Fall 2014

EXPANDED COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

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 LOWER-DIVISION COURSES  
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FRENCH 1. Elementary French (5 units)
Supervisor: Elisabeth Griffart-Meissner, egmeissner@ucdavis.edu

Description: Presentation of the basic grammar and vocabulary of French as well as cultural information about the French-speaking world (textbook chapters 1 to 6); in-class interactive exercises and out-of-class assignments for practice in using the language for listening and reading comprehension, writing, and speaking. French is the exclusive means of communication in class. The course meets five hours per week, with 20-25 students per section. Course materials (other than the textbook and workbook) and daily homework assignments are available through SmartSite.

Prerequisite: No previous study of French is assumed. Students who have never studied French (or who have had fewer than two years of French in high school and do not place into French 2) should enroll in French 1. Students with two or more years of French in high school may only take this course for a Pass/ No Pass grade.

Course Grade: The final grade for the course will be determined by daily preparation and participation (14%), homework (12%), three quizzes (15%), one major composition (10%), three in-class exams (30%), and a final exam (19%).

GE credit (Old): None.
GE credit (New): World Cultures.

Format: Discussion - 5 hours; Laboratory - 1 hour.

Textbook:

• A. Valdman, C. Pons, and M.E. Scullen, Chez Nous Media Enhanced Package [4th Edition] (Pearson Learning Solutions, 2014)
   

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FRENCH 2. Elementary French (5 units)
Supervisor:  Elisabeth Griffart-Meissner, egmeissner@ucdavis.edu

Description: Presentation of the basic grammar and vocabulary of French as well as cultural information about the French-speaking world (textbook chapters 7 to 11); in-class interactive exercises and out-of-class assignments for practice in using the language for listening and reading comprehension, writing, and speaking. French is the exclusive means of communication in class. The course meets five hours per week, with 20-25 students per section. Course materials (other than the textbook and workbook) and daily homework assignments are available through SmartSite.

Course Grade: The final grade for the course will be determined by daily preparation and participation (14%), homework (10%), three quizzes (15%), one major composition (10%), two in-class exams (25%), a final oral exam (6%), and a final written exam (20%).

Prerequisite: French 1 or Language Placement Exam (Any student, regardless of previous experience studying French, may take this course for a letter or Pass/ No Pass grade.)

GE credit (Old): None.
GE credit (New): World Cultures.

Format: Discussion - 5 hours; Laboratory - 1 hour.

Textbook:

• A. Valdman, C. Pons, and M.E. Scullen, Chez Nous Media Enhanced Package [4th Edition] (Pearson Learning Solutions, 2014)
   

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FRENCH 3. Elementary French (5 units)
Supervisor:  Elisabeth Griffart-Meissner, egmeissner@ucdavis.edu

Description: Presentation of the basic grammar and vocabulary of French as well as cultural information about the French-speaking world (textbook chapters 12 to 16); in-class interactive exercises and out-of-class assignments for practice in using the language for listening and reading comprehension, writing, and speaking. French is the exclusive means of communication in class. The course meets five hours per week, with 20-25 students per section. Course materials (other than the textbook and workbook) and daily homework assignments are available through SmartSite.

Course Grade: The final grade for the course will be determined by daily preparation and participation (14%), homework (10%), three quizzes (15%), one major composition (10%), two in-class exams (25%), a final oral exam (6%), and a final written exam (20%).

Prerequisite: French 2 or Language Placement Exam (Any student, regardless of previous experience studying French, may take this course for a letter or Pass/ No Pass grade.)

GE credit (Old): None.
GE credit (New): World Cultures.

Format: Discussion - 5 hours; Laboratory - 1 hour.

