French Course Descriptions: 2009/2010
To view course descriptions simply click on a course number or scroll down.
For classes with a language focus (101-311), see the UO class schedule.
Only courses with active links will be offered during the 2009/2010 academic year
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FR 150
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FR 150
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FR 151
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FR 151
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FR 151
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FR 199
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FR 199
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FR 317
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FR 318
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FR 330
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FR 330
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FR 331
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FR 331
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FR 333
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FR 333
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FR 342
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FR 342
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FR 361
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FR 361
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FR 361
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FR 362
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FR 362
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FR 363
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FR 363
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FR 363
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FR 399
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FR 399
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FR 409
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FR 409
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FR 409
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FR 416/516
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FR 416/516
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FR 425
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FR 450/550
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FR 450/550
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FR 450/550
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FR 451/551
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FR 451/551
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FR 460/560
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FR 460/560
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FR 480/580
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FR 480/580
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FR 490/590
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FR 490/590
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FR 497/597
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FR 497/597
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FR 607
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FR 683
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FR 683
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FR 683
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RL 620 | RL 623 |
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* There may be more than one course with this course number offered during the same term*
(ex: there are 2 different sections of FR 407 offered during the Fall 2009 term)
FALL 2009
FR 150 Cultural Legacies of France – Djiffack
French civilization in France and beyond. Possible topics are the Francophone world, premodern, early modern, and modern France; French film, architecture, and painting. return to course list
FR 318: French Survey: Baroque and Enlightenment – Albert-Galtier
Introduction to major themes and ideas in French literature from the 17th and 18th centuries through the reading of representative texts. return to course list
FR 319: French Survey: 19th and 20th Centuries - Djiffack
Representative literary works from the 19th and 20th centuries with attention to literary analysis and literary history. return to course list
FR 320: Intensive French Grammar Review - Wiebe
This course promotes linguistic competency in French through intensive review and refinement of French grammar while introducing basic vocabulary and linguistic concepts. return to course list
Dans ce cours nous allons étudier le genre narratif dans la littérature française en nous concentrant sur le thème de la transformation. En faisant un survol à travers plusieurs siècles, ce cours vous aidera à approfondir votre connaissance de la littérature française ainsi qu’à améliorer votre français écrit et parlé. Nous allons considérer les différents éléments qui constituent un récit (voix narrative, point de vue, développement de l’intrigue et des personnages, aspects thématiques, figures rhétoriques, ton et style) afin de développer vos compétences en analyse littéraire. Nous lirons des nouvelles, des contes et des extraits de textes narratifs par: Perrault, Montesquieu, Voltaire, Maupassant, Flaubert, Proust, Sarraute, Hébert, Yourcenar, Robbe-Grillet, Tournier, Queneau, Belleau, et Devi. return to course list
In this course, we will use Paris as the center piece of a series of spokes that launch inquiries into the values and legacies of French culture on the continent and in the former colonies as reflected in recent French films and novels. Themes include: Paris américain; Paris banlieu; Paris africain; Paris juif arabe; Paris terroriste; Paris européen. Readings include: Alice Kaplan's French Lessons, Mariama Ba's Le Chant ecarlate, and Philippe Brimbert's Un Secret as well as some short stories and essays by Camus. Films will include Cafe au lait, La Bataillle d'Algers, L'Afrique, je te plumerai, L'Auberge espagnol, Madame Rosa, A Bout de Souffle and La Jetee among others. return to course list
The focus of this course is on the woman writer, Madame de Lafayette. Why is the text "La princesse de Clèves" considered to be « the first French modern novel »? We will study how this text has become a « laboratory » for different critical schools and has been seen as a precursor of feminist littérature. We will examine the sources of the different texts, novels and short stories, (Zaïde, La Comtesse de Tende, etc.) We will analyse narrative structures, different themes as space of desire, body, portraits, the group of writers around Madame de Lafayette, including Madame de Sévigné and La Rochefoucauld, and finally the new status of the seventeenth century writer. return to course list
