Fall 2015

EXPANDED COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Please click here to see the Fall Schedule as a PDF
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LOWER DIVISION COURSES 
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French 001. 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 002) should enroll in French 001. 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): Arts & Humanities.
GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities and 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 002. 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 001 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): Arts & Humanities.
GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities and 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 003. 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 002 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): Arts & Humanities.
GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities and 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 021. 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 001A or French 003 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): Arts & Humanities.
GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities, Oral Literacy, World Cultures and Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture/Discussion - 4 hours; Laboratory - 1 hour.

Textbook:

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

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French 022. Intermediate French (5 units)
Supervisor: Prof. Julia Simon, jsimon@ucdavis.edu

Melanie Barbier

MTWR 10:00-10:50A
102 Hutchison Hall
CRN 54738

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

Format: Lecture/Discussion - 4 hours; Laboratory - 1 hour.

Textbook:

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

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French 023. Intermediate French (5 units)
Supervisor: Prof. Julia Simon, jsimon@ucdavis.edu

Alexandrine Mailhe

MTWR 11:00-11:50A
110 Hunt Hall
CRN 54740

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

Format: Lecture/Discussion - 4 hours; Laboratory - 1 hour.

Textbook:

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

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 UPPER DIVISION COURSES
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French 100. Composition in French (4 units)
Megan McMullan

MWF 9:00-9:50A
1128 Hart Hall
CRN 54748

Course Description: French 100 is primarily designed to enhance students' ability to navigate written French through a variety of formal, analytical, and creative writing exercises. Both a continuation of the language series and an introduction to upper division, this course aims to supply the tools needed for sophisticated oral and written expression on a broad range of topics. Assigned texts include Le Bourgeois gentilhomme by Molière and Broderies by Marjane Satrapi.

Prerequisite: French 023.

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

Format: Lecture - 3 hours; Term Paper.

Textbooks:

• Stacey Katz Bourns, Contextualized French Grammar: A Handbook  (Cengage Learning, 2012)
• Marjane Satrapi, Broderies [3é edition]  (L'Association, 2003)
   

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French 107B. Making Modern France (4 units)
Julia Simon

MWF 12:10-1:00P
103 Wellman Hall
CRN 73113

Course Description: This course will examine the history of state formation and centralization in France from the reign of Louis XIV through the Second Empire. Special attention will be paid to the rise of the nation-state, theories of absolute monarchy, the revolution, and the political formations of the nineteenth century. Through readings of cultural and historical documents we will trace the development of France as a unified nation with a particular identity. We will also discuss artistic and cultural achievements of the period such as the Palais de Versailles and the Haussmannization of Paris.

Work for the course will consist of daily readings from either the textbooks or supplementary readings. Students will be expected to have read the assigned texts before coming to class and be ready to discuss them. Written work for the course will include short quizzes and two in-class exams.

Prerequisite: French 100 or consent of the instructor (jsimon@ucdavis.edu).

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

Format: Lecture - 3 hours; Term Paper.

Textbooks:

• None
   

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French 109. French Phonetics (4 units)
Eric Russell

TR 3:10-4:30P
101 Wellman Hall
CRN 54752

Course 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 023 or the equivalent.

GE credit (Old): Social Sciences.
GE credit (New): Social Sciences.

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

Textbooks:

• None
   

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French 116. French Renaissance (4 units)
Claire Goldstein

TR 12:10-1:30P
261 Olson Hall
CRN 72958

Description: From the printed book to the discovery of the New World, the Renaissance in France  witnessed an astonishing expansion of cultural production, but this period also had a terrible dark side in the wars of religion that pitted neighbors and even family members against each other in one of the most brutal conflicts ever to roil France. This quarter we will discover some of the new forms of literature and literary inquiry, such as the sonnet and the essay, that emerged in this important historical period.  

Prerequisite: French 100.

