French Courses Fall 2022

Fall 2022 French Courses

Language Courses

FRE 001-003: Elementary French
FRE 021-023: Intermediate French
See Placement Guide or Catalog Descriptions

Undergraduate Courses

FRE 100: Comp In French
Prof. Claire Goldstein

This quarter we will read memorable works of fiction in French: from novellas by Flaubert and Balzac, to Madame Leprince de Beaumont’s classic fairy tale, La Belle et la bête and Jean Cocteau’s surrealist film version of the same story, to Marjanne Satrapi’s humorous and poignant graphic novel exploring cultural norms regarding gender and sexuality. Students will work in a supportive workshop setting to develop critical reading strategies in French and hone their ability to present their ideas in French, orally and in writing.

Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:10-1:30 in Olson 125

Professor Contact Information: cbgoldstein@ucdavis.edu

Texts:

  • Gustave Flaubert, Un coeur simple. Nathan/Carrés classiques (2012). 978-2091885148
  • Honoré de Balzac, Sarrasine. Le livre de poche/Libretti (2001). 978-2253193050
  •  Madame Leprince de Beaumont, La Belle et la bête. Larousse/ Petits Classiques (2011). 978-2035855701.
  • Siskin, Krueger and Fauvel, Tâches d’encre, fifth ed, Heinle/Cenage (2023). ISBN: 978-0357658901 **Also available as an eTextbook 
  •  Optional:     Marjane Satrapi, Broderies. Association (2013). 978-2844140951

FRE 108: Modern French Culture
Prof. Jeff Fort

This course will provide a survey of modern French culture and history from the late nineteenth century (especially the Dreyfus affair) to the postwar era, with an emphasis on the cultural and political crises and transformations that marked this hundred year period. We will examine especially major historical conflicts including World War I, World War II and the German Occupation, the Algerian War, the advent of the Fifth Republic, and the student and worker uprisings of May 1968. Course material will include historical documents, journalism, essays, photography, paintings, and films. Course work will include multiple writing assignments, a research project, in-class presentations, and a final exam.

FRE 109: French Phonetics
Prof. Eric Russell

Course 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 023 or the equivalent.

GE credit (New): Social Sciences.

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

Textbooks:

  • Available on Canvas

FRE 118A: Age of Reason & Revolution
Prof. Julia Simon

This course will examine the trajectory of philosophical thought centered on society and political life during the age of Enlightenment that led to the revolution of 1789.  We will study famous texts of the Age of Reason of the great philosophes, such as Rousseau, Montesquieu and Diderot, as well as the events of the revolution.  Above all, we will examine closely eighteenth-century concepts such as liberty, equality, and citizenship that prefigure the debates of the revolution

Work for the course will consist of 4 essays of 2-3 pages each on precise topics tied directly to our class readings.  In addition, each student will make an oral presentation in class on either an article from the Encyclopédie or an aspect (person, event, key concept) of the French Revolution.

Graduate Courses

FRE 200: Intro to Graduate Study
Prof. Jeff Fort

FRE 209A: 20th Century Lit Prose
Prof. Jeff Fort

FRE 390A The Teaching of French in College
Prof. Julia Simon