French (FREN)

Major Requirements for the B.A. in French or Spanish

  1. Twenty-two hours (including Senior Seminar, i.e., FLNG 471-473) in the major language numbered above 202, three of which must be selected from conversation laboratories (211, 212, 311, 312). German majors take an additional 2 hours of advanced German courses instead.
  2. Supportive courses as follows:
    Choose option I or II.

I. Nine semester hours in English courses (excluding courses in journalism) numbered above 102.

II. Six semester hours in English courses (excluding courses in journalism) numbered above 102, and three semester hours in a history course approved by the adviser.

Strongly recommended are three additional hours in religion or philosophy and six hours in fine arts. In addition, German majors are expected to spend at least a semester studying in Germany, Austria or Switzerland.

(Students will also be advised to take, as part of the options above: English 478 or another course with emphasis on critical theory.)

Minor Requirements

  1. In French or Spanish, twenty-two semester hours including:
    1. Six semester hours in courses numbered above 300, three of which shall be in literature.
    2. Two semester hours selected from conversation laboratories 211 or 311.
  2. In other languages, twenty (20) hours in the language including six semester hours in courses numbered above 300, three of which shall be in literature. German minors have to take nine semester hours in courses numbered above 300.

101-102. Elementary French (3-3)
The verbal-active approach with emphasis on all four language skills: comprehension, speaking, writing, reading

201-202. Intermediate French (3-3)
Prerequisite: FREN 101-102 or equivalent. Grammar review, development or vocabulary and fluency on oral and written expression. Readings on various aspects of French culture, including literature.

211. French Conversation Lab-Second Year (1, 1)
Prerequisites: FREN 101-102 or consent of the instructor. Normally requires concurrent enrollment in French 201-202. Intensive conversational practice in a small-group setting conducted by native speakers of French. Conversation classes will involve discussion of French customs, and will stress the development of situational vocabulary. May be repeated for credit. Offered every semester.

301. Phonetics (3)
An in-depth study of the International Phonetic Alphabet and the French sound system, focusing on those features of connected speech

302 Advanced Grammar (3)
An intensive study of advanced grammar and vocabulary covering such topics as linguistic signs and structure, semantics, syntax, and morphology.

305. Advanced Conversation and Composition (3)
Prerequisites: FREN 201-202 or completion of any upper division French course. Intense conversational practice using materials from contemporary French culture including magazines, newspapers, films, and tapes featuring native speakers Original compositions in French. Includes advanced grammar and pronunciation drills. Offered every Fall semester.

306. Advanced Grammar and Phonetics (3)
Prerequisites: FREN 202 or completion of any upper division French course. An in-depth study of the International Phonetic Alphabet and the French sound system, focusing on those features of connected speech that cause difficulty for Anglophones. Includes advanced grammar and pronunciation drills. Alternate years.

308. Introduction to Literary Texts (3)
Prerequisites: FREN 305 or completion of any upper division French course. Provides an Introduction to the study of French literature, and teacher techniques for reading and analyzing short stories, poetry, plays and longer prose selections. One novel will be read in its entirety. Offered every spring semester.

309. French Painting (3)
Prerequisires: FREN 201-202 or completion of any upper division French course. The development of artistic independence in France (from Neo-Classicism to Cubism) is studied in its social, political and economic context. (Same as Art 309)

311. French Conversation Lab-Third Year (1,1)
Prerequisites:FREN 201-202, FREN 211, or consent of the instructor. Normally requires concurrent enrollment in FREN 305. Intensive conversational practice in a small-group setting conducted by native speakers of French. Conversation classes will involve discussion of French customs, articles from the French press, and will stress the development of vocabulary relating to issues of current concern in France. May be repeated for credit. Offered every semester.

395,396. Selected Topics (3,3)
Prerequisites: FREN 201-202 or completion of any upper division French course. Study in areas of French language, civilization, or literature not covered by other courses. Individual topics may not be repeated for credit. Offered on demand.

415. Literature of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance (3)
Prerequisites: FREN 201-202 or completion of any upper division French course. Study of the masterpieces of medieval and Renaissance literature, including La Chanson de Roland, Tristan et Iseult, Villon, Rabelais, Montaigne, Ronsard, DuBellay and others. Alternate years.

416. Literature of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries (3)
Prerequisites: FREN 201-202 or completion of any upper division French course. Study of major seventeenth and eighteenth-century writers such as Corneille, Moliere, Racine, Pascal, La Fontaine, Voltaire, Diderot, and Rousseau. Alternate years.

419. Literature of the Nineteenth Century (3)
Prerequisites: FREN 201-202 or completion of any upper division French course. Study of nineteenth-century French authors such as Chateaubriand, Constant, Stendhal, Hugo, Flaubert, Balzac, Baudelaire, Zola, and the Symbolist poets. Alternate years.

420. Literature of the Twentieth Century (3)
Prerequisites:FREN 201-202, or completion of any upper division French course. Study of modern French playwrights, poets, and novelists such as Proust, Gide, Sarte, Ionesco, Claudel, Camus, Malraux. Alternate years.

421. Literature of French Louisiana (3)
Prerequisites: FREN 201-202 or completion of any upper division French course. Study of major texts of Louisiana French and creole literature, including works by LaSalle, LeBlanc de Villeneufve, Mercier, Testut, Rouquette, and others. Offered on demand.

491-493. Independent Study (1-3)
Prerequisites:FREN 201-202 or completion of any upper division French course or permission of instructor. Study in a field of French language or literature appropriate to the student's preparation and interests. Individual topics may not be repeated for credit. Offered upon demand.

Last updated April 29, 2008.