French Courses by Semester
Summer
- FREN 1001 - Basic French I
Handling the immediate context of daily experience in spoken and written French: identifying, describing, and characterizing people, objects, places and events; giving information and instructions; issuing simple commands and requests.
Course is taught in French.
Prerequisite: French Placement Exam score: 0-250.
This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.
- FREN 1002 - Basic French II
Speaking and writing in French about past and future events: telling a story (narrating and describing in the past), promising, predicting and proposing simple hypotheses and conjectures.
Course is taught in French.
Prerequisite: FREN 1001 or French Placement Exam score: 251-350.
This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.
- FREN 1003 - Intermediate French I
Increasing active vocabulary, reinforcing mastery of basic grammar, dealing with more complex structures (verbal phrases, subordinate clauses) and using some patterns of indirect speech (e.g., repeating or relaying messages, giving reports, summarizing).
Course is taught in French.
Prerequisite: FREN 1002 or French Placement Exam score: 351-400.
This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.
- FREN 1004 - Intermediate French II
Consolidation and further expansion of the ability to understand as well as produce a more complex level of oral and written discourse emphasizing subjective expression: issuing indirect commands and requests; giving opinions; making proposals; building arguments; defending and criticizing ideas.
Course is taught in French.
Prerequisite: FREN 1003 or French Placement Exam score: 401-500
This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.
- FREN 2005 - Language, Culture, and Society
This is the first course in a two-course sequence designed for students at the advanced-intermediate level. Through an introduction to French history, 2005 promotes conversational skills and helps students develop the ability to write and comprehend somewhat complex texts on a broad range of topics. An extensive grammar review is included.
Course is taught in French.
This course satisfies GPAC requirements.
Prerequisite: FREN 1004 or French Placement Exam score: 501-550
This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.
- FREN 2006 - Language, Culture and Society II
This course expands the range and complexity of oral communication skills via a variety of discussion formats as well as formal oral presentations and debates. 2006 also aims to develop the student's ability to analyze and comprehend more elaborate, expository prose and to write critically on a broad range of contemporary political, social and cultural topics. French 2006 continues the intensive grammar review begun in 2005.
Course is taught in French.
This course satisfies GPAC requirements.
Prerequisite: FREN 2005 or French Placement Exam score: 551-601
This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.
- FREN 3010W - Advanced French Language, Structure and Composition
MTWR 12:30 - 1:30pm
Professor Sarah-Kay Hurst
Refining rhetoric in French, integrating notions from linguistics. Improving written and spoken French through new perspectives into the language itself. Register, borrowings, idiomatic expressions, and stylistic variation between French and English. Includes a significant engagement in writing as a form of critical inquiry and scholarly expression to satisfy the WID requirement.
Prerequisite: FREN 2006 or equivalent.
Spring
- FREN 1001 - Basic French I
Handling the immediate context of daily experience in spoken and written French: identifying, describing, and characterizing people, objects, places and events; giving information and instructions; issuing simple commands and requests.
Course is taught in French.
Prerequisite: French Placement Exam score: 0-250.
This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.
- FREN 1002 - Basic French II
Speaking and writing in French about past and future events: telling a story (narrating and describing in the past), promising, predicting and proposing simple hypotheses and conjectures.
Course is taught in French.
Prerequisite: FREN 1001 or French Placement Exam score: 251-350.
This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.
- FREN 1003 - Intermediate French I
Increasing active vocabulary, reinforcing mastery of basic grammar, dealing with more complex structures (verbal phrases, subordinate clauses) and using some patterns of indirect speech (e.g., repeating or relaying messages, giving reports, summarizing).
Course is taught in French.
Prerequisite: FREN 1002 or French Placement Exam score: 351-400.
This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.
- FREN 1004 - Intermediate French II
Consolidation and further expansion of the ability to understand as well as produce a more complex level of oral and written discourse emphasizing subjective expression: issuing indirect commands and requests; giving opinions; making proposals; building arguments; defending and criticizing ideas.
Course is taught in French.
Prerequisite: FREN 1003 or French Placement Exam score: 401-500
This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.
- FREN 2005 - Language, Culture, and Society
This is the first course in a two-course sequence designed for students at the advanced-intermediate level. Through an introduction to French history, 2005 promotes conversational skills and helps students develop the ability to write and comprehend somewhat complex texts on a broad range of topics. This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail. An extensive grammar review is included.
Course is taught in French.
This course satisfies GPAC requirements.
Prerequisite: FREN 1004 or French Placement Exam score: 501-550
This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.
- FREN 2006 - Language, Culture and Society II
This course expands the range and complexity of oral communication skills via a variety of discussion formats as well as formal oral presentations and debates. 2006 also aims to develop the student's ability to analyze and comprehend more elaborate, expository prose and to write critically on a broad range of contemporary political, social and cultural topics. French 2006 continues the intensive grammar review begun in 2005.
