Fall 2013

FALL QUARTER 2013

EXPANDED COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Please click here to see the Fall Schedule as a PDF.

 

 

 

*Change (made after the publication of the Class Schedule and Registration Guide)

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 LOWER-DIVISION COURSES  
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FRENCH 1. Elementary French (5 Units)
Supervisor: Prof. Eric Russell, erussell@ucdavis.edu

Description: Presentation of the basic grammar and vocabulary of French as well as cultural information about the French-speaking world (textbook chapters 1 to 6); in-class interactive exercises and out-of-class assignments for practice in using the language for listening and reading comprehension, writing, and speaking. French is the exclusive means of communication in class. The course meets five hours per week, with 20-25 students per section. Course materials (other than the textbook and workbook) and daily homework assignments are available through SmartSite.

Prerequisite: No previous study of French is assumed. Students who have never studied French (or who have had fewer than two years of French in high school and do not place into French 2) should enroll in French 1. Students with two or more years of French in high school may only take this course for a Pass/ No Pass grade.

Course Grade: The final grade for the course will be determined by daily preparation and participation (14%), homework (12%), three quizzes (15%), one major composition (10%), three in-class exams (30%), and a final exam (19%).

GE credit (Old): None.
GE credit (New): World Cultures.

Format: Discussion - 5 hours; Laboratory - 1 hour.

Textbooks:

• A. Valdman, C. Pons, M.E. Scullen, Chez Nous: Branché sur le monde francophone, 4th Edition (Textbook)
• Chez Nous: Branché sur le monde francophone, 4th Edition (MyFrench Lab - Access Card)
   

FRENCH 2. Elementary French (5 Units)
Supervisor: Prof. Eric Russell, erussell@ucdavis.edu

Description: Presentation of the basic grammar and vocabulary of French as well as cultural information about the French-speaking world (textbook chapters 7 to 11); in-class interactive exercises and out-of-class assignments for practice in using the language for listening and reading comprehension, writing, and speaking. French is the exclusive means of communication in class. The course meets five hours per week, with 20-25 students per section. Course materials (other than the textbook and workbook) and daily homework assignments are available through SmartSite.

Course Grade: The final grade for the course will be determined by daily preparation and participation (14%), homework (10%), three quizzes (15%), one major composition (10%), two in-class exams (25%), a final oral exam (6%), and a final written exam (20%).

Prerequisite: French 1 or Language Placement Exam (Any student, regardless of previous experience studying French, may take this course for a letter or Pass/ No Pass grade.)

GE credit (Old): None.
GE credit (New): World Cultures.

Format: Discussion - 5 hours; Laboratory - 1 hour.

Textbooks:

• A. Valdman, C. Pons, M.E. Scullen, Chez Nous: Branché sur le monde francophone, 4th Edition (Textbook)
• Chez Nous: Branché sur le monde francophone, 4th Edition (MyFrench Lab - Access Card)
   

FRENCH 3. Elementary French (5 Units)
Supervisor: Prof. Eric Russell, erussell@ucdavis.edu

Description: Presentation of the basic grammar and vocabulary of French as well as cultural information about the French-speaking world (textbook chapters 12 to 16); in-class interactive exercises and out-of-class assignments for practice in using the language for listening and reading comprehension, writing, and speaking. French is the exclusive means of communication in class. The course meets five hours per week, with 20-25 students per section. Course materials (other than the textbook and workbook) and daily homework assignments are available through SmartSite.

Course Grade: The final grade for the course will be determined by daily preparation and participation (14%), homework (10%), three quizzes (15%), one major composition (10%), two in-class exams (25%), a final oral exam (6%), and a final written exam (20%).

Prerequisite: French 2 or Language Placement Exam (Any student, regardless of previous experience studying French, may take this course for a letter or Pass/ No Pass grade.)

GE credit (Old): None.
GE credit (New): World Cultures.

Format: Discussion - 5 hours; Laboratory - 1 hour.

Textbooks:

• A. Valdman, C. Pons, M.E. Scullen, Chez Nous: Branché sur le monde francophone, 4th Edition (Textbook)
• Chez Nous: Branché sur le monde francophone, 4th Edition (MyFrench Lab - Access Card)
   

FRENCH 21. Intermediate French (5 Units)
Supervisor: Prof. Julia Simon, jsimon@ucdavis.edu

Description: Presentation and analysis of the cultures of the French-speaking world (Paris, Quebec, Tahiti, Lyon, Northern Africa) and comparison to home culture; review of the basic grammar presented in first-year French; expansion of vocabulary related to city living, history/geography, the arts, food/cooking, and family life (textbook chapters 1 to 5). In-class presentations and activities, as well as out-of-class assignments, are conducted solely in French and focus on the development of listening and reading comprehension, writing, and speaking skills. The course meets four hours per week, plus an additional hour of independent web-based work, with 20-25 students per section. Course materials (other than the textbook and workbook) and daily homework assignments are available through SmartSite.

