Information For:

Courses for Spring 2020

  • Basic French

    This is the second half of a two-semester course. Four meetings a week for oral practice plus one conversation hour. One hour of work outside of class is expected every day (grammar/writing, oral practice, reading). An accelerated track enables qualified students to go directly to FREN 0500 after FREN 0200. Enrollment limited to 15.
    FREN 0200 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Khabarovskiy
    FREN 0200 S02
    Primary Instructor
    Khabarovskiy
    FREN 0200 S03
    Primary Instructor
    Khabarovskiy
    FREN 0200 S04
    Primary Instructor
    Khabarovskiy

  • Intermediate French II

    Continuation of FREN 0300 but may be taken separately. A four-skill language course that stresses oral interaction in class (three meetings per week plus one 50-minute conversation section). Materials include audio activities, film, and a novel. Short compositions with systematic grammar practice. Prerequisite: FREN 0300, FREN 0200 with permission, or placement.
    FREN 0400 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Ravillon
    FREN 0400 S02
    Primary Instructor
    Ravillon
    FREN 0400 S03
    Primary Instructor
    Ravillon

  • Writing and Speaking French I

    A four-skill language course that stresses oral interaction in class. Thematic units will focus on songs, poems, a short novel, a graphic novel, films and a longer novel. Activities include a creative project using Comic Life, and a systematic grammar review. Prerequisite: FREN 0400, FREN 0200 with written permission, or placement.
    FREN 0500 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Ravillon
    FREN 0500 S03
    Primary Instructor
    Ravillon

  • Writing and Speaking French II

    Prerequisite for study in French-speaking countries. Class time is devoted mainly to conversation and discussion practice. Writing instruction and assignments focus on essays, commentaries, and to a lesser degree, on story writing. Apart from reading assignments for discussion (press articles and literary excerpts), students select two novels to read. Prerequisite: FREN 0500 or placement. Enrollment limited to 15.
    FREN 0600 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Ravillon
    FREN 0600 S02
    Primary Instructor
    Ravillon
    FREN 0600 S03
    Primary Instructor
    Ravillon

  • Writing and Speaking French II: Littérature:Nature/Culture

    Same level as FREN 0600, with emphasis on literary analysis. This course will explore a collection of French novels and films that explore the idea of a nature/culture dichotomy, calling into question both what it means to be human and what it means to be natural. Topics include: the interplay between human beings and their environment; animal studies/animal ethics; the idea of human nature (and its critics). Readings will feature authors such as: Rousseau, Zola, Rachilde, Colette, Gide. Taught in French.
    FREN 0620 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Ravillon

  • Histoire de la langue française: usages, politiques et enjeux du français

    A study of the evolution of the French language from the Middle Ages to the present. We will trace the main periods of this linguistic, social, historical and political development. Among topics to be explored: France’s encounter with English from the Norman conquest to the current so-called English “invasion,” the French Revolution’s destruction of dialects (patois), and the status of French in France’s former colonial empire. Through a variety of French and francophone texts we will investigate the transformations brought about by Feminists and by youth from the banlieues and examine the status of French outside of France. In French. Prerequisite: a course at the 600- or 700-level or equivalent proficiency. Contact the instructor to verify your proficiency if you have not taken French at Brown.
    FREN 1020A S01
    Primary Instructor
    Mostefai

  • Le Mariage dans la littérature médiévale: la violence et le "problème" du corps

    After first gaining a foundational understanding of how marriage was portrayed in seminal Medieval theoretical texts and how it was discussed in Medieval literature, in this course we will examine a wide range of genres—treatises, biblical exegesis, debate literature, fabliaux, and epic and lyric poetry—that will help us carefully investigate literary representations of women and wives in Medieval French literature. Taught in French.
    FREN 1020C S01
    Primary Instructor
    Hicks-Bartlett

  • Le Grand Siècle à l'écran

    Why is the "Grand Siècle" depicted so frequently in contemporary French film? To answer this question we will explore the roles 17th-century culture plays in French identity through readings in history and literature and recent films focusing on 17th-century texts, personalities, or events. We will highlight both continuities and discontinuities between the 17th century and our own time. Readings by Corneille, Cyrano de Bergerac, Lafayette, Maintenon, Molière, Pascal, Racine, Sévigné. 10 films. Two short papers, two oral presentations, a weekly blog, and a final project (paper or multimedia project). Prerequisite: a course at the 600- or 700-level or equivalent proficiency. Contact the instructor to verify your proficiency if you have not take French at Brown.
    FREN 1040C S01
    Primary Instructor
    Seifert

  • Qu’est-ce que l’identité?

    From the 17th century to modernity the question of identity has been posed in various terms: philosophical (Descartes: "I think therefore I am"), political (Louis XIV: "I am the state"), and poetic (Rimbaud: "I is another"), before being determined in the contemporary context as a means of ethnic or gender identification. We will examine a series of historic (Descartes, Rimbaud) and more recent texts (Glissant, Duras, Daoud, Darrieussecq) in which the self is called critically into question, in order to better understand how identity always stages a play of same and other. Taught in French. Prerequisite: a course at the 600- or 700-level or equivalent proficiency. Contact the instructor to verify your proficiency if you have not taken French at Brown.
    FREN 1310Q S01
    Primary Instructor
    Wills

