comprehension, and introduction to aspects of French culture. Required additional scheduled session of language practice. Prerequisite: FREN 112/115 or admittance through placement testing. Given in French. Three hours. Staff.
212 – Intermediate French
Second half of Intermediate French. Increased time spent on reading and writing of compositions. Required additional scheduled session of language practice. Prerequisite: FREN 211. Given in French. Three hours. Staff.
215 – Intensive Intermediate French
An accelerated course which completes intermediate French in one semester. Designed for advanced students. Students who have taken FREN 211 and/or FREN 212 may not enroll in 215. Required additional scheduled session of language practice. Given in French. Four hours. Staff.
220 – French Language Through Contemporary Films and Grammar
Through a selection of diverse and recent French films and the study of grammar and vocabulary, this course will broaden and strengthen the knowledge of French grammar and language at the intermediate level. Topics such as family roles, class and racial tension, immigration, and university life will be analyzed and discussed. Students will widen their knowledge of French contemporary issues and consolidate their linguistic skills through class and group discussions, the in-depth review of grammar points, and writing exercises. Prerequisite: FREN 212 or 215 or instructor permission. Three hours. Teixidor.
221 – Phonetics
An intensive study of the history of the language, phonetic theory, and phonetic transcription. Individual conferences with the instructor for diagnosis and correction of particular pronunciation problems. Prerequisite: FREN 215 or 220. Given in French. Three hours. Hilliard.
232 – Conversation
Intensive practice in conversational French. Emphasis placed on the acquisition of a working nonliterary vocabulary. Topics of discussion and reading centered upon contemporary French culture. Given in French. Prerequisite: FREN 215 or 220 or departmental permission. Three hours. deGraff.
332 – Advanced Conversation
This course provides students with the opportunity to consolidate their speaking skills at an advanced level. Class discussion will focus on topics related to French culture which will be studied through the media of French films and T.V. broadcasts. Given in French. Prerequisites: FREN 232 and 316 or departmental permission. Three hours. Staff.
History and Culture
216 – French Culture and Society
This travel-study course in Paris will provide students in FREN 212 and those who have just completed FREN 212 and 215 with the opportunity to gain greater fluency in speaking and writing in the target language. It will also allow students to significantly increase their understanding of contemporary French culture, important artistic movements and historical events as they relate to Paris itself. Students will experience first-hand French daily life and cultural through visits of monuments and immersion in the society. Co-requisite: FREN 212 or Pre-requisite: 212 & 215. Three hours. Teixidor.
241 – Reading Literature in French
This course is designed to teach students, through close reading, the basic structural relationships of a literary text in order to read critically and imaginatively. It is organized by genre because certain critical terms and problems are most often associated with a particular genre. The course will include three sections, devoted respectively to the study of narrative prose, poetry, and drama. Reading, speaking, and writing about literature are central activities in this course. Students will learn reading strategies, which will be reinforced in class and outside class. Given in French. Prerequisite: FREN 232 or instructor permission. Partially satisfies the AOK requirements for literature and art (literature). Three hours. Hilliard.
256 – Paris – Old and New
This course, conducted in Paris, is an intensive study of French language and civilization. The course includes both language-building exercises and a study of the history of Paris. Course includes numerous visits to Paris museums and historic monuments and sites as well as excursions to places of interest outside of Paris. These visits, starting with the “’Ile de la Cité,” follow a timetable that reflects the historical and cultural development of Paris. Taught in French. Prerequisite: FREN 220 or permission of the instructor. Three hours. Hilliard, deGraff.
261 – Civilization
Traces the development of French civilization from prehistoric times through the upheavals of the French Revolution. Students will study the historical and political events as well as the key figures and movements which have shaped France’s development over two millennia. Particular attention will be paid to the ways in which cultural products such as art and architecture are a reflection of the time period which produced them. The content of the course will be enriched by wide use of films, documentaries, and the Internet. Prerequisite: FREN 220 and 232 or departmental permission. Three hours. DeGraff.
273 – Business French
This course is designed for students wishing to acquire a concrete knowledge of French business terminology and business practices, both to be directly applied in class workshops. Students will also look at specific Francophone companies around the world and study their organization. Prerequisite: FREN 232, 261 or 356. Three hours. Teixidor.
275 – French Cinema
While French Cinema has faced in the twentieth century and still faces today real difficulties to export and attract audience worldwide, it was once a synonym of a financial and artistic industry that dominated the world. It has shaped France and the French identity across the decades and it is today in France still a very viable industry. This course will introduce students to the rich history and development of the French cinema, from the first films of the Lumière brothers in 1895 all the way to the youngest generation of French filmmakers. Within a chronological and thematic framework, we will analyze films from the major directors and movements of French filmmaking. We will study the endurance and resilience of French cinema and examine the characteristics that make French cinema particularly “French.” In addition to studying French cinematographic genres and esthetics, and looking at the contribution of French movie directors to film as an art form, students will study French cinema in its relationship to modern France and analyze which social, historical and political contexts appear in films. We will pay particular attention to famous cinematographic personalities such as Renoir, Carné, Cocteau, Tati, Truffaut, Godard and to the French star system through the study of Depardieu, Deneuve, and more recently Cottillard among others. Prequesite: French 241. Three hours. Teixidor.
