French

All courses, whether lower-division or upper-division, are conducted largely or entirely in French, unless otherwise specified.

FRE 101 FRENCH I
This beginning course offers students the opportunity acquire communicative skills in French and to develop an awareness and appreciation of Francophone cultures. The course provides an integrated approach in which listening, speaking, reading and writing are developed. Basic thematic vocabulary and grammatical structures are covered. This course is intended for students with no prior coursework in French. Prerequisites: None (Fall) Staff/Three Credits

FRE 102 FRENCH II
This course is the second part of the beginning sequence offering students the opportunity to expand their knowledge of vocabulary and grammatical structures. The course provides an integrated approach in which listening, speaking, reading and writing are developed. The course fosters awareness of Francophone cultures through short readings and a variety of oral and written activities. Prerequisites: FRE 101, or one or two years of high school (Spring) Staff/Three Credits

FRE 103 FRENCH III
Continued development of communicative competency in the French language. The course will stress a review of French grammar, and correct pronunciation and comprehension of the spoken language. Prerequisite: French 102, two or three years of high school French, or equivalent. (Fall) Zielonka, Staff/Three credits

FRE 104 FRENCH IV
A continuation of French III with an introduction to more advanced aspects of French grammar, as well as readings, skits, videos, and conversation practice. French films will be used to promote discussion and as a basis for written assignments. For students who have completed FRE 103 or an equivalent course. (Fall and Spring) Zielonka, Staff/Three credits

FRE 120 FRENCH V: CONVERSATIONAL FRENCH AND GRAMMAR REVIEW
This course is designed for students who wish to enhance their proficiency in French. It will develop students’ oral skills while providing a review of grammatical structures. Literary and cultural texts and film will be used to promote discussion and as a basis for written assignments. Prerequisite: FRE 104 or equivalent. Zielonka/Three credits

FRE 140 INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE: FRENCH LANGUAGE
This course is designed to acquaint the student with the form and structure of the various genres of literature through the close reading and analysis of selections from French prose, poetry, and drama. Prerequisite: FRE 120 or equivalent. This course fulfills the Core requirement in Literature. Zielonka/Three credits

FRE 240 TECHIQUES OF TRANSLATION
Readings, discussion, written exercises, and translation of selected texts designed to make the student aware of the major stylistic differences between the French and English languages. Includes a review of advanced grammatical structures. Prerequisite: FRE 140 or equivalent. Zielonka/Three credits

FRE 251 MAIN CURRENTS OF FRENCH LITERATURE I
Reading and analysis of works representative of the most significant currents in French literature from Chanson de Roland to Voltaire. Prerequisite: FRE 140. This course satisfies the Humanities requirement in the Core curriculum. (Fall) Zielonka/Three credits

FRE 252 MAIN CURRENTS OF FRENCH LITERATURE II
Reading and analysis of works representative of the most significant currents in French literature from Chateaubriand to Camus. Prerequisite: FRE 140. This course satisfies the Humanities requirement in the Core curriculum. (Fall) Zielonka/Three credits

FRE 301 ADVANCED FRENCH COMPOSITION
The purpose of the course is to learn to write clear and accurate French, as well as to develop effective compositional technique for narrative or persuasive essays. Selected prose passages are studied as written models. Prerequisite: FRE 251 or 252, or permission. Zielonka/Three credits

FRE 302 ADVANCED FRENCH ORAL EXPRESSION
An advanced course for students who desire greater fluency while continuing to increase their proficiency in pronunciation and intonation. (Fall) Prerequisite: any Main Currents course. Zielonka/Three credits

FRE 310 FRENCH CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION
An analysis of what constitutes the French way of life as seen in the arts, the social structure, the philosophy, and the history of France from the French Revolution to the present. Prerequisite: any Main Currents course. Zielonka/Three credits