After long centuries of neglect, 19th-century France "rediscovered" its medieval past with great enthusiasm. In this course, we will read two medieval romances in conjunction with 19th and 20th century literature that responds to those earlier texts. We will explore how the Middle Ages were recuperated, how that period was understood, and why it was important to the notion of modern French identity to re-engage with its medieval past. return to course list
This class offers an overview of translation theory, as well as in-class and at home practice of translation, both written and oral, from English to French and French to English. Students will learn about the different styles of translation and learn to match them with different types of texts with different purposes, from commercial jingles to classical literature. The class also offers a comparative review of basic grammatical rules, word definitions, punctuation use, false cognates and commonly used idioms. Students are expected to actively participate in class discussion and regularly translate written assignments at home. return to course list
FR 497/ 597: Francophone Women’s Writing: The Writing of Loss-- McPherson
Lectures de textes (romans, mémoires, nouvelles, essais) par des écrivaines francophones contemporaines : Annie Ernaux (France), Marguerite Duras (France), Madeleine Gagnon (Québec), Louise Dupré (Québec), Anne-Marie Alonzo(Québec), Geneviève Amyot (Québec), Marie-Célie Agnant (Haïti et Québec), et Ananda Devi (l’île Maurice). Examen de la façon dont ces auteurs abordent et inscrivent la perte -- le deuil, la maladie, la folie, l’exil, l’infirmité et la mort. Une attention particulière prêtée au rôle possible de la « différence sexuelle » (gender) dans l’écriture de la perte ainsi qu’aux contextes historiques et sociaux de ces écrits. Comment est-ce que ces récits cherchent à aborder, et peut-être à commencer à réparer, les pertes autour desquelles ils s’articulent? return to course list
FR 607: Seminar: Great Romances - Gould
Great Romancesis a reading course designed to complement your other seminars with reading and weekly participation only. This Fall we will read Indiana by George Sand and Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert in the context of an inquiry about realism and idealism in French literature of the 19th Century. We shall meet weekly for two hours to discuss the novels and tease out strategies for close reading. This course is offered in conjunction with a series of seminars on Utopia sponsored by the Departments of History and Romance Languages and the program in European studies this Fall 2009. return to course list
This course is an introduction to the basic principles of second language acquisition and their application in classroom settings. Topics covered include instructional techniques for developing the three language modes (presentational, interpretive, interpersonal), standards for foreign language learning, proficiency assessment, content-based instruction (CBI), techniques for addressing learner variables, and the role of culture in the L2 classroom. In addition to the theoretical readings and discussions, students will develop a portfolio of teaching materials ready for classroom use. (All lectures and readings are in English; individual projects are prepared in your target language.) return to course list
WINTER 2010
FR 317: French Survey: Medieval and Renaissance - Hester
Introduction to major themes and ideas in French literature from the medieval and Renaissance periods through the reading of representative texts. return to course list
FR 318: French Survey: Baroque and Enlightenment – Moore
Introduction to major themes and ideas in French literature from the 17th and 18th centuries through the reading of representative texts. return to course list
Representative literary works (poetry, drama and prose) from the 19th and 20th centuries with attention to literary history and literary analysis. Authors include Lamartine, Hugo, Baudelaire, Verlaine, Rimbaud, Apollinaire, Eluard, Musset, Beckett, Maupassant, Camus, Aude and Duras. return to course list
This course promotes linguistic competency in French through intensive review and refinement of French grammar while introducing basic vocabulary and linguistic concepts. return to course list
FR 331: French Theater – Albert-Galtier
Explores important aspects of French theater. Reading plays from different periods. Emphasizes formal aspects and critical reading. return to course list
Medieval French romance was a rich, sophisticated, and very influential literary tradition. In this course we will read examples of different kinds of romance, from the courtly to the "realist," and study the socio-cultural backdrop that makes sense of this high point in the cultural production of medieval Europe. Come prepared to encounter knights, ladies, the world of courtly love, magical beasts, battles and tournaments, disguise and deception, power struggles among feudal lords, and the search for the holy grail. return to course list
This course can be seen as a foundation block for subsequent studies, as the writing skills it teaches can be applied to almost any discipline and assignment. Students learn to write coherent and interesting essays for their readers. The class covers argumentative skills as well as academic research skills. Students learn or practice choosing topics, articulating and presenting a claim, identifying and researching reliable sources, organizing and supporting ideas and arguments. The class frequently relies on peer editing and workshop format, with occasional grammatical and theoretical lectures. return to course list
Why during the French seventeenth century was so much polemic about theater plays, rules and genres? How can tragedies raise so many passionate fights and querelles? How did some comedies end up at the center of political battles ? Was the author playing with provocation ? These are some of the questions that we will address in the first part of the course focusing on plays by Corneille, Cyrano de Bergerac, Rotrou, Molière and Racine.
Our second focal point will be critical approaches to theatrical representation, those of the seventeenth century (d’Aubignac), and more modern interpretations, including social, moral, esthetic, ideological and political analyses. What are the interactions between the court and the theater, the models and the representations? How is Versailles an example of theatrical representation (Benichou, Apostolides, Viala)?
