Department of Foreign Languages

Requirements for Minor
In addition to the 6 credits for core curriculum requirements, students wishing to minor in French must complete 12 credits chosen from 300 and 400 level courses.

Course Descriptions
FRE 103,104. Elementary French I, II
Gradual development of the four language skills: comprehension, speaking, reading and writing, with an early introduction to short excerpts of contemporary literary works and the culture of the country. Three hours of class instruction and one hour of laboratory work per week. Credit only for students with no previous study of French. Special fee required. (6 credits -- 3 credits per semester) FRE 103-Fall; FRE 104-Spring

FRE 210. Intermediate French I
Review of the structure of the French language, intended to strengthen student’s aural/oral comprehension, develop their ability in written composition and increase their appreciation of French literature and civilization. Prerequisite: FRE 104 or equivalent. (3 credits)

FRE 211. Intermediate French II
A further development of the student’s ability to use spoken and written French with special emphasis on the appreciation of French culture through readings in literature and contemporary texts. Prerequisite: FRE 210 or equivalent. (3 credits)

FRE 224. French Conversation I
A course designed to develop students’ oral proficiency and to increase their vocabularies. The conversations will be based on discussions dealing with everyday topics. Three hours of class instruction and one hour of laboratory work per week. Prerequisite: FRE 104 or equivalent. Special fee required. (3 credits)

FRE 225. French Conversation II
This course is designed to further develop oral proficiency and to enable the student to discuss current events and topics of contemporary concern. Discussions will be based on readings from newspapers and magazines. Three hours of class instruction and one hour of laboratory work per week. Prerequisite: FRE 224 or equivalent. Special fee required. (3 credits)

FRE 305, 306. Advanced French Composition and “Explication De Textes” I, II
A course in advanced composition whose object is to develop in the student the ability to write French with facility and correctness. Included are a review of grammar, consideration of stylistics, considerable out-of-class writing of essays, and some translations into French. Prerequisite: FRE 211 or equivalent. (6 credits -- 3 credits per semester)

FRE 307, 308. Advanced Conversation I, II
The objective of this course is to develop the student’s ability to speak French with facility and correctness. The course requires intensive practice in spoken French, directed conversation, oral reports and discussion of cultural and literary material read in preparation for the class. Three hours of class instruction and one hour of laboratory work per week. Prerequisite: FRE 225 or equivalent. Special fee required. (6 credits -- 3 credits per semester)

FRE 311. Commercial French
A practical course in the vocabulary and idioms most used in commercial French language. Exercises in letter-writing and reading and composition of reports. Especially geared towards those students who intend to work in international financial or business organizations. Taught in English and French.
Prerequisite: FRE 305 or equivalent and approval of department chair. (3 credits)

FRE 312. The French Novel: from Its Origins to Realism
A study of the French novel from its beginnings through Realism. Background lectures and critical analyses of selected works of major authors including Madame de LaFayette, Rousseau, Stendhal, Balzac, George Sand and Flaubert. Course conducted in French. Prerequisite: FRE 305 or equivalent. (3 credits)

FRE 313. The French Theater: from Its Origins to the Romantics
A study of the theater in France from the medieval through the romantic period. Background lectures and critical analyses of selected plays of major authors including Corneille, Moliere, Racine, Marivaux, Beaumarchais, Hugo, Vigny and Musset. Course conducted in French. Prerequisite: FRE 305 or equivalent. (3 credits)

FRE 314. Poetry and the Short Story in France:From Their Origins to the Eighteenth Century
A study of the masterpieces of poetry and the short story produced in France from the Middle Ages through the eighteenth century. Critical analyses of selected works of major authors including Villon, DuBellay, Ronsard, La Fontaine, Marie de France, Marguerite de Navarre and Voltaire. Course conducted in French. Prerequisite: FRE 305 or equivalent. (3 credits)

FRE 316. The French People and their Culture
An intensive on-the-scene study of France, with an investigation into its past and present, including visits to Paris, Versailles, Chartres, and the Chateaux de Ia Loire and other places of historical, cultural and contemporary interest. Open only to majors and other advanced students. Prerequisite: Advanced standing. (3 credits)

FRE 417. The French Novel: The Contemporary Period
A study of the French novel from Naturalism to the present. Background lectures and critical analyses of selected works of major authors including Zola, Proust, Gide, Mairaux, Mauriac, Sartre, Camus and Robbe-Grillet. Course conducted in French. Prerequisite: FRE 305 or equivalent. (3 credits)

FRE 418. The Contemporary French Theater
A study of the theater in France from the time of Scribe with “la piece bien faite” and Dumas with “la piece a these” through the Theater of the Absurd. Background lectures and critical analyses of selected plays of major authors including Becque, Rostand, Maeterlinck, Claudel, Giraudoux, Anouilh, Sartre, Beckett and lonesco. Course conducted in French. Prerequisite: FRE 305 or equivalent. (3 credits)

FRE 419. Poetry and the Short Story In France in the Modem Period
A study of the principal poets and short story writers of France from Romanticism to the present. Background lectures and critical analyses of selected major works by representative authors including Hugo, Lamartine, the Parnassians, the Symbolists, Peguy, Valery, the Surrealists, Daudet, Maupassant, Anatole France and Ayme. Course conducted in French. Prerequisite: FRE 305 or equivalent. (3 credits)

FRE 421. French Civilization
Lectures and discussions on the geography, history, economy, and current problems, French architecture, literature, music, painting, and sculpture. Extensive use of audio-visual aids. Course conducted in French. Prerequisite: FRE 305 or equivalent. (3 credits)

FRE 452. Seminar In French Literature
A review of the great ideas and ideals learned in the liberal arts core curriculum in light of what has been taught in major courses, with a view to integrating for the students the two branches of their programs of studies. Readings, research and discussion of selected authors, works or genres of French literature. Capstone course. Prerequisite: Approval of department chair. (3 credits)

Back to Top