Course Catalog 2012-2013
Professor Xinda Lian, Chair
Associate Professor Christine Armstrong; Assistant Professor Isabelle Choquet; Visiting Associate Professor Richard Gray; Academic Administrative Assistant Liz Barringer-Smith
Educated people spend their lives trying to grow in political, social and intellectual freedom. One kind of intellectual freedom requires us to break away from the notion that our native language is the most natural and apt means of expressing the full range of human experience. An education can start with the discovery that all words are purely conventional devices. They are nonetheless tools that stir emotions, articulate ideas, and establish relationships with others. Learning a foreign language contributes to our education by providing an intimate exercise in cultural and linguistic concepts that open up new vistas on what it can mean to be human. Furthermore, foreign-language courses allow entry into the subjectivity of the target language on its own cultural and linguistic grounds, thus making possible a different and more profound redefinition of our own culture.
Our basic courses offer the opportunity to start acquiring the skills and knowledge necessary for the eventual mastery of a foreign language. When students take full advantage of that opportunity, they can use the target language in subsequent courses dealing with the foreign culture. The Department emphasizes the use of a foreign language in most of its courses because it believes that students can best appreciate a foreign culture from within its own mode of expression.
With a view toward career opportunities, the Department encourages integrating foreign language study with a variety of other academic areas, such as history, philosophy, international studies, environmental studies, biology, economics, political science, and English. Courses in cultural studies and literature, aside from their intrinsic worth, also present multiple perspectives on other cultures and areas of intellectual experience.
A student wishing to spend a summer, a semester, or a year abroad with programs approved by Denison should consult members of the Department and the Office of Off-Campus Studies (see Off-Campus Programs). Students who have taken French 214 may also enroll in the intensive summer program in Martinique (contact Dr. Armstrong or Dr. Choquet for more information). On-campus opportunities to improve their command of the language are provided by the Language and Culture Program, language tables, foreign films, club meetings, and similar activities sponsored by the Department. There are as well subsidized field trips to museums and pertinent activities in cities across the country, and in some cases foreign countries.
Students majoring in French must take a minimum of nine courses beyond FREN 211. The first six courses required for the major are FREN 213 (Conversation and Phonetics), FREN 214 (Area Studies: France), FREN 215 (Intermediate French Readings and Grammar) or FREN 305 (Advanced French Readings and Grammar), FREN 311 and FREN 312 (Surveys of French Literature), and FREN 418 (the Senior Seminar, to be taken during the senior year). The three other required courses will be literature, culture, or language courses at the upper-level, preferably taken in France.
Students minoring in French must take six courses beyond FREN 211: FREN 213, FREN 214, FREN 215 or FREN 305, and three advanced courses in literature, culture, or language, at least one of which must be either FREN 311 or FREN 312.
The Language Lab. An important asset of the department is the Language Lab with its 27 Macs, zone-free DVD player, multi-standard VCR and document camera. The Lab provides support for learning activities outside and inside the classroom, ranging from grammar drills to research and collaborative writing projects, as well as discussions on authentic materials published on the Internet. The area is designed not only for individualized instruction but also for group work and small seminars that use a variety of digital materials for class discussion.
General Department Regulations. Students planning to major in the Department are advised to begin course work in the first year. Those wishing to fulfill the basic requirement in language by continuing the one begun in secondary school will find it advantageous to begin their course work in the first year. Whether students satisfy the language requirement by continuing with their secondary-school foreign language or by taking up a new foreign language, the Department of Modern Languages strongly recommends that students complete their language requirement by the end of their sophomore year.
Cultural Enrichment. Each semester the Department offers students exceptional opportunities for cultural enrichment in foreign languages. These opportunities include, for example, off-campus trips to target-culture plays, movies and performances, as well as campus visits by native scholars and performers. In that way, experiences in target cultures become more readily available to our students. These opportunities are made possible through a most generous endowment bestowed on the Department of Modern Languages by the Patty Foresman Fund.