A final concern will be to investigate the production and performance of plays in Paris: actors, companies, audiences, theaters, etc. We will analyze iconographic sources such as drawings, engravings, catalogues of stage sets (Mahelot, Mongredien, Chevalley, Merlin). return to course list
FR 480/580: France: Fin de Siecle -- Gould
Les fins de siècles sont souvent caractérisées par des attitudes contradictoires dans l’imaginaire culturelle d’un peuple : fin du monde, avenir technologique prometteur; ‘clash of civilizations,’ communications globales ; dévastation de l’environement, nourriture artificielle suppléant aux besoins du monde entier, etc.... A la fin du 19e siècle, les mêmes contradictions se constatent. En fait, on nomme le dernier tiers du siècle et la « Belle époque » et la « Décadence, » mettant en relief la portée de cette attitude ambigue et incertaine. Dans ce cours nous allons étudier très en détail deux romans entourés de plusieurs essais, poèmes, articles critiques, appréciations artistiques qui cernent les contraditions de la fin du 19e siècle. Tournant autour de A Rebours de J. K. Huysmans et de Au Bonheur des Dames par Emile Zola, nous lirons Baudelaire, Mallarmé, Freud, Schopenhauer, Taine, Lawrence Kramer sur la musique, Michel Winock sur l’Affaire Dreyfus, Christophe Charle sur la naissance des Intellectuels, Wagner et Debussy. (FR 580 : exposé oral + 1 essai de recherches ; FR 480 : 2 essais). return to course list
FR 490: Contemporary French Writing and Film, Through Adolescent Eyes-- McPherson
This course will explore aspects of different cultures of the francophone world through a study of selected films and literary works that center on the experiences and perspectives of adolescent female protagonists. We will consider historical, political and social contexts as well as such topics as: cultural, national and ethnic affiliations; the relationship between countries of the francophone world and France; gender roles and sexuality; generational bonds and tensions; exile and the search for identity; responses to violence; and individual and collective acts of resistance. We will also explore the idea of adolescence as a privileged “time and place” from which to perceive, interrogate, and try to make sense of the world. Readings by Bugul, Duras, Brossard, Pineau, and Ernaux. Films by L. Pool, N. Fares and P. Baillargeon. return to course list
RL 407/507: The Black Revolutionary Imagination in 20th Century Caribbean Literature-- Triana
In this course we will explore writings from revolutionary political and aesthetic movements in the 20th century Caribbean. We will read from a variety of genres, from poetry to political manifestos to history. Possible authors include: Nicolás Guillén, Aimé Césaire, Luisa Capetillo, C.L.R. James, Nancy Morejón, Roberto Fernández Retamar, Frantz Fanon, Audre Lorde, June Jordan, and Maryse Condé.
***Students may take this class to fulfill major/minor requirements in Spanish and French if reading and writing requirements in the target language are met. Consult with the professor.*** return to course list
RL 407/507: The Storyteller in a Multicultural Perspective- Gazzoni
This course will explore the art and the representation of storytelling as enacted in some fundamental narrative texts from multicultural contexts in Romance literatures over the second half of the 20th century. We will start with an attentive reading of W. Benjamin’s landmark essay “The Storyteller”, and then we will try to confront its assertions with the active presence of storytelling in novels by the Cuban Alejo Carpentier, the Peruvian José Maria Arguedas, the Martinican Édouard Glissant and Patrick Chamoiseau, the Italo-Albanian (arbëreshe) Carmine Abate. We will discuss the way in which multicultural written narratives exalt the role of the storyteller in relation with his/her oral origins, as a weaver of collective memories of the past which are continually splitted, crossbred, and reinvented, in opposition to the linear and homogeneous models of memory and narration provided by the ruling discourses of Western culture. return to course list
This course is an introduction to purposes, problems, and methods of graduate study in Romance languages. The course will discuss research strategies for diverse literary genres, different historical periods, and specific geographical locations in the RL speaking countries (for example: the study of a medieval text; what specific problems a 19th century nation-building novel poses in Latin America and/or Africa). It will also introduce students to the prevalent theories about literary and cultural production. Specialist in the diverse areas of research will participate in the course. return to course list
SPRING 2010
FR 199: Special Studies - Moore, G.