316 – Advanced Language Development
This course is a third year language course designed to consolidate linguistic and grammatical skills and extend student’s mastery of the language at an advanced level. A major emphasis will be on writing, translation skills (English to French and French to English), and grammar review. Given in French. Prerequisites: FREN 220 and 232 or 241 or departmental permission. Three hours. Teixidor.
349 – Teaching Methodology for Foreign Languages
Also listed as GERM 349 and SPAN 349, this course fulfills a state requirement for students seeking certification in the teaching of foreign languages. Students will explore the theories of language acquisition, current research, and various methods of language instruction. Students will create lesson plans and assessments that correspond to current understandings of how K-12 students best learn a second language. This course will emphasize the national standards and proficiency-based objectives for foreign language instruction. Given in English. Prerequisite: seven courses beyond the 212- 215 level and admission to the Randolph-Macon Education Department’s teacher preparation program. Course must be taken no earlier than the academic year during which student teaching is to take place. Offered as needed. Three hours. Staff.
351-Survey of French Literature I
This course provides an introduction to French literature from the middle Ages through the beginning of the eighteenth century. We will explore changing world views and concepts of man as they are reflected in the heroes and heroines of the works we read including among others the chivalric Knight and courtly lovers of the Middle Ages the giant “Gargantua of the Renaissance and Molière’s “honnête homme” of the seventeenth century. Individual works will thus be studied in their social and historical contexts. Prerequisite: FREN 241 or departmental permission. Partially satisfies the AOK requirements for literature and art (literature). Three hours each. DeGraff.
356 –Survey of French Literature II
This course provides an introduction to French literature during the eighteenth, nineteenth-, twentieth- and twenty-first centuries. Literary movements such as the le siècle des lumières, Romanticism, Realism, Surrealism, and the Nouveau Roman, and representative texts will be studied in their social and historical contexts. Students will also learn the basic techniques of text analysis and literary terminology. Prerequisite: FREN 241 or departmental permission. Partially satisfies the AOK requirements for literature and art (literature). Three hours each. Hilliard, Teixidor.
366 – Modern French Civilization
This course surveys the historical, political, cultural, and social background of France since the French Revolution. It will study the impact of 1789 on French society and culture and analyze French contemporary society through major historical events such as WW II, the end of colonization and the Algerian war, May 68 and the construction of Europe. It will also discuss the issues of immigration, regionalism and nationalism, cultural exception, socialism, and look at some of the major figures of French history. Textbook will be supplemented by the use of films and newspaper articles. Prerequisite: FREN 261 or 351 or departmental permission. Three hours. Teixidor.
381-382, 481-482 – Special Topics
Intensive work in an area of language or literature not covered in the general curriculum, tailored to the needs of advanced students. Three hours each. Staff.
435 – 17th Century French Literature
This course presents an in-depth study of the great classical writers of the age of Louis XIV. Authors studied include Corneille, Racine, Moliere, Pascal, Mme. de LaFayette, La Fontaine, La Rochefoucauld, and La Bruyere. Given in French. Prerequisites: FREN 351 and 356, or departmental permission. Offered every four years. Three hours. deGraff.
437 – 18th Century French Literature
A study of selected works by the major writers of the French Enlightenment, illustrating the evolution from Classicism to Preromanticism. The course will also examine the literature of ideas leading to the French Revolution in the works of the leading “Philosophes:” Montesquieu, Voltaire, Diderot, and Rousseau. Special attention will be given to the development of the memoir and epistolary novels and to the social criticism in the theater of Marivaux and Beaumarchais. Given in French. Prerequisites: FREN 351 and 356, or departmental permission. Offered every four years. Three hours. Staff.
443 – 19th Century French Literature
The purpose of this course is threefold: to explore the great literary movements of the 19th century such as Romanticism, Realism, Symbolism, and Naturalism; to examine closely both major and minor literary works with a view to understanding the major thematic and formal concerns of their authors (poets, dramatists, or novelists); and to develop critical ways of reading long fiction and poetry. Given in French. Prerequisites: FREN 351 and 356, or departmental permission. Offered every four years. Three hours. Hilliard.
445 – 20th Century French Literature
A study of French novels, plays, and films representative of the main literary, philosophical, and artistic movements of the first half of the 20th century such as Surrealism, Existentialism, the Theater of the Absurd, and the New Novel. Close readings of texts will teach students to understand how the formal aspects of a work such as plot form, characterization, use of language, the role of the narrator, etc. create and reveal meaning. Readings will include works by Gide, Sartre, Camus, Beckett, Ionesco, and Robbe-Grillet. The films of Bunuel, Renais and Robbe-Grillet will also be studied. Given in French. Prerequisites: FREN 351 and 356, or departmental permission. Offered every four years. Three hours. deGraff.
447 – Francophone Literature
This course provides an introduction to the Francophone world (Quebec, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Indian Ocean) through the study of literature. Students read a variety of texts (fiction, poetry, and essay) and examine their history and relationship with France. Close attention is paid to the question of colonialism and its impact on local societies and their cultures, the weight of traditions, gender issues, and the aftermath of colonialism. Prerequisites: FREN 351 and 356 or departmental permission. Three hours. Teixidor.