Textbook:

• A. Valdman, C. Pons, and M.E. Scullen, Chez Nous Media Enhanced Package [4th Edition] (Pearson Learning Solutions, 2014)
   

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FRENCH 21. Intermediate French (5 units)
Supervisor: Prof. Julia Simon, jsimon@ucdavis.edu

Description: Presentation and analysis of the cultures of the French-speaking world (Paris, Quebec, Tahiti, Lyon, Northern Africa) and comparison to home culture; review of the basic grammar presented in first-year French; expansion of vocabulary related to city living, history/geography, the arts, food/cooking, and family life (textbook chapters 1 to 5). In-class presentations and activities, as well as out-of-class assignments, are conducted solely in French and focus on the development of listening and reading comprehension, writing, and speaking skills. The course meets four hours per week, plus an additional hour of independent web-based work, with 20-25 students per section. Course materials (other than the textbook and workbook) and daily homework assignments are available through SmartSite.

Course Grade: The final grade for the course will be determined by daily preparation and participation, homework, and one in-class composition per chapter (5 x 13% = 85%), an oral final exam (5%), and a written final exam (10%).

Prerequisite: French 3 or Language Placement Exam (Any student, regardless of previous experience studying French, may take this course for a letter or Pass/ No Pass grade.)

GE credit (Old): None.
GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities, Oral Literacy, World Cultures and Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture/Discussion - 5 hours.

Textbook:

• Jean Marie Schultz and Marie-Paul Tranvouez, Réseau: Communication, Intégration, Intersections [2nd Edition] Package (Pearson Learning Solutions, 2014)
   

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FRENCH 22. Intermediate French (5 units)
Supervisor: Prof. Julia Simon, jsimon@ucdavis.edu

Jaber Belkhiria

M-R 10:00-10:50A
1116 Hart
CRN 44830

Description: Presentation and analysis of the cultures of the French-speaking world (Senegal, Martinique, Geneva, Strasbourg, Brussels) and comparison to home culture; review of the basic grammar presented in first-year French; expansion of vocabulary related to commerce, tourism, sports and leisure, politics, and modern technology (textbook chapters 6 to 10). In-class presentations and activities, as well as out-of-class assignments, are conducted solely in French and focus on the development of listening and reading comprehension, writing, and speaking skills. The course meets four hours per week, plus an additional hour of independent web-based work, with 25 students per section. Course materials (other than the textbook and workbook) and daily homework assignments are available through SmartSite.

Course Grade: The final grade for the course will be determined by daily preparation and participation, homework, and one in-class composition per chapter (5 x 13% = 85%), an oral final exam (5%), and a written final exam (10%).

Prerequisite: French 21 or Language Placement Exam (Any student, regardless of previous experience studying French, may take this course for a letter or Pass/ No Pass grade.)

GE credit (Old): None.
GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities, Oral Literacy, World Cultures and Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture/Discussion - 5 hours.

Textbook:

• Jean Marie Schultz and Marie-Paul Tranvouez, Réseau: Communication, Intégration, Intersections [1st Edition] Package (Prentice Hall, 2009)
   

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FRENCH 23. Intermediate French (5 units)
Supervisor: Prof. Julia Simon, jsimon@ucdavis.edu

Jennifer McSpadden

M-R 11:00-11:50A
1128 Hart
CRN 44832

Description: The goals in this course are to advance your comprehension and use of the French language, with a particular focus on writing skills. Structured reading, analysis, discussion and writing assignments will enable you to increase your vocabulary, improve your oral and aural proficiency, solidify your mastery of grammatical structures, and develop greater ease and sophistication in written and spoken expression.

Prerequisite: French 22 or Language Placement Exam (Any student, regardless of previous experience studying French, may take this course for a letter or Pass/ No Pass grade.)

GE credit (Old): None.
GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities, Oral Literacy, World Cultures and Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture/Discussion - 5 hours.

