Français 308 : Introduction to Literary Texts

Professeur : D. Kress
Tel. 869-5252

Courriel: dkress@centenary.edu

Heures de bureau: 11-12jeudi

Texts:     Jean-Paul Sartre, Huis-Clos.
              Émile Zola, Thérèse Requin.
              Alfred Mercier, Le Fou de Palerme.
              Alfred Jarry, Ubu Roi

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This course is designed to introduce you to some of the works produced during the last eight centuries of French cultural development. It has been extremely difficult for me to choose the works for this class. I regret that 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries are so poorly represented as is nearly the entire body of Francophone litterature. How can an introductory course on French literature fail even to mention Rabelais, Montaigne, Racine, Corneille, Molière, La Fontaine, Diderot, Voltaire, and Beaumarchais? How can we skip Balzac, Sand, Stendhal, Flaubert, Gide, Malraux....

Policies:

1. Make ups: No make-ups for an unexcused absence are given. In case of excused absences, I may choose not to give a make-up; instead I may choose not to count that quiz or examination.

2. You are expected to come to class prepared every day. Study the material specified on the syllabus or in class! There may be a quiz even though there is not a written assignment.

3. Every quiz and examination will stress oral comprehension. Keep in mind that all class work will be conducted orally in French and your attendance and participation will have a definite impact on your grade. The activities of listening to a language, speaking a language, and writing a language all demand active skills. This class will require your active participation.

A language course is different from other courses at the college because you work on oral communication skills. The only place you can work on these skills is in your French class. Other classes may not require your attendance because you can learn the material from the book; however, there is no substitute for the dynamic interaction that takes place between you and your teacher—a trained language acquisition specialist. For this reason this course has a strong policy on absences. Students who have 5 absences will have their final grade lowered one full letter. For additional absences there will be a penalty of 2 points per day before the letter grade is dropped.

4. Your grade in this class will be given as follows:

Oral presentations	20%
Writing assignments	25%
Quizzes	40%
Final Exam	15%

Presentations

Each student will give a presentation in class based on the one of the poets whose works we are reading. These presentations will be in the form of an explication de texte and should last about 10 to 15 minutes. You will be graded on your accent and your fluidity; practice this presentation out loud before you present it to the class!
 

EMPLOI DU TEMPS: 

I. Semaine du 14 au 18 janvier

lundi:	Introduction, Florian, Jean-Pierre Claris de, « L’Enfant et le Miroir »
mercredi:	Hugo, « Océano nox », « Demain des l'aube »
vendredi:	Baudelaire, « L'Héautontimoroumenos », « Elévation », Rimbaud, « Le Dormeur du Val »

II. Semaine du 21 au 25 janvier

III. Semaine du 28 janvier au 1er février

lundi:	Le Fou de Palerme
mercredi:	Le Fou de Palerme
vendredi:	Le Fou de Palerme

IV. Semaine du 4 au 8 février

V. Semaine du 11 au 15 février

VI. Semaine du 18 au 22 février

VII. Semaine du 25 au 28 février.

VIII. Semaine du 3 au 7 mars.

IX. Semaine du 10 au 14 mars

X. Semaine du 17 au 21 mars

XI. Semaine du 24 au 28 mars

lundi:	Thérèse Requin.
mercredi:	Thérèse Requin.
vendredi:	Thérèse Requin.

XII. Semaine du 31 mars au 4 avril

XIII. Semaine du 7 au 11 avril

lundi:	Thérèse Requin.
mercredi:	Thérèse Requin.
vendredi:	Thérèse Requin.

XIV. Semaine du 14 au 18 avril

lundi:	Thérèse Requin.
mercredi:	Thérèse Requin.
vendredi:	Thérèse Requin.

XV. Semaine du 21 au 25 avril

lundi:	Huis-Clos.
mercredi:	Huis-Clos
vendredi:	Huis-Clos

XVI. Semaine du 28 avril au 1er mai

  Jeudi le 1er mai, dernier jour de classes !