Winter 2011

WINTER 2011 EXPANDED COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Lower Division Courses
Course Title Units CRN Days/Times Location Instructor
FRE 1 - 01 Elementary French 5 25216 M-F 9:00-9:50 1120 Hart TBA
FRE 1 - 02 Elementary French 5 25217 M-F 10:00-10:50 1120 Hart TBA
FRE 2 - 01 Elementary French 5 25218 M-F 8:00-8:50 163 Olson TBA
FRE 2 - 02 Elementary French 5 25219 M-F 9:00-9:50 163 Olson TBA
FRE 2 - 03 Elementary French 5 25220 M-F 10:00-10:50 163 Olson TBA
FRE 2 - 04 Elementary French 5 25221 M-F 11:00-11:50 163 Olson TBA
FRE 2 - 05 Elementary French 5 25222 M-F 12:10-1:00 1006 Giedt* TBA
FRE 3 - 01 Elementary French 5 25223 M-F 11:00-11:50 1116 Hart TBA
FRE 3 - 02 Elementary French 5 25224 M-F 12:10-1:00 1116 Hart TBA
FRE 21 Intermediate French 4 25225 M-F 8:00-8:50 167 Olson TBA
FRE 21 Intermediate French 4 25226 M-F 9:00-9:50 167 Olson TBA
FRE 22 Intermediate French 4 25227 M-F 10:00-10:50 167 Olson TBA
FRE 22 Intermediate French 4 25228 M-F 11:00-11:50 167 Olson TBA
FRE 23 Intermediate French 4 25229 M-F 12:10-1:00 167 Olson TBA
FRE 51 Major Works in
French Literature
4 43780 TR 12:10-1:30 118 Olson N. Guynn

 

Upper Division and Graduate Courses
Course Title Units CRN Days/Times Location Instructor
FRE 100 Composition in French 4 25254 TR 9:00-10:20 244 Olson M. Stem
FRE 109 French Phonetics 4 43781 MWF 1:10-2:00 1020 Wickson E. Russell
FRE 115 Medieval French
Literature and Society
4 43782 TR 1:40-3:00 148 Physics N. Guynn
FRE 121 20th Century French Novel 4 43783 TR 3:10-4:30 102 Hutchison J. Fort
FRE 141 Topic: L'Art de Voyager 4 44486 TR 1:40-3:00 1006 Giedt M. Stem
FRE 125 French Lit & Other Arts 4 25257 TR 12:10-1:30 90 SocSci J. Fort
FRE 212 Topic: Tragedy and the Tragic 4 43786 T 2:10-5:00 5 Wellman G. Peureux
FRE 251 Topic: Language in Contact 4 43787 M 3:10-6:00 144 Olson E. Russell
FRE 291 Foreign Lang Instruction 4 44474 M 1:10-3:00 412B Sproul C. Arnett
FRE 396 TA Training Practicum - - - - -

 

--------------------------------------------

LOWER-DIVISION COURSES
--------------------------------------------

FRENCH 1: Elementary French (5 Units)
Supervisor: Eric Russell Webb, Assistant Professor (&#101russell

@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%).

Textbooks:

  • E. Amon, J.A. Muyskens, and A.C. Omaggio Hadley, Vis-a-vis: Beginning French, 5th Edition (Textbook)
  • E. Amon, J. Muyskens, and A.C. Omaggio Hadley, Vis-a-vis: Beginning French, 5th Edition (ONLINE Workbook/Laboratory Manual - requires an access card)

 

FRENCH 2: Elementary French (5 Units)
Supervisor: Julia Simon, Professor (&#106simon

@ucdavis.edu) NEW SUPERVISOR

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.)

Textbooks:

  • E. Amon, J.A. Muyskens, and A.C. Omaggio Hadley, Vis-a-vis: Beginning French, 4th Edition (Textbook)
  • E. Amon, J. Muyskens, and A.C. Omaggio Hadley, Vis-a-vis: Beginning French, 4th Edition(Workbook/Laboratory Manual)

 

FRENCH 3: Elementary French (5 Units)
Supervisor: Julia Simon, Professor (&#106simon

@ucdavis.edu) NEW SUPERVISOR

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.)

Textbooks:

  • E. Amon, J.A. Muyskens, and A.C. Omaggio Hadley, Vis-a-vis: Beginning French, 4th Edition (Textbook)
  • E. Amon, J. Muyskens, and A.C. Omaggio Hadley, Vis-a-vis: Beginning French, 4th Edition(Workbook/Laboratory Manual)

 

FRENCH 21: Intermediate French (5 Units)
Supervisor: Noah Guynn, Associate Professor (&#110dguynn

@ucdavis.edu) NEW SUPERVISOR

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.)

Textbook:

  • M. Oates and J. Dubois, Personnages: An Intermediate Course in French Language and Francophone Culture (4th Edition)

 

FRENCH 22: Intermediate French (5 Units)
Supervisor: Noah Guynn, Associate Professor (&#110dguynn

@ucdavis.edu) NEW SUPERVISOR

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.)