FRE 313 FRANCOPHONE AFRICAN LITERATURE
This course will study the works of literature, written in French, in the countries of Africa that were part of the colonial empire of France and achieved their independence around 1960. Readings will include works of fiction and poetry from North Africa (a region known as the Maghreb): Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria, as well as from Sub-Saharan Africa: Mali, Senegal, Cameroon, Guinea, the Congo, and Ivory Coast. The course also examines the colonial history of the French presence in Africa, the struggles for independence, and major developments in literature, society and culture, including film, since then. A consistent theme is the search for an identity, amid the diversity and fragmentation of post-colonial Africa, and the many social and political problems that persist there. This course satisfies the Humanities requirement in the Core curriculum. Pre-requisite: any Main Currents course. Zielonka/Three credits

FRE 332 MOLIERE, RACINE, AND CORNEILLE: MASTERPIECES OF FRENCH THEATRE
Students will study plays by the great classical dramatists Corneille, Moliere, and Racine. Close readings of the plays will alternate with general discussions of theatrical conventions of the 17th Century and comparisons between playwrights. Prerequisite: any Main Currents course. This course satisfies the Humanities requirement in the Core curriculum. Zielonka/Three credits

FRE 350 ROMANTICISM
 In this course students will discover one of the most influential movements in French literature: Romanticism. Marketing a reaction against the Classicism of the previous two centuries, this movement dominated the French literary scene in the first half of the 19th century. The course will begin by tracing the origins of Romanticism in certain works of the late 18th century, before embarking on the study of representative Romantic texts in all three literary genres: poetry, prose and theater. In addition, we will look at Romantic characteristics in the art and music of the period. Prerequisite: any Main Currents course. (This course satisfies the Humanities requirement in the Core curriculum.) Zielonka/Three credits

FRE 354 19TH-CENTURY FRENCH FICTION
Close reading of representative novels of the 19th century, with emphasis on the works of Balzac, Stendhal, Flaubert, and Zola. Prerequisite: any Main Currents course. This course satisfies the Humanities requirement in the Core curriculum. Zielonka/Three credits

FRE 361 20TH-CENTURY DRAMA
Close reading of representative plays of the 20th century by authors such as Claudel, Giraudoux, Anouilh, Sartre, Ionesco, and Beckett. Discussion of theatrical and dramatic techniques characteristic of each playwright. Prerequisite: any Main Currents course. This course satisfies the Humanities requirement in the Core curriculum. Zielonka/Three credits

FRE 364 CONTEMPORARY FRENCH FICTION
Close reading and analysis of works representative of the most significant currents of modern and contemporary prose fiction in France from Gide and Proust to the “nouveau roman.” Prerequisite: any Main Currents class. This course satisfies the Humanities requirement in the Core curriculum. Zielonka/Three credits

FRE 366 TOPICS IN FRENCH CINEMA
The main aims of this course will be to use French cinema to improve students’ knowledge of and interest in French culture and history; to discuss how films can portray historical events, and to think about the techniques and aesthetics of film-making. Films used in the course will illustrate different aspects of French culture and give a picture of contemporary life at the time in which they are set. Some may center on important social or historical moments. Topics may vary by semester. In addition to viewing seven or eight movies, students will read several short historical and literary texts concerning the periods covered by the films. The course will be conducted in French. Prerequisite: FRE 251 or 252. This course satisfies the Humanities requirement in the Core curriculum. Zielonka/Three credits

FRE 390 INTRODUCTION TO FRENCH POETRY
A close reading of representative poems. The course includes some selections from the Middle Ages and 16th/17th centuries, but concentrates mostly on poetry of the 19th and 20th centuries. Characteristics of different poets and different poetic movements will be analyzed. Prerequisite: any Main Currents course. This course satisfies the Humanities requirement in the Core curriculum. Zielonka/Three credits

FRE 392 EXPLICATION DE TEXTE
Explication of texts as practiced in France: detailed study and interpretation of short selections from French literature. Half of the texts studied will be poems, but we will also analyze prose passages and a play. Prerequisite: any Main Currents course.(This course satisfies the Humanities requirement in the Core curriculum. Zielonka/Three credits

FRE 401–409 SPECIAL TOPICS
Staff/Three credits

FRE 401–409 INDEPENDENT STUDY
Subject and/or authors studied to be chosen with approval of professor. Staff/Three credits

Assumption is also a member of the Colleges of Worcester Consortium (COWC) and our students can take classes at the 12 other colleges and universities that belong to the COWC.