Textbook:

• Jean Marie Schultz and Marie-Paul Tranvouez, Réseau: Communication, Intégration, Intersections [1st Edition] Package (Prentice Hall, 2009)
   

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 UPPER-DIVISION COURSES
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FRENCH 100. Composition in French (4 Units)
Megan McMullan

TR 10:30-11:50A
80 SocSci
CRN 44840

Course Description: This semester we will read memorable works of fiction in French: from 16th century sonnets to novellas by Flaubert and Balzac, to Madame Leprince de Beaumont’s classic fairy tale, La Belle et la bête, and Jean Cocteau’s surrealist film version of the same story. Students will develop critical reading strategies in French and hone their ability to present their ideas in French, orally and in writing.

Prerequisite: French 23.

GE credit (Old): None.
GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities, World Cultures and Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture - 3 hours; Term Paper.

Textbooks:

• Aimé Césaire, Cahier d'un retour au pays natal (Presence Africaine, 2000)
• H. Jay Siskin, et al., Tâches d'encre: French Composition [3rd Edition] (Cengage Learning, 2011)
• Molière, Le bourgeois gentilhomme (Larousse Editions, 2007)
   

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FRENCH 101. Introduction to French Poetry (4 units)
Prof. Claire Goldstein

MWF 10:00-10:50A
25 Wellman
CRN 64380

Course Description: Sometimes simple like a nursery rime, sometimes intricate, poetry is an art form that uses all aspects of language – from the sounds and rhythms of phrases to the shape of words on the page – to create new connections, evoke strong emotions and forge associations. Poetry can express tender love or searing anger; regret, loss, or wonder: the whole range of human emotions and experiences. This quarter we will learn to analyze poetic form and techniques as we study poems from a wide range of poetic movements including but not limited to medieval ballads, renaissance sonnets, prose poems, concrete poems, and other forms of poetic experimentation. In learning to appreciate the detail and the complex layering of poetry, we will become more perceptive readers of the myriad ways language functions in our world.  

Prerequisite: French 100 or consent of instructor.

GE credit (Old): Arts & Humanities.
GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities, World Cultures, and Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture - 3 hours

Textbook:

• Suzanne Julliard, ed. Anthologie de la poésie française (Editions De Fallois, 2002)
   

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FRENCH 109. French Phonetics (4 Units)
Prof. Eric Russell

TR 3:10-4:30P
167 Olson
CRN 44843

Description: This course will introduce you to phonetic transcription using the International Phonetic Alphabet, familiarize you with how French sounds are produced alone and in context, and highlight common mistakes made by nonnative speakers of French. We will also discuss the correspondence between written and spoken French, some of the difficulties for Anglophone learners of French, and regional variation in the Francophone world.

This course is likely very different from others you have taken, and you'll be asked to look at language from a more scientific perspective. In additional to French, you should be prepared to discover a great deal about English, other languages and human linguistic production, in general; spoken forms and spelling; formal differences between the "Standard" and other varieties across the French-speaking world.

By the end of the quarter, you should:

• be able to transcribe, using the IPA, a spoken or written passage
• be able to describe the sound inventory of French using standard linguistic terminology
• recognize, understand and exemplify different phonological processes affecting the online ("real-time") production of French utterances
• recognize, evaluate and correct pronunciation flaws common to English speakers of French.

Prerequisite: French 23 or the equivalent.

GE credit (Old): None.
GE credit (New): Social Sciences.

Format: Lecture/Discussion - 3 hours; Laboratory - 1 hour.

Textbooks:

• None
   

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FRENCH 141. Introduction to Francophone Literature: The Politics of Representation (4 units)
Prof. Toby Warner

TR 9:00-10:20A
27 Wellman
CRN 64388

Description: This course will serve as an introduction to francophone literature and film through the theme of ‘representation,’ which we will consider in both its artistic and political senses. Together we will explore a variety of 20th-century works (fiction, poetry, film) from different geographical locations (including the Caribbean, the Maghreb, and sub-Saharan Africa). How did francophone artists working in the colonial period try to imagine new forms of belonging, and make new claims on notions of rights, citizenship, and autonomy? How have postcolonial francophone texts and films sought to reopen the question of who can speak for the nation, and in what terms?

Prerequisite: French 100; consent of instructor.