  • Sorcellerie et Renaissance: le sort de la sorcière

    An interdisciplinary exploration of witches and witchcraft in Renaissance France based on close analysis of primary texts-confessions from trials, iconography, literary texts, and witchcraft theory. Topics include the trial of Joan of Arc, the science of demons, skepticism, and the nature of belief. Readings in Montaigne, Mauss, among others. Enrollment limited to 20. Taught in French. Prerequisite: a course at the 0600- or 0700-level or equivalent proficiency. Contact the instructor to verify your proficiency if you have not taken French at Brown.
    FREN 1410I S01
    Primary Instructor
    Krause

  • Advanced Oral and Written French: Traduction

    An introduction to the theory and practice of translation, this course will be designed to expand students' range and appreciation of written styles and registers and will be based on translation exercises and texts reflecting different types of written and oral communication.Texts will range from literary texts (excerpts from novels, plays, comic books...) to journalistic texts (articles from newspapers...). Class activities will also include comparative studies of translated texts, as well as grammar review and vocabulary work. Course taught in French. Written translations to and from French. Prerequisite: FREN 0600 or equivalent. Enrollment limited to 18. Instructor permission required.
    FREN 1510A S01
    Primary Instructor
    Ravillon

  • Extrême droite en France

    Considers the rise and evolution of far-right tendencies from the French counter-revolution to today. Topics include nationalism, anti-Semitism and the Dreyfus Affair, the Vichy regime, the Front national, Islamophobia, and homophobia. While the main focus is on France, we will give comparative consideration to issues of political extremism resonating in the US and other European nations, including national identity, populism, immigration, exclusion, and religious intolerance.This course draws on a variety of sources, fictional and non-fictional, including print journalism, novels and short stories, essays, film. For senior French Studies concentrators; instructor permission required for others. In French. Prerequisite: a course at the 600- or 700-level or equivalent proficiency. Contact the instructor to verify your proficiency if you have not taken French at Brown.
    FREN 1900K S01
    Primary Instructor
    Schultz

  • Individual Independent Study

    Section numbers vary by instructor. Please check Banner for the correct section number and CRN to use when registering for this course. Instructor permission required.
    FREN 1970 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Ravillon
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 1970 S02
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 1970 S03
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 1970 S04
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 1970 S05
    Primary Instructor
    Krause
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 1970 S06
    Primary Instructor
    Ravindranathan
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 1970 S07
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 1970 S08
    Primary Instructor
    Schultz
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 1970 S09
    Primary Instructor
    Seifert
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 1970 S10
    Primary Instructor
    Mostefai
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 1970 S11
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research

  • Senior Thesis

    Independent study in an area of special interest to the student, with close guidance of a member of the staff, and leading to a major paper. Required of candidates for honors, and recommended for all senior concentrators. Section numbers vary by instructor. Please check Banner for the correct section number and CRN to use when registering for this course.
    FREN 1990 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Wills
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 1990 S02
    Primary Instructor
    Mostefai
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 1990 S03
    Primary Instructor
    Ravillon
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 1990 S04
    Primary Instructor
    Izzo
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 1990 S05
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 1990 S06
    Primary Instructor
    Krause
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 1990 S07
    Primary Instructor
    Ravindranathan
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 1990 S08
    Primary Instructor
    Odello
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 1990 S09
    Primary Instructor
    Schultz
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 1990 S10
    Primary Instructor
    Seifert
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 1990 S11
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 1990 S12
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research

  • Savoirs et non-savoirs de la Renaissance

    How were the lines between the known, the unknown, and the unknowable drawn for the Renaissance? This course examines the period's "will to know" underlying humanism, Natural Philosophy, and demonology (the "science of demons"). It also tracks challenges to positive knowledge through madness and the rediscovery of Greek scepticism. Readings in Erasmus, Marguerite de Navarre, Rabelais, Montaigne, and Foucault, among others. Taught in French.
    FREN 2110H S01
    Primary Instructor
    Krause

  • Decadence

    Study of the notion of decadence in fin-de-siècle French culture. From scientific theories of degeneration to literary representations of sexual perversion, writers of the period were consumed by the specter of moral decay and social disease. This course will analyze fictional and non-fictional texts of the period by authors such as Péladan, Lorrain, Rachilde, Mendès, and Nordau.
    FREN 2170G S01
    Primary Instructor
    Schultz

  • Preliminary Examination Preparation

    For graduate students who have completed their course work and are preparing for a preliminary examination.
    FREN 2970 S01
    Schedule Code
    E: Grad Enrollment Fee/Dist Prep

  • Reading and Research

    Work with individual students in connection with special readings, problems of research, or preparation of theses. Section numbers vary by instructor. Please check Banner for the correct section number and CRN to use when registering for this course.
    FREN 2980 S01
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 2980 S02
    Primary Instructor
    Ravillon
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 2980 S03
    Primary Instructor
    Izzo
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 2980 S04
    Primary Instructor
    Wills
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 2980 S05
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 2980 S06
    Primary Instructor
    Krause
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 2980 S07
    Primary Instructor
    Ravindranathan
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 2980 S08
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 2980 S09
    Primary Instructor
    Schultz
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 2980 S10
    Primary Instructor
    Seifert
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 2980 S11
    Primary Instructor
    Mostefai
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 2980 S12
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 2980 S13
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    FREN 2980 S14
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research

  • Thesis Preparation

    For graduate students who have met the residency requirement and are continuing research on a full time basis.
    FREN 2990 S01
    Schedule Code
    E: Grad Enrollment Fee/Dist Prep

  • Courses of Interest to French Concentrators

    The following courses may be of interest to French concentrators. Please see the sponsoring department for the time and location of each course.

    Comparative Literature
    COLT 2720C Translation Seminar
    FREN XLIST 0