The Foresman Lounge. Located in the central hub of the department, it provides the Denison community with a space for a wide range of activities such as receptions, classes, and informal gatherings. This area has a small kitchenette with a table and chairs for sharing lunch or a coffee with our faculty. It is also equipped with a wide range of technological devices with which to enrich our students’ learning experiences. This room has a 52-inch flat screen TV that is connected to a satellite dish, which provides us with SCOLA television services from around the world. The TV is also connected to a multi-standard VCR, zone-free DVD player and a document camera. The lounge has a ceiling-mounted data projector, which connects to a networked Mac computer, the DVD player, VCR and document camera.
The Language and Culture Program. This exciting residential option gives students the opportunity to hone their language skills and to participate in special cultural events. Students who choose this residential option will live in a small community of their peers who share their enthusiasm for foreign languages and cultures. Special extracurricular activities and programming in the Language House support language acquisition and permit a closer relationship with professors and language assistants from the Department of Modern Languages.
Beginning French I (FREN-111). A comprehensive introductory course in French through the four basic skills: aural comprehension, speaking, reading and writing. Does not count as credit toward a major or minor. Conducted in French. 4
Beginning French II (FREN-112). A continuation in the development of the four basic skills: aural comprehension, speaking, reading and writing. Does not count as credit toward a major or minor. Conducted in French. 4
Introductory Topics in French (FREN-199). A general category used only in the evaluation of transfer credit. 1-4
Intermediate French (FREN-211). A completion of an overview of the structure of French. Emphasis placed on developing skills in speaking, writing, listening, and reading. Prerequisite: 112 or placement. Does not count as credit toward a major or minor. Conducted in French. 4
Conversation and Phonetics (FREN-213). Training and refining of all skills, with an emphasis on pronunciation and oral communication. Conducted in French. Prerequisite: 211 or placement. 4
Area Study - France (FREN-214). The course deals with the question: "What makes the French French?" by examining several aspects of French culture, such as child rearing and the process of socialization, the structure of the family and society, and symbolic behavior. The approach compares American and French cultures. Conducted in French. Prerequisite: 213 or equivalent. 4
Intermediate French Readings and Grammar (FREN-215). Students will read extensively from Francophone literary works and works of general culture while reviewing French grammar in detail. Conducted in French. Prerequisite: 213. May be taken concurrently with 213 or equivalent. 4
Topics in Intermediate French (FREN-299). A general category used only in the evaluation of transfer credit. 1-4
Advanced French Readings and Grammar (FREN-305). Approaches to comprehension and appreciation of literary texts through analysis and writing. Recommended as preparation for advanced work in French. Conducted in French. Prerequisite: 215 or equivalent. 4
Survey of French Literature I: From the Middle Ages Through the 18th Century (FREN-311). Introduction to major literary and cultural movements and figures with readings from representative authors. Conducted in French. Prerequisite: 215 or 305 or equivalent. 4
Survey of Literature of French Expression: 19th and 20th Centuries (FREN-312). Introduction to major literary and cultural movements and figures with readings from representative authors. Conducted in French. Prerequisites: 215 or 305 or equivalent. 4
Texts in French: Themes (FREN-330). This course proposes the study of texts of French expression (taken in the broad definition, including the written text, film, music) through a theme such as the Romantic Hero, the Epic Hero, Emergence of Aesthetics, the Portrayal of Women, Dada and the Surrealists, Gide, etc. Conducted in French. Prerequisite: 305 or 311 or 312. 4
Texts in French: Genres (FREN-331). In this course, students will discuss and analyze texts of French expression (taken in the broad definition, including the written text, film, music) through the common thread of genre such as Novels, Theatre, Film, Short Stories, Poetry and Opera. Conducted in French. Prerequisite: 311 or 312. 4
Directed Study (FREN-361). 1-4
Directed Study (FREN-362). 1-4
Independent Study (FREN-363). 1-4
Independent Study (FREN-364). 1-4
Advanced Topics in French (FREN-399). A general category used only in the evaluation of transfer credit. 1-4
Seminar in French (FREN-418). Advanced study of special topics in language, literature or culture. Conducted in French. Prerequisite: one advanced course beyond 311-312. Must be taken in senior year. 4