Textbook:

  • M. Oates and J. Dubois, Personnages: An Intermediate Course in French Language and Francophone Culture (4th Edition).

 

FRENCH 23: Intermediate French (5 Units)

Supervisor: Noah Guynn, Associate Professor (&#110dguynn

@ucdavis.edu) NEW SUPERVISOR

Description: Rigorous concentration on writing skills in French in preparation for the major/minor; course assignments relate to the cultural topic of la laicité (the issue of church and state in modern France, religious freedom/tolerance, secularism in French schools). A variety of materials, including written texts, videos, and songs will be analyzed and used as sources in the preparation of a dissertation (major course paper). In-class presentations and activities, as well as out-of-class assignments, are conducted solely in French. The course meets four hours per week, plus an additional hour of independent web-based work, with 20-25 students per section.

Course Grade: The final grade for the course will be determined by daily preparation and participation, homework, and a major course paper. Percentages have yet to be determined.

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.)

Text: Course materials will be available for downloading in PDF format through SmartSite.

 

FRENCH 51: Major Works of French Literature in Translation (4 Units)

Noah Guynn, Associate Professor (&#110dguynn

@ucdavis.edu)
(TR 12:10-1:30, 118 Olson) CRN 43780

Description: This course will offer an introduction to the study of literature, with particular emphasis placed on character, narrative, and thematic analysis; modes of organizing thought; and effective expository writing. Classroom work will include seminar-style and small-group discussions. The required reading will consist of nineteenth- and twentieth-century French short stories in English translation. We will also watch three French films (subtitled).

French majors may take the course for literature elective credit provided that they write their papers in French. GE credit: ArtHum, Div, and Wrt.

Prerequisite: NONE (The course is open to all students regardless of background or preparation.)

Text:

  • Elizabeth Fallaize (ed.), The Oxford Book of Short Stories (Oxford, 2010)

 

 

 

----------------------------

UPPER-DIVISION COURSES
----------------------------

FRENCH 100: Composition in French (4 Units)

Melissa Stem, Lecturer
(TR 9:00-10:20, 244 Olson) CRN 25254

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). The guiding focus of the course is the concept of education. What is it? Who needs it? How is it best undertaken? When and how do we learn? What can education accomplish? Why has it been important to so many people for so long?

Prerequisite: French 23 recommended.

Texts:

  • A Course Reader available through SmartSite
  • Alice Kaplan, French Lessons (Univ. of Chicago, 1994)
  • OPTIONAL: Phil Turk and Genevieve Garcia-Vandaele, Nouvelle Grammaire Communicative

 

FRENCH 109: French Phonetics (4 Units)

Eric Russell, Assistant Professor (&#101russell

@ucdavis.edu)
(MWF 1:10-2:00, 1020 Wickson NEW ROOM) CRN 43781

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 equivalent.

Text:

  • A Course Reader available through SmartSite

 

FRENCH 115: Medieval French Literature and Society (4 Units)

Noah Guynn, Associate Professor (&#110dguynn

@ucdavis.edu)
(TR 1:40-3:00, 148 Physics) CRN 43782

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.

GE credit: ArtHum.

Prerequisite: French 100.

Texts:

  • Emmanuele Baumgartner (ed.), Pyrame et Thisbe-Narcisse-Philomena: Trois recits du XIIe siecle (Folio Classique)
  • Alexandre Micha (ed.), Lais feeriques des XIIe et XIIIe siecles (Flammarion, 1992)
  • Marie de France (ed.), Lais (Livre de Poche)

 

FRENCH 121: Twentieth Century French Novel (4 Units)

Jeff Fort, Assistant Professor (&#106pfort

@ucdavis.edu)
(TR 3:10-4:30, 102 Hutchison) CRN 43783

Description:This course will explore a selection of twentieth century novels that deal specifically with questions of memory, retrospection, and the reconstruction of the past through language and images. Many of the texts refer to photographs and/or projected images as important elements in the process of recollecting the past, a fact that will allow us to ask about the "technical" - or technologically supplemented - aspects of memory. We will also read a novel, and watch a film based on it (L'année dernière à Marienbad), in which present and visible images attempt to speak in the past tense.

GE credit: ArtHum.

Prerequisite: French 100.

Texts:

  • Alain Robbe-Grillet, L'année dernière à Marienbad (Editions de Minuit)
  • Patrick Madiano, Chien de printemps (Seuil)
  • Samuel Beckett, Compagnie (Editions de Minuit)

 

FRENCH 125: French Literature and Other Arts (4 Units)

Jeff Fort, Assistant Professor (&#106pfort

@ucdavis.edu)
(TR 12:10-1:30, 90 Social Science and Humanities) CRN 44197

Description:In this course we will examine four texts and the films based on them. The narratives revolve around World War II and focus especially on issues of memory, collaboration, guilt, and liberation from the past. We will be attentive to the process whereby a text is converted or translated into film images/stories and the different logics of representation engaged by each medium, particularly as these relate to thematic elements in the stories themselves (remembering/forgetting, visibility/invisibility, false appearances, imagination, testimony both personal and historical...). Course work will include three short papers and a final. Below is a list of the works, with the author of the written text given first, followed by the name of the filmmaker.