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

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

Textbooks:

• Michel de Montaigne, Essais  (Larousse, 2008)
• Caroline Trotot, L'Humanisme et le Renaissance: Anthologie  (Flammarion, 2009)
• François Rabelais, Pantagruel; Gargantua  (Larousse, 2008)
   

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French 121. Twentieth-Century French Novel (4 units)
Jeff Fort

TR 10:30-11:50A
223 Olson Hall
CRN 72959

Description: This course will explore a selection of twentieth century narrative works that deal specifically with questions of memory, retrospection, and the reconstruction of the past through language and images. We will consider especially the ways in which the intensity of memory both demands and defies narration, whether it be through an overabundance of remembrance or because of the holes and gaps left in memory, the limits of what can be remembered, or the distortions that are always carried out on the past. Throughout the course we will ask: why and how does memory demand to be written?  And how does the act of writing affect one's relation to the past?

Works to be read include: an excerpt from the beginning of Proust, Du côté de chez Swann; Marguerite Duras, L'amant; Sarah Kofman, Rue Ordener, rue Labat; Patrick Modiano, Chien de Printemps; Annie Ernaux, La honte.

Prerequisite: French 100.

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

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

Textbooks:

• Patrick Modiano, Chien de Printemps  (Editions de Seuil, 1997)
• Annie Ernaux, La Honte  (Gallimard, 1999)
• Marguerite Duras, L'amant  (Editions de Minuit, 1984)
• Sarah Kofman, Rue Ordener, Rue Labat  (Galilee, 2005)
   

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

R 3:10-5:00P
3 Wellman Hall
CRN 72962

Course 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:

• TBA
   

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French 209A. 20th Century Prose: Transgressions in/of/through the Novel (4 units)
Jeff Fort

T 2:10-5:00P
109 Olson Hall
CRN 72960

Course Description: In this course we will read a selection of twentieth century French novels traversed by numerous forms of transgression and trespass. In our readings we will be attentive to the ways in which the moral, political, social and sexual transgressions narrated in these novels are accompanied by aesthetic and formal innovations in the novel form itself. Many of these works also put into play a strange border between "life" and "writing," between the "real" space of lived experience and another much stranger space called "literary." We will track the movement between, and the merging of, these spaces, in forms of writing that move toward extreme limit experiences, often touching on issues such as madness, the abject body, marginal sexualities, vagabondage and criminality, and the impossible experience of dying. Each week's readings will be accompanied by relevant critical and scholarly articles.

Readings will include:

Marcel Proust, "Combray I" from Du côté de chez Swann, A la recherche du temps perdu, vol. 1

André Breton, Nadja  (1928)

Maurice Blanchot, L'arrêt de mort  (1948) and selected essays

Jean Genet, Journal du voleur  (1949)

Samuel Beckett, Malone meurt  (1951; written in 1948)

Marguerite Duras, Le ravissement de Lol V. Stein  (1964)

Prerequisite: None.

Format: Seminar - 3 hours; Term Paper.

Textbooks:

• TBA
   

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French 210. Studies in Narrative Fiction: Flaubert and Formalism (4 units)
Julia Simon

M 2:10-5:00P
109 Olson Hall
CRN 72961

Course Description: This course will use the most important works of Gustave Flaubert as an occasion to work on formalist criticism.  Through close readings and analysis of Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, L’éducation sentimentale and Trois contes, we will delve into narratology, structuralism and other varieties of formalist criticism. While the main focus will be form and narrative, we will not neglect historical context as a contributing factor to both the form and content of Flaubert’s masterpieces.

Prerequisite: None.

Format: Seminar - 3 hours.

Textbooks:

• Gustave Flaubert, L'education sentimentale  (Flammarion, 2013)
• Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary  (Flammarion, 2014)
• Gustave Flaubert, Marie Basuyaux and Valerie Lagier, Trois contes  (Folio, 2003)
   

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French 390A. The Teaching of French in College (2 units)

Elisabeth Griffart-Meissner (Sec. 01, CRN *****)

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French 396. Teaching Assistant Training Practicum (various units)

Elisabeth Griffart-Meissner (Sec. 01, CRN *****)

Julia Simon (Sec. 02, CRN *****)