Winter 2019

Please click here to see the schedule as a PDF

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French 001. Elementary French (5 units)
Supervisor: Prof. Julia Simon, jsimon@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. Daily homework assignments are completed using iLrn, an online platform.  Additional materials are posted to Canvas.

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 002) should enroll in French 001. 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 (10%), homework (15%), quizzes (10%), written composition (10%), oral quizzes (5%), oral exam (10%), 6 chapter tests (30%), and comprehensive final exam (10%).

GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities and World Cultures.

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

Textbook:

• Kimberly Jansma and Margaret Ann Kassen, Motifs: An Introduction to French Enhanced Package [6th Edition]  (Heinle Cengage, 2013)

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French 002. Elementary French (5 units)
Supervisor: Prof. Julia Simon, jsimon@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 Canvas.

Course Grade: The final grade for the course will be determined by daily preparation and participation (10%), homework (15%), quizzes (10%), written composition (10%), oral quizzes (5%), oral exam (10%), 4 chapter tests (30%), and comprehensive final exam (10%).

Prerequisite: French 001 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 (New): Arts & Humanities and World Cultures.

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

Textbook:

• Kimberly Jansma and Margaret Ann Kassen, Motifs: An Introduction to French Enhanced Package [6th Edition]  (Heinle Cengage, 2013)

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French 003. Elementary French (5 units)
Supervisor: Prof. Julia Simon, jsimon@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 Canvas.

Course Grade: The final grade for the course will be determined by daily preparation and participation (10%), homework (15%), quizzes (10%), written composition (10%), oral quizzes (5%), oral exam (10%), 4 chapter tests (30%), and comprehensive final exam (10%).

Prerequisite: French 002 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 (New): Arts & Humanities and World Cultures.

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

Textbook:

• A. Valdman, C. Pons, and M.E. Scullen, Chez Nous Media Enhanced Package [4th Edition]  (Pearson Learning Solutions, 2014)
   

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French 021. 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 Canvas.

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 001A or French 003 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 (New): Arts & Humanities, Oral Literacy, World Cultures and Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture/Discussion - 4 hours; Laboratory - 1 hour.

Textbook:

• Jean Marie Schultz and Marie-Paul Tranvouez, Réseau: Communication, Intégration, Intersections [2nd Edition] Package  (Pearson Learning Solutions, 2014)
   

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French 022. 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 Canvas.

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 021 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 (New): Arts & Humanities, Oral Literacy, World Cultures and Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture/Discussion - 4 hours; Laboratory - 1 hour.

Textbook:

• Jean Marie Schultz and Marie-Paul Tranvouez, Réseau: Communication, Intégration, Intersections [2nd Edition] Package  (Pearson Learning Solutions, 2014)
   

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French 023. Intermediate French (5 units)
Supervisor: Prof. Julia Simon, jsimon@ucdavis.edu

Emeline Diolot

MTWR 12:10-1:00P
107 Wellman Hall
CRN 35652

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 022 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 (New): Arts & Humanities, Oral Literacy, World Cultures and Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture/Discussion - 4 hours; Laboratory - 1 hour.

Textbooks:

• Jean Marie Schultz and Marie-Paul Tranvouez, Réseau: Communication, Intégration, Intersections [2nd Edition] Package  (Pearson Learning Solutions, 2014)
• Jean Anouilh, Antigone  (Table Ronde, 2008)

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French 100. Composition in French (4 units)
Claire Goldstein

TR 10:30-11:50A
90 Social Sciences & Humanities Building
CRN 35677

Description: This semester we will read memorable works of fiction in French: from 16th century sonnets to novellas by Flaubert and Balzac, to Madame de Beaumont’s classic fairy tale, La Belle et la Bête, and Jean Cocteau’s surrealist film version of the same story. Students will develop critical reading strategies in French and hone their ability to present their ideas in French, orally and in writing.

Prerequisite: French 23.

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

Format: Lecture - 3 hours; Term Paper.

Textbooks:

• Gustave Flaubert, Un Coeur Simple  (Nathan, 2012)
• Honore de Balzac, Sarrasine  (Livre de Poche, 2001)
• Madame de Beaumont, La Belle et la Bête et autres contes  (Larousse, 2011)

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French 105. Advanced French Grammar (4 units)
Julia Simon

MWF 10:00-10:50A
1283 Grove Hall
CRN 54538

Course Description: Understanding of, and extensive practice with, various grammatical structures in French. Focus on writing in both exercises and short compositions.

Prerequisite: French 023 or equivalent.

GE credit (New): Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture - 3 hours; Writing.