GE credit: ArtHum.

Prerequisite: French 100.

Texts:

  • Marguerite Duras, Hiroshima mon amour (Gallimard)
  • Philippe Grimbert, Un secret (LGF)

 

FRENCH 141: L'Art de Voyager (4 Units) NEW COURSE

Melissa Stem (&#109stem

@ucdavis.edu)
(TR 1:40-3:00, 1006 Giedt) CRN 44486

Description:Voyagers to the New World, out of this world, and to places around the world tell us about worlds invented and observed, as well as reveal their points of origin. We will examine where travel narratives take us as readers and consider several related questions: What does travel - literally and metaphorically - make possible? When does it go awry? Who travels and why? Where do we locate the travel narratives in relation to ethnography, anthropology and history; or to utopian aspirations and cultural critique? We will use the travel narratives to get to discussions about transformations wrought by the discovery of the New World, colonization, and religious and industrial revolutions. Readings and discussion will be in French. Materials will be available on SmartSite.

Excerpts will be drawn from the following texts:

  • André Thevet, Singularités de la France antarctique (1557)
  • Jean de Léry, Histoire d'un voyage facit en la terre du Brésil (1578/1580)
  • Claude Lévi-Straus, Tristes tropiques (1955)
  • Théophile Gautier, Voyage pittoresque en Algérie (1845)
  • Bernard Dadié, Un Nègre á Paris (1959)
  • Montesquieu, Lettres persanes (1721), Reflexions sur les habitants de Rome
  • Étienne Cabet, Voyage en Icarie (1848)
  • Cyrano de Bergerac, Voyage dans la Lune (1650)

 

Prerequisite: French 100.

Texts:

  • Cyrano de Bergerac, Voyage dans la lune (Garnier-Flammarion)
  • Other readings will be available on SmartSite

 

 

---------------------------------

GRADUATE COURSES
---------------------------------

FRENCH 212: Topic: Tragedy and the Tragic (4 Units) NEW COURSE

Guillaume Peureux, Associate Professor (&#103jpereux

@ucdavis.edu)
(T 2:10-5:00, 5 Wellman) CRN 43786

Description: The course focuses on French Tragedy from its birth around 1550 until the end of the XVIIth?Century. It examines definitions of tragic drama (from Greek plays and Aristotle's Poetics to Racine), the evolution of the notion of tragic itself, the origins and evolution of the genre. It also considers how the tragic hero has been understood in Early Modern France. We also think about the role of plot. We read Jodelle, Garnier, La Taille, Billard, Corneille and Racine. Material includes also recent movies and relevant criticism.

Prerequisite: Graduate Standing. This course will be conducted in French.

Texts

  • (TBA)

 

FRENCH 251: Topic: Language in Contact (4 Units)

Eric Russell, Assistant Professor (&#101russell

@ucdavis.edu)
(M 3:10-6:00, 11 Olson) CRN 43787

Description: This course will investigate language in contact, using examples provided by French in a variety of situations. The course will be taught in English and is oriented toward a wide graduate student audience, notably students in a linguistics discipline who wish to explore sociolinguistic and linguistic phenomena stemming from language contact. No knowledge of French is required and students from all departments are encouraged to enroll.

Rather than viewing language contact as a narrow entity, we will explore contact phenomena through a broad lens. We will begin by establishing a number of typologies of contact, including exportation (colonization, immigration) and importation (appropriation, learning and classroom contact). We will also establish typologies based on the outcome of contact, such as pidginization/creole formation, bilingualism, diglossia, and attrition. Finally, we will look more closely at several specific instances of language contact, including their historical and social origins, as well as particular linguistic and effects. Examples of these include:

  • Borrowings and loanword adaptation (e.g. English borrowings in modern French)
  • Structural influences of French on English (e.g. French influence on standard English)
  • Creole formation and decreolization (e.g. the Caribbean)
  • Koinization (e.g. Abidjan, Port-au-Prince)
  • Bilingualism (e.g. Brussels, Montreal)
  • Interlanguages, classroom contact and language learning

 

Students will prepare weekly précis on reading and assigned reflection questions. Your answers to these can be as formal or informal as desired: your objective should to develop active reading skills and to implement a disciplined approach to scholarship. Students will also pursue an independent research program. This involves developing a thesis and preparing an outline, defining goals, assembling an appropriate body of literature, presenting research (in lieu of a final exam) and writing a compelling, concise term paper.

Prerequisite: Graduate Standing.

Text:

  • A Course Reader available through SmartSite

 

FRENCH 291: Foreign Language Instruction in Classroom

Carlee Arnett, Associate Professor of German (&#99larnett

@ucdavis.edu)
(M 1:10-3:00, 412 Sproul) CRN 44474

Prerequisite: Graduate Standing.