No description available. return to course list
FR 317: French Survey: Medieval and Renaissance - May
Introduction to major themes and ideas in French literature from the medieval and Renaissance periods through the reading of representative texts. return to course list
FR 319: French Survey: 19th and 20th Centuries - Gould
Representative literary works from the 19th and 20th centuries with attention to literary analysis and literary history. return to course list
FR 320: Intensive French Grammar Review - Mendiburu
This course promotes linguistic competency in French through intensive review and refinement of French grammar while introducing basic vocabulary and linguistic concepts. return to course list
This course explores the evolution of French poetry from the Middle-Ages to the twentieth-century to help students gain an understanding of poetic movements and theories throughout the ages (including classical, lyrical, baroque, romantic, symbolic, etc.) and an appreciation of the diversity of poetic forms (such as ballad, sonnet, prose poems, free verse). Students will practice oral performance of poetry, close analysis of form and content, and will research individual poets. (Pre-Req FR 301 & 303). return to course list
FR 342: French Literature in Translation: Sartre and Camus-- G. Moore
Sartre and Camus challenge the recurring myth that we are mere victims of fate, environment, or history. Sartre maintains that we define our lives through fundamental choices which we may try to avoid by lying to ourselves, or by engaging the anxiety (angst) of having nothing determine what we do, and so affirm our project in this world as total freedom. Camus explores the value of human existence on this side of nihilism, how to directly experience our solidarity and the ephemeral dignity of human life without appeal to transcendental religion or ideology. Through readings from Sartre’s "Being and Nothingness," his plays "No Exit" and "The Flies" to Camus’s "Myth of Sisyphus" and his novels "The Plague" and "The Stranger," we will explore how each gave our alienation a human face, enticing us back to the barricades, to affirm our uncanny struggle as individuals despite the absurdity of existence, so that we may create a new meaning for our lives on earth. return to course list
FR 399: Les Visages de Carmen – Gould
Carmen is a famous Gitana, Roma or gypsy, dangerous femme fatale or vanguard warrior whose world crosses both national and generic borders. In this course, we shall explore competing representations of Carmen and Roma more generally in art, dance, music, film, video, and literature considering French, Italian, Spanish, African, and American versions of her tale. Studying literary models and cultural stereotypes, our readings will include Cervantes’s Exemplary Tale, “The Little Gipsy,” Alexander Pushkin’s, “The Gypsy,” Mérimée’s and Bizet’s Carmen and poems by Lorca. We shall also view a variety of Carmen films by Godard, Saura, Rosi, C. Jaque, A. Previn, and Dimpho D. Kopane, among others. Why does Carmen continue to proliferate across geographic borders and varied art forms today? A reaction journal and creative project will be required. In French. return to course list
FR 407: Writers and Painters- Albert-Galtier
This class deals with the issue of literary representation. We will be focusing more precisely on the interaction between visual artists and writers, following an interdisciplinary approach in our study of literary discourses on art as well as close textual readings of descriptions of paintings, portraits and art allegories (ekphrasis) included in poems, novels and essays by writers such as Molière, Corneille, La Fontaine, Madame de Lafayette as well as a few others. We will analyze the emergence of art criticism as a genre during the seventeenth century (Du Fresnoy, Perrault, Roger de Piles), and also the conditions in which works of art have been received by either an audience contemporary to the artist (Scarron and Poussin), or by twentieth century writers such as Yourcenar (about Rembrandt), Foucault (about Velasquez) and Tournier (about Kandinsky). return to course list
FR 425: French/English Translation—Poizat-Newcomb
This class offers an overview of translation theory, as well as in-class and at home practice of translation, both written and oral, from English to French and French to English. Students will learn about the different styles of translation and learn to match them with different types of texts with different purposes, from commercial jingles to classical literature. The class also offers a comparative review of basic grammatical rules, word definitions, punctuation use, false cognates and commonly used idioms. Students are expected to actively participate in class discussion and regularly translate written assignments at home. return to course list
This course explores the innovations and contradictions of modernity from the birth of the Enlightenment to the dawn of romanticism in the works of Montesquieu, Marivaux, Voltaire, Diderot, Rousseau, and Bernardin de Saint-Pierre. We will focus on the reinvention of form (in fiction, poetry, and theater) in light of the social, political and philosophical project of the Enlightenment, and examine the conflicts between tradition and progress that shape its modern ideal. Readings will also confront the ambivalence of women’s status: as readers, authors, scientists, and hostesses of famed “salons,” women contributed to and fashioned modernity while their education, ability, and proper role in the public and private spheres remained contested. (Pre-Req FR 317, 318, 319). return to course list
FR 607: Seminar: Great Romances- Gould
return to course list
RL 607: Masterworks of Spanish Cinema—Gina Herrmann
return to course list
RL 623: Humanism: The Culture of the Book and the Post Human Age—Lollini/Middlebrook
Both the syllabus of readings for this course and a roster of invited speakers will help us explore the multiple meanings of humanism in the Early Modern, the modern, the post-modern and finally the so-called post-human age. From the period of the European Renaissance deep into the twentieth century, “humanism” was a notion that was intimately founded on an idea of writing and reading. The predominant received, rather oversimplified, view of European Renaissance Humanism is that it positioned man at the center of a nature which he mastered by means of his God-given powers of reason. In this course we will be taking up key Renaissance and Early Modern texts in order to show that intrinsically, this mastery was associated first with manuscript culture and then with the culture of the book. Consciously and unconsciously, the book-centered view has continued to shape assumptions about the meaning of the word “human” and its derivatives. However, in the current, globalized age, in which science and technology have made inroads into the territory of letters and the book, transforming relationships between the human and the non-human, the natural and the synthetic, the word, the image and the algorithm, we need to reconsider what humanism means. Thus the second part of this course will unfold under the rubric of Donna Haraway’s “ironic dream,” as told in “A Cyborg Manifesto” (1991), the most relevant posthuman manifesto to date. return to course list