Course Grade: The final grade for the course will be determined by daily preparation and participation, homework, and one in-class composition per chapter (5 x 13% = 85%), an oral final exam (5%), and a written final exam (10%).

Prerequisite: French 3 or Language Placement Exam (Any student, regardless of previous experience studying French, may take this course for a letter or Pass/ No Pass grade.)

GE credit (Old): None.
GE credit (New): ArtHum, Oral Literacy, World Cultures and Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture/Discussion - 5 hours.

Textbook:

• Jean Marie Schultz and Marie-Paul Tranvouez, Réseau: Communication, Intégration, Intersections (Prentice Hall, 2009)
   

FRENCH 22. Intermediate French (5 Units)
Supervisor: Prof. Julia Simon, jsimon@ucdavis.edu

Description: Presentation and analysis of the cultures of the French-speaking world (Senegal, Martinique, Geneva, Strasbourg, Brussels) and comparison to home culture; review of the basic grammar presented in first-year French; expansion of vocabulary related to commerce, tourism, sports and leisure, politics, and modern technology (textbook chapters 6 to 10). In-class presentations and activities, as well as out-of-class assignments, are conducted solely in French and focus on the development of listening and reading comprehension, writing, and speaking skills. The course meets four hours per week, plus an additional hour of independent web-based work, with 25 students per section. Course materials (other than the textbook and workbook) and daily homework assignments are available through SmartSite.

Course Grade: The final grade for the course will be determined by daily preparation and participation, homework, and one in-class composition per chapter (5 x 13% = 85%), an oral final exam (5%), and a written final exam (10%).

Prerequisite: French 21 or Language Placement Exam (Any student, regardless of previous experience studying French, may take this course for a letter or Pass/ No Pass grade.)

GE credit (Old): None.
GE credit (New): ArtHum, Oral Literacy, World Cultures and Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture/Discussion - 5 hours.

Textbook:

• Jean Marie Schultz and Marie-Paul Tranvouez, Réseau: Communication, Intégration, Intersections (Prentice Hall, 2009)
   

FRENCH 23. Intermediate French (5 Units)
Supervisor: Prof. Julia Simon, jsimon@ucdavis.edu

Description: The goals in this course are to advance your comprehension and use of the French language, with a particular focus on writing skills. Structured reading, analysis, discussion and writing assignments will enable you to increase your vocabulary, improve your oral and aural proficiency, solidify your mastery of grammatical structures, and develop greater ease and sophistication in written and spoken expression.

Prerequisite: French 22 or Language Placement Exam (Any student, regardless of previous experience studying French, may take this course for a letter or Pass/ No Pass grade.)

GE credit (Old): None.
GE credit (New): ArtHum, Oral Literacy, World Cultures and Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture/Discussion - 5 hours.

Textbook:

• Jean Marie Schultz and Marie-Paul Tranvouez, Réseau: Communication, Intégration, Intersections (Prentice Hall, 2009)
   

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 UPPER-DIVISION COURSES
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FRENCH 100. Composition in French (4 Units)
Prof. Tobias Warner

Description: The primary goal at this level is to introduce you to the study of literature in French, which consists of two related introductions: to literature written in French and also to the critical study of literature. The first consists of reading a variety of texts written in French in different genres over a vast time span. The second consists of giving you certain tools and enabling you to develop interpretative and analytical skills that you use to understand better the texts we are reading (and others!) and to articulate your ideas about the texts in a clear and persuasive manner. This is where French class becomes literature class (i.e., the focus is on the literature and thus its language, but not the foreignness of the language). In particular we will investigate how the unexpected (l'inattendu) affects reading and influences our understanding.

Prerequisite: French 23.

GE Credits (Old): None.
GE Credits (New): Arts & Humanities, World Cultures and Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture - 3 hours; Term Paper.

Texts:

• Samuel Beckett, En Attendant Godot (Editions de Minuit, 1995)
• Guy de Maupassant, Le Horla (Pocket, 2005)
• Charles Baudelaire, Les Fleurs du Mal (Larousse, 2011)
• Roland Barthes, Mythologies (Seuil, 1970)
• Mariama Ba, Une si Longue Lettre (Le Serpent a Plumes, 2001)
   

FRENCH 109. French Phonetics (4 Units)
Prof. Eric Russell

Description: This course will introduce you to phonetic transcription using the International Phonetic Alphabet, familiarize you with how French sounds are produced alone and in context, and highlight common mistakes made by nonnative speakers of French. We will also discuss the correspondence between written and spoken French, some of the difficulties for Anglophone learners of French, and regional variation in the Francophone world.

This course is likely very different from others you have taken, and you'll be asked to look at language from a more scientific perspective. In additional to French, you should be prepared to discover a great deal about English, other languages and human linguistic production, in general; spoken forms and spelling; formal differences between the "Standard" and other varieties across the French-speaking world.

By the end of the quarter, you should:

• be able to transcribe, using the IPA, a spoken or written passage
• be able to describe the sound inventory of French using standard linguistic terminology
• recognize, understand and exemplify different phonological processes affecting the online ("real-time") production of French utterances
• recognize, evaluate and correct pronunciation flaws common to English speakers of French.