Course is taught in French.
This course satisfies GPAC requirements.
Prerequisite: FREN 2005 or French Placement Exam score: 551-601
This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.
- FREN 3020 - Contemporary France
MW 12:45-2:00 pm
Prof. Kathryn KleppingerWhat has made France the country it is today? To answer this question in all its complexity, we will undertake a historical and thematic approach to understand the major events, debates, and questions that have faced French politicians, writers, and citizens over the past century. We will consult political sources (speeches, declarations, and manifestos), literature (novels and eye-witness accounts), and cultural documents (newspaper articles, songs, films) to understand the varying perspectives and arguments that have shaped French politics, culture, and identity throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. During the first half of the semester we will consider important events in French history throughout the
20th century, from the turn of the century through World War II and the wars of decolonization. Then, during the second half of the semester, we will undertake thematic studies to understand the recent impact of these events. Topics include: immigration and the colonial past, France as a nation and as part of Europe, and contemporary social identities.Prerequisite: FREN 2006 or equivalent
- FREN 3030 - French for Professional Purposes
TRF 11:10 am – 12:00 pm
Prof. Hadia AnayeCe cours de français à objectif professionnel, ou “Business French”, a pour objectif de former les étudiants aux exigences du monde des affaires. A travers des mises en situations et projets de groupe, les étudiants développeront des compétences en communication professionnelle essentielles pour les futurs employeurs. Dans ce cours, nous étudierons le vocabulaire spécifique à divers secteurs d’activité tels que la diplomatie, les technologies, l’environnement, ou bien la santé publique, ainsi que la culture des entreprises francophones. De plus, des visites d’institutions internationales basées à Washington D.C. seront organisées, pour discuter de thèmes majeurs qui touchent le monde d’aujourd’hui. Nous analyserons également différents types de documents authentiques pour permettre aux étudiants une meilleure compréhension et préparation pour le monde professionnel au sein d’entreprises et organisations francophones.
Prerequisite: FREN 2006 or equivalent
- FREN 3100W - Introduction to French Literature
Prof. Charlee Bezilla
TR 12:45-2:00 pmThis course is an introduction to French literature and the gateway to the French Minor and Major. We will read closely a broad selection of texts from different genres (poetry, prose, theater) and historical periods (from the Renaissance to the 21st century) and learn how to read and write analytically about literature in its cultural context using different techniques and methodologies of textual analysis. Our journey is focused on learning an efficient method of literary analysis and deepening your appreciation of French literature.
This course satisfies the WID requirement.
Prerequisite: FREN 2006 or equivalent.
- FREN 3600 - Writing Workshop in French
Prof. Abdourahman Waberi
MW 2:20-3:35 pmThis course will allow our students to improve their French writing skills and to explore or expand their writing desires and interests. They will refine their knowledge of the language through a variety of workshop-based activities and will learn to express creativity by writing different types of texts, including autobiographical sketches, poems, songs, and short stories. Multiple drafts will be required for each writing assignment, and individual attention will be given to each student.
Prerequisite: FREN 2006 or equivalent.
- FREN 3220 - Modern French Literature
Prof. Abdourahman Waberi
MW 3:45-5:00 pmDans ce cours nous étudierons des textes canoniques du 18e siècle jusqu’à nos jours, en considérant leurs contextes historiques, sociaux, et culturels. Ces œuvres partagent une interrogation sur la nature des rapports entre les hommes : quelles structures sociales sont possibles, et quel est l’impact de ces structures sur des individus ? Les sources littéraires peuvent contribuer des perspectives nuancées à un débat qui reste pertinent même aujourd’hui. Ce cours vise à développer vos capacités en plusieurs domaines : historique, littéraire, et sociologique. Vous apprendrez à identifier des thèmes communs à la littérature française au cours des 18e, 19e, 20e et 21e siècles et aussi à lire plus profondément pour apprécier les aspects artistiques des œuvres.
Prerequisite: FREN 2006 or equivalent
- FREN 4600.10 - Fake News! Rumors, Scandals, and Culture Wars in Early Modern France
Prof. Charlee Bezilla
TR 2:20-3:35 pmThis course will explore what gossip, rumors, and “fake news” can tell us about the society and culture of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in France and the Francophone world more broadly—and about cultural flashpoints in our own time. We’ll study different types of issues that led to scandal and debate in early modern France, from blood transfusions, sightings of fantastic creatures, and romantic affairs to political intrigue and controversial philosophies. The first half of the course will focus on primary sources such as images, periodicals, literary texts, and other forms of material culture. During the second half of the semester, our classroom will take the form of an Ancien régime "salon" as we delve into a historical role-playing game where you will have the opportunity to experience one of the period’s biggest culture wars from the perspectives of its participants.