GE credit (Old):  Arts & Humanities.
GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities, World Cultures, and Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture/Discussion - 3 hours; Term Paper.

Textbooks:

• Ferdinand Oyono, Une vie de boy (Pocket, 2006)
• Aimé Césaire, Cahier d'un retour au pays natal (Presence Africaine, 2000)
• Mariama Bâ, Une si longue lettre (Le Serpent à Plumes, 2001)
   

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 GRADUATE COURSES
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FRENCH 200. Introduction to Graduate Study in French (2 units)
Prof. Claire Goldstein

M 3:10-5:00P
522 Sproul
CRN 63678

Description: The purpose of this seminar is to offer an introduction to methodologies and critical practices in the field of French Studies, including literature, culture, and linguistics. The course will also cover basic principles of bibliographic research in the humanities.  A different faculty member will lead each session.  There will be little or no preparation required outside of class.  Assignments, if there are any, will be distributed a week in advance via e-mail.

Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

Format: Seminar - 2 hours.

Textbooks:

• None
   

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FRENCH 207A. Eighteenth-Century Literature: Philosophies (4 units)
Prof. Julia Simon

T 2:10-5:00P
522 Sproul
CRN 64381

Course Description: Materialism and Freedom. Scientific and philosophical materialism in the eighteenth century articulates paradigms for understanding matter in motion that are often at odds with conceptions of freedom.  Particularly in its most radical and dynamic forms, French materialism confronts mind/body dualism with a rejection of the distinction between spirit and matter, often leading to atheistic positions, as well as philosophical conundrums for political and moral action.  This course will explore the tension and struggle over materialism and freedom in eighteenth-century thought, surveying thinkers such as Diderot, Buffon, LaMettrie, Maupertuis and Laclos.

Prerequisite: None.

Format: Seminar - 3 hours; Term paper.

Textbooks:

• Denis Diderot, Jacques le fataliste et son maître (Editions Flammarion, 2012)
• Denis Diderot, Le rêve de d’Alembert (Editions Flammarion, 2003)
• Choderlos de Laclos, Les liaisons dangeureuses (Hachette Education, 2006)
• Julien Offroy de La Mettrie, L’homme-machine (Folio, 1999)
• Additional reading on SmartSite
   

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FRENCH 291: Foreign Language Learning in the Classroom (4 units)    [Cross-listed with SPA 291 and GER 291]
Prof. Robert Blake

R 4:10-7:00P
109 Olson
CRN 63735

Course Description: This course will provide an overview of the field of second language acquisition (SLA) as well as the approaches to university-level foreign language instruction in the United States with an eye to highlighting the theoretical notions underlying current trends in classroom practices across commonly taught foreign languages. Course objectives are the following: (1) to acquaint students with issues and research in foreign language teaching; (2) to show ways of using that research to achieve more effective classroom instruction; (3) to develop students’ skills in evaluating teaching performance and instructional materials; and (4) to prepare students for continued professional development, including the use of technology in the classroom. Class meetings will consist of lectures by the course instructor and invited guest speakers, student-led discussion, and short presentations and/or demonstrations by students and the instructor. Students will participate in a class wiki; prepare their own classroom materials; evaluate the instructional materials developed by others; and complete a final exam.

Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.

Format: Lecture - 3 hours.

Textbooks:

• Diane Larsen-Freeman and Marti Anderson, Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching [3rd Edition] (Oxford University Press, 2011)
• Additional readings will be distributed as PDFs

Recommended Additional Textbooks:

• Robert J. Blake, Brave New Digital Classroom: Technology and Foreign Language Learning [2nd Edition] (Georgetown University Press, 2013)
• Susan M. Gass, Jennifer Behney, and Luke Plonsky, Second Language Acquisition: An Introductory Course [4th Edition] (Routledge, 2013)
   

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FRENCH 390A. The Teaching of French in College (2 units)
Prof. Elisabeth Griffart-Meissner

Course Description:  TBA

Textbooks:

• TBA