Prerequisite: French 23 or the equivalent.

GE Credits (Old): None.
GE Credits (New): Social Sciences.

Format: Lecture/Discussion - 3 hours; Laboratory - 1 hour.

Texts:

• No textbooks
   

FRENCH 115. Medieval French Literature and Society (4 Units)
Prof. Noah Guynn

Description: This course offers an introduction to Old French literature in Modern French translation. Our primary focus will be on themes of love and desire in short verse narratives emanating from the aristocratic and royal courts of Northern France and England. We will also be interested in the relationship between narrative forms and casuistry, a mode of case-based moral reasoning that was prevalent throughout the medieval period. The course has two principal goals: (1) to provide a broad understanding of medieval vernacular literature in its cultural, social, and political contexts; and (2) to improve analytical skills and expository writing. There will be two papers and a final exam. Students will choose their own paper topics but should request assistance if they need it. The final exam will consist of text identification questions and explications de texte.

Prerequisite: French 100.

GE Credits (Old):  Arts & Humanities.
GE Credits (New): Arts & Humanities, World Cultures, and Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture/Discussion - 3 hours; Term Paper.

Texts:

• Emmanuele Baumgartner, Pyrame et Thisbe Narcisse Philomena (Gallimard, 2000)
• Marie de France, Lais (Livre de Poche, 1998)
   

FRENCH 121. 20th Century French Novel (4 Units)
Prof. Jeff Fort

Description: This course will explore a selection of twentieth century narrative works that deal specifically with questions of memory, retrospection, and the reconstruction of the past through language and images. We will consider especially the ways in which the intensity of memory both demands and defies narration, whether it be through an overabundance of remembrance or because of the holes and gaps left in memory, the limits of what can be remembered, or the distortions that are always carried out on the past. Throughout the course we will ask: why and how does memory demand to be written?  and how does the act of writing affect one's relation to the past?

Works to be read include: an excerpt from the beginning of Proust, Du côté de chez Swann; Marguerite Duras, L'amant; Sarah Kofman, Rue Ordener, rue Labat; Patrick Modiano, Chien de Printemps; Annie Ernaux, La honte.

Prerequisite: French 100.

GE Credits (Old): Arts & Humanities and Writing Experience.
GE Credits (New): Arts & Humanities, World Cultures, and Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture/Discussion - 3 hours; Term Paper.

Texts:

• Patrick Modiano, Chien de Printemps (Editions de Seuil, 1997)
• Annie Ernaux, La Honte (Gallimard, 1999)
• Marguerite Duras, L'amant (Editions de Minuit, 1984)
• Sarah Kofman, Rue Ordener, Rue Labat (Galilee, 2005)
   

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 GRADUATE COURSES
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FRENCH 224. The Politics of Language and Translation (4 Units)
Prof. Tobias Warner

Description: In this course we will read a selection of 20th and 21st century texts that problematize and theorize the distance between literary French and a variety of vernaculars. The intensity with which this distance has been felt and contested indexes the linguistic legacies of French imperialism, and in our readings we will attend to how francophone intellectuals have engaged with this history. But our discussions will also take us beyond the colonial legacy of French, especially as we consider texts in which the stakes of translation are raised in the course of articulating various transnational affinities, communities and aesthetic projects. Each week’s readings will feature both literary and theoretical texts, and our discussions will be guided by a close and continual interrogation of our own terms for approaching them: what do we mean by a politics of language? How might we think of the language of literature as political, and what kinds of understandings of language itself will be foregrounded if we do so?

Primary texts (may be amended):
Patrick Chamoiseau – Solibo Magnifique
Assia Djebar – L’Amour, la fantasia
Ahmadou Kourouma – Les Soleils des indépendances
Ousmane Sembène – Le Mandat / Mandabi

Additional readings may include work by Edouard Glissant, Walter Benjamin, Michel De Certeau, Léopold Senghor, Anne Carson, Abdelkebir Khatibi, Jacques Derrida, Confiant, Chamoiseau and Bernabé, Gilles Deleuze, Gayatri Spivak, Brent Hayes Edwards, Michel Le Bris, Françoise Lionnet, Emily Apter and Karin Barber.

Format: Seminar - 3 hours; Term Paper.

Texts:

• Assia Djebar, L'amour, la Fantasia (Livre de Poche, 2001)
• Sembène Ousmane, Le Mandat (Schoenhofsforeign Books, 2000)
• Patrick Chamoiseau, Solibo Magnifique (Folio, 1991)
   

FRENCH 390A. The Teaching of French in College (2 Units)
Prof. Eric Russell

Texts:

• TBA
   

FRENCH 396. Teaching Assistant Training Practicum (4 Units)

Prof. Eric Russell (Sec. --, CRN ***)
Prof. Julia Simon (Sec. --, CRN ***)

(Note: Contact Falicia Savala at fsavala@ucdavis.edu for the CRNs.)