*This course satisfies the minor requirement for a course in literature and culture before 1800*
Prerequisite: FREN 2006 or equivalent- FREN 4700 - Race Matters: Tradition and Modernity in Africa and the Maghreb
Prof. Abdourahman Waberi
MW 11:10 am-12:25 pmThis course will explore the daunting issues that confront Africa and the Maghreb in its transformation from tradition to modernity. If tradition comprises the centuries-old oral legacies, modernity may refer to what has appeared or been produced recently, namely the writings along with films, visual arts, music etc. We will use a wide range of sources (novels, memoirs, films and songs) in order to understand the link between past and present, yesterday and tomorrow. Our topics will include language and memory, Islam and Christianity, urbanity and cultural productions, emancipation, and utopia
Prerequisite: FREN 2006 or equivalent
Fall
- FREN 1001 - Basic French I
Handling the immediate context of daily experience in spoken and written French: identifying, describing, and characterizing people, objects, places and events; giving information and instructions; issuing simple commands and requests.
Course is taught in French.
Prerequisite: French Placement Exam score: 0-250.
This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.
- FREN 1002 - Basic French II
Speaking and writing in French about past and future events: telling a story (narrating and describing in the past), promising, predicting and proposing simple hypotheses and conjectures.
Course is taught in French.
Prerequisite: FREN 1001 or French Placement Exam score: 251-350.
This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.
- FREN 1003 - Intermediate French I
Increasing active vocabulary, reinforcing mastery of basic grammar, dealing with more complex structures (verbal phrases, subordinate clauses) and using some patterns of indirect speech (e.g., repeating or relaying messages, giving reports, summarizing).
Course is taught in French.
Prerequisite: FREN 1002 or French Placement Exam score: 351-400.
This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.
- FREN 1004 - Intermediate French II
Consolidation and further expansion of the ability to understand as well as produce a more complex level of oral and written discourse emphasizing subjective expression: issuing indirect commands and requests; giving opinions; making proposals; building arguments; defending and criticizing ideas.
Course is taught in French.
Prerequisite: FREN 1003 or French Placement Exam score: 401-500
This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.
- FREN 2005 - Language, Culture, and Society
This is the first course in a two-course sequence designed for students at the advanced-intermediate level. Through an introduction to French history, 2005 promotes conversational skills and helps students develop the ability to write and comprehend somewhat complex texts on a broad range of topics. This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail. An extensive grammar review is included.
Course is taught in French.
This course satisfies GPAC requirements.
Prerequisite: FREN 1004 or French Placement Exam score: 501-550
This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.
- FREN 2006 - Language, Culture and Society II
This course expands the range and complexity of oral communication skills via a variety of discussion formats as well as formal oral presentations and debates. 2006 also aims to develop the student's ability to analyze and comprehend more elaborate, expository prose and to write critically on a broad range of contemporary political, social and cultural topics. French 2006 continues the intensive grammar review begun in 2005.
Course is taught in French.
This course satisfies GPAC requirements.
Prerequisite: FREN 2005 or French Placement Exam score: 551-601
This course may not be audited or taken pass/fail.
- FREN 3010W - Advanced French Language, Structure, and Composition
Prof. Sarah-Kay Hurst
TR 12:45-2:00Deepen your knowledge of French and explore local and global Francophone connections in DC and beyond, building your written and spoken French to apply your language and cultural skills in authentic contexts! Through experiential learning at embassies and museums, a Community Engaged Scholarship project, and interactive classroom activities, you will create a personalized journey to elevate your language learning. From a visit to the Embassy of Haiti, to an interactive guided tour of the “American Louvre” (Renwick Gallery), to an excursion to the Planet Word language museum, you will discover how language, culture, and history intersect in meaningful ways. Through scaffolded writing pieces, personal ‘discovery’ activities, collaborative speaking, and learning through games, you will improve your ability to produce expository, descriptive, persuasive, and narrative writing. You will also strengthen your writing and speaking skills for diverse personal and professional contexts by integrating figures of speech, borrowings, idiomatic expressions, and stylistic variations between French and English, while incorporating linguistic concepts to deepen your understanding of the nuances of the French language. As a class, we will engage in a semester-long collaboration with the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art as part of a Community Engaged Scholarship project to create materials about Francophone Africa, all while you build myriad transferable career competencies through engagement and reflection.
This course satisfies the WID requirement.
Prerequisite: FREN 2006 or equivalent.- FREN 3100W.10: Introduction to French Literature
Prof. Masha Belenky
MW 11:10-12:25What can we learn from stories? In this course (a gateway to the French Minor and Major) we will study literature and film as a privileged window into French culture, history, and society. We will explore a diverse range of works from different genres (poetry, prose, theater, film) and historical periods (from the Renaissance to the 21st century) and discover the connections between aesthetic forms and human experiences. By the end of the semester you will have practiced techniques of textual and cultural analysis and will hone your analytical reading, writing and thinking skills. You will also practice and improve your written and spoken French and deepen your appreciation of French literature and culture. Most of all, I hope you will experience the joy of reading!