448 – African and Middle East Literature and Film
This course is a study of postcolonial literature and film from Africa and the Middle East. The focus will be on recent novels and short stories from countries formerly colonized by France (such as Senegal, Guinea, Cameroon, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia), but the course will also include material from Lebanon, Egypt, and Palestinian areas in Israel. Additionally, we will examine transnational contemporary literature and films created by migration and cultural change. Readings and class discussions will be in English. For French majors, most readings and the additional weekly discussion session will be in French, thus providing a fourth credit hour. Prerequisites: FREN 351 and 356, or permission of instructor (for French credit). Cross-listed with FLET 248 (3 hours). Three hours; four hours for French majors and minors. Teixidor.
450 – Internship in French
Individually designed field studies and projects for students of junior or senior standing whose maturity and proficiency in French will enable them to enter the fields of business, industry, government, health, or social services. The internship provides several weeks of practical application of knowledge of French culture and language. Prerequisites: certification of class standing, appropriate GPA, and permission of the department. Application required; see Internship Program. Three hours. Staff.
472 – Women in French Film
This course, open to students from all academic backgrounds, will provide an introduction to film analysis and will focus on the representation of women (as heroes, rebels, mothers, friends, lovers, madwomen, etc.) in French films of the last 40 years. This course will also examine the work of several important French women film directors. Over the course of the term, students will become familiar with distinctive aspects of French film styles, with French vs. American representations of women, and with the cultural context of the selected films. This course counts towards the women’s studies major or minor, the film minor, and the French major. Prerequisites for French credit: FREN 351 and 356. Cross-listed as FLET 272. Additional class meetings in French for French majors or minors who will earn four credit hours. Three hours. Hilliard and Teixidor.
482 – Special Topics
Intensive work in an area of language or literature not covered in the general curriculum, tailored to the needs of advanced students. Staff. 487-488 – Department Honors I and II. Staff.
491-492 – Independent Study
An independent study under the guidance of a member of the department. At least a 3.25 cumulative GPA and approval by the curriculum committee are required. Three hours each. Staff.
495 – Capstone Experience
This is a one-credit course to be taken during the spring of the senior year (during fall in the case of Education minors). Working with their capstone adviser, students will submit for approval of the Departmental Capstone Committee, a topic related to the interests of the students. During the fall of their senior year (during spring of their junior year in the case of Education minors), students must begin research for their capstone project. In addition to the written project, students will make two oral presentations, one in English on research Day and another in French. Performance in FREN 495 will be evaluated by the Departmental Capstone Committee members and will be based on the students’ work with their capstone adviser, the capstone project, and the two presentations. Given in French. Offered in spring, offered in fall when necessary. One hour. Staff.
Study Abroad Courses in Paris, France
All of the following courses are taught in French. The minimum prerequisites for all courses taught in France are FREN 232 and FREN 351 or permission of the department.
222 – French Phonetics Practicum
This course aims to improve student’s pronunciation through intensive drills in the language laboratory and through individual conferences with the instructor for diagnosis and correction of particular pronunciation problems. Prerequisite: FREN 212 or its equivalent. This course counts as an elective toward the French major or minor. Two hours.
241 – Textual Analysis, Level I
This course is designed to introduce students to the techniques of textual exegesis and to teach them to appreciate the different prose styles of various forms of literary expression in French. Texts studied will include literary and non-literary works from different periods. Prerequisite: FREN 232. This course counts as an elective toward the French major or minor. Four hours.
242 – Textual Analysis, Level II
This course teaches techniques of textual exegesis at an advanced level through close study of literary texts. Prerequisite: one course at the 300-level in French or permission of the department. Four hours.
280 – Art, Culture and Society
This course is a study of the main cultural events in French history and the role that the French Government played in these events. Particular attention will be given to such leaders as François I, Louis XIV, the Front populaire, André Malraux, and Jack Lang, and will help to define the notion of political culture. Examples will be drawn mainly from the plastic arts. Prerequisite: FREN 232. Three hours.
309 – Advanced Grammar, Level I
An intermediate level French language course in grammar and composition designed to improve writing skills through vocabulary building exercises, study of idiomatic structures, and numerous writing exercises. Prerequisite: FREN 232. Four hours.
310 – Advanced Grammar, Level II
A third-year French language course designed to consolidate skills acquired and to extend the student’s mastery of the language. Major emphasis on the written language and a thorough grammar review at an advanced level with importance given to learning complex grammatical structures and development of a literary vocabulary. Prerequisite: FREN 232. Four hours.
455 – La Belle Epoque
This course explores the historical, social, political, and artistic currents of the period of the Belle Epoque (1870-1914). The mutual influences of and interdependence between poetry, music, painting, and literature are studied as important features of the pre-World War I period. A discussion of the birth of modernity in the conflicting artistic years 1912-1913 provides the student with a better understanding of a world in transition. Prerequisite: FREN 241. This course counts as part of Group III on the major. Three hours.