Textbook:

• Leon-Francois Hoffmann and Jean-Marie Schultz, L'Essentiel de la Grammaire Francaise [3rd Edition]  (Prentice Hall, 1994)

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French 128. Gender in Historical Perspective: Medieval to Modern (4 units)
Noah Guynn

TR 1:40-3:00P
148 Physics Building
CRN 55019

Course Description: This course will examine the history of gender and sexuality as it might be told from the margins. Our focus will be on real people and fictional characters who deviated from social expectations in the ways they dressed, the ways they performed their gender identity, and/or the ways they expressed their sexual desires. We will start with the medieval and early modern periods, eras in which a “one-sex” theory of human anatomy prevailed—that is, the notion that male and female genitals are homologous and interchangeable. We will consider historical studies of anatomical theory as well as literary texts that reveal the cultural expressions of gender that the one-sex theory made possible. This will include stories of cross-dressed saints, transgender knights, same-sex marriages, and masculine pregnancies. In the second part of the course, we will turn our attention to the modern period, looking at ways in which a “two-sex” theory of human anatomy imposed more rigid boundaries between masculinity and femininity but also how real people and literary characters began to claim identities that blurred those boundaries. We will read a famous short story by Balzac about a castrato, a male singer who was castrated in childhood so he would retain a soprano voice in adulthood; and the memoirs of Herculine Barbin, a nineteenth-century French intersex person whose birthday is now observed as Intersex Solidarity Day. We will end the quarter with a discussion of two stunning films: Ma vie en rose (1997) and Tomboy (2011), which tell the stories of prepubescent children whose culturally assigned gender differs from their self-identified gender. Throughout the quarter, and especially with these two films, we will consider how families, communities, and societies can work to humanize and/or dehumanize individuals who fail to conform to prevailing norms. There are no texts for purchase. All readings will be available as PDFs on Canvas.

(French 128 may be repeated for credit up to one time when the topic differs.)

Prerequisite: French 100 or consent of instructor (ndguynn@ucdavis.edu).

GE credit (New): Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture - 3 hours; Writing.

Textbooks:

• None

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French 141. Narratives of Displacement (4 units)
Toby Warner

MWF 12:10-1:00P
167 Olson Hall
CRN 54540

Course Description: Displacement (or déplacement) refers both to physical journeys that people make and to a psychological defense mechanism in which an unbearable emotion is transferred from one situation or object to another. In this course we will take up the theme of displacement to study the intersection of migration and historical memory in novels and films from across the former French empire. In class discussion and in written assignments we will investigate how questions of immigration, exploitation, desire, violence, and responsibility are intertwined from the colonial era to the present.

(French 141 may be repeated for credit up to two times when the topic differs.)

Prerequisite: French 100 or consent of instructor (tdwarner@ucdavis.edu).

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

Format: Lecture - 3 hours; Term Paper.

Textbooks:

• TBA

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GRADUATE COURSES

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French 201. A Critical History of French: Languages, Powers, and Ideologies (4 units)
Eric Russell

T 1:10-4:00P
109 Wellman Hall
CRN 54541

Description: This seminar is intended to frame two scholarly moments: one, an exploration of the social history of the French language, especially focusing on the emergence and cohesion of this as an anthropological and epistemological ideation; and two, an unraveling of the socio-cultural forces that served to construct this episteme and to promote this cohesion, frequently at the expense of other language communities and their cultures/practices. We will interrogate how French emerged and came to take its cultural, political, and linguistic form, and how this trajectory can help us understand contemporary issues surrounding language in society, more broadly.

Rather than only concentrate on dates and events in the history of French (we will also do this, if only as a type of baseline), we will interrogate historical pathways and outcomes as intrinsically bound up in extra-linguistic power structures and cultural institutions. The readings of this class reflect our dual objectives: Lodge will serve as a reference and jumping off point for the discussion of historical moments, allowing us to describe language within and across historical moments with appropriate terminology and concepts; Heller & McElhinney will frame our examination and re-examination of how such moments and the forces contributing to them can be critically interrogated and the power structures contributing to them made clearer.

A tertiary, but equally important objective is the development of disciplinary writing practices. All students will be expected to contribute a term paper in which they delimit a question of sociolinguistic historic significance: this requires them to present basic diachronic facts, articulate a critical argument within the scope of the seminar and readings, frame a cogent argument pertaining to the political and social significance of the moment/moments in question, as well as relevant actors and forces, and engage with this in a way that reflects appropriate disciplinary postures. This is intended to give students practical experience with the type of scholarship undertaken in the course, while also providing a chance to hone writing skills and develop solid scholarly habits.

Prerequisite: Graduate standing and consent of instructor (erussell@ucdavis.edu).

Format: Seminar - 3 hours; Term Paper. See full syllabus for grading information.

Textbooks:

• R. Anthony Lodge, French: From Dialect to Standard  (variable edition acceptable)
• Monica Heller and Bonnie McElhinny, Language, Capitalism, Colonialism: Toward a Critical History  (variable edition acceptable)

 

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French 224. The Language Question (4 units)
Toby Warner

M 2:10-5:00P
144 Olson Hall
CRN 54542

Course Description: Should a postcolonial writer work in a former colonial language or in a vernacular? The so-called language question is one of the great, intractable problems that haunts postcolonial literatures. And yet scholarship on this issue has too often reduced these debates to just two possible positions: a cosmopolitan strategy of appropriation or a nativist embrace of writing in a vernacular. In this course we will push beyond this reductive view to explore where the question of language in francophone literatures came from, how it came to matter, and what it continues to make possible. We will read 20th and 21st century texts from North Africa, West Africa and the Caribbean that problematize in diverse ways the distance between literary French and a variety of vernaculars. In addition to our literary readings, we will also explore different theoretical approaches to studying the politics of language.

(French 224 may be repeated for credit when the topic differs and with the consent of the instructor.)

Prerequisite: Consent of instructor (tdwarner@ucdavis.edu).

Format: Seminar - 3 hours; Term Paper.

Textbooks:

• TBA