This course satisfies the WID requirement.
Prerequisite: FREN 2006 or equivalent.- FREN 3100W.11: Introduction to French Literature
Prof. Kathryn Kleppinger
TR 11:10-12:25How can art help us make sense of the world we live in? What ideas can artists express in their writing (or filmmaking), and how do they do so? And how can we study works with an awareness of both the artistic and social questions contained in them? By addressing these fundamental questions about the nature of reading, writing, and artistic expression, this course serves as an introduction to French literature and to the French Minor and Major. By the end of the semester we will have discussed a broad selection of texts from different genres (poetry, prose, song lyrics, and cinema) and historical periods (from the Renaissance to the 21st century), and mastered how to read and to write analytically about cultural production using different techniques and methodologies of textual analysis. You will also gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the various forms of engagement French authors and filmmakers have employed in their quest to understand and synthesize human life in moments of crisis.
This course satisfies the WID requirement.
Prerequisite: FREN 2006 or equivalent.- FREN 3210: Medieval and Early Modern French Literature in Context
Prof. Emma Campbell
TR 11:10-12:25How does literature engage with social and political change not only after the fact but as it is unfolding? What resources does literature offer for thinking and influencing such change? This course examines the historical dynamism and transnationalism of premodern literature written in French with these questions in mind. Between 1040 and 1600 the francophone world underwent major social, political, and intellectual shifts as well as experiencing transformative wars, plagues, and religious conflicts. Until quite recently, histories of French literature often approached this period’s significance teleologically, tracing a progressive movement towards modernity and the emergence of the French ethnolinguistic state. By foregrounding literature’s responses to nonlinear change, this course seeks to pose a different set of questions, which bring into view the stories and perspectives that such teleological narratives obscure. It asks: What does literature have to tell us about how people made sense of the changes they were living through? How did premodern texts participate in formulating and debating the questions that those changes raised? What can literary texts reveal about historical attitudes to gender, race, and religious identity, as well as evolving social structures and major political events? And how do we make sense of “French” literary history today, as a history that continues to speak to the changes of our own time?
Prerequisite: FREN 3100W or equivalent.
This course satisfies the Pre-Revolutionary/Literature requirement for the French minor.- French 3700: History of French Cinema
Prof. Kathryn Kleppinger
TR 12:45-2:00Qu’est-ce qu’une « histoire » du cinéma ? Et du cinéma français ? Comment interpréter un médium artistique qui vise à communiquer avec un public vaste, voire avec le monde entier, à n’importe quel moment de l’histoire ? Et est-ce qu’on peut identifier des styles ou des esthétiques cinématographiques bien français ? Dans ce cours nous remonterons dans le temps pour apprécier l’évolution des films réalisés par des cinéastes français. Des débuts du cinéma au début du 20e siècle jusqu’à nos jours, les Français ont contribué des films impressionnants et provoquants au corpus mondial du cinéma. Des frères Lumière jusqu’à Ladj Ly les cinéastes français réussissent à choquer et à faire parler leur public (français ainsi que mondial). Nous étudierons donc les films mais aussi leur contexte historique, social, et politique pour mieux comprendre leur réception et leur importance aujourd’hui. À la fin du semestre vous aurez un vocabulaire précis et nuancé pour parler des aspects thématiques et stylistiques du cinéma et vous aurez une meilleure compréhension de tout ce qui rend le cinéma français tellement passionnant.
Prerequisite: FREN 3100W or equivalent.
This course satisfies the post-1800 Literature requirement for the French minor.- FREN 4910: Advanced Studies in French Culture: The Politics and Culture of French Bestsellers
Prof. Masha Belenky
MW 2:20-3:35What defines a bestseller? How do we reconcile commercial success with literary merit? In this advanced course, we will explore a selection of French bestsellers from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries that not only captivated readers upon their release but have also maintained enduring cultural and literary significance. Through an analysis of these works as both literary achievements and commercial products, we will examine their aesthetic qualities alongside the historical, cultural, and economic contexts of their production and reception. Studying these bestsellers opens a fascinating window into the values, mentalities, and societal dynamics of the periods in which they were created. This course also emphasizes the development of advanced research skills in literary and cultural analysis. Authors may include Victor Hugo, Irène Némirovsky, Françoise Sagan, and Muriel Barbery.
Prerequisite: FREN 3100W or equivalent.This course satisfies the post-1800 Literature requirement for the French minor.
NOTE: This course is open to all students (with the pre-req) and is required for senior French majors.