Spring 2014

EXPANDED COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Please click here to see the Spring Schedule as a PDF

 

--------------------------------------------

 LOWER-DIVISION COURSES  
--------------------------------------------

 

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:

• Albert Valdman, Chez Nous: Branché sur le Monde Francophone [4th Edition] (Media-Enhanced)  (Pearson)

---

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:

• Albert Valdman, Chez Nous: Branché sur le Monde Francophone [4th Edition] (Media-Enhanced)  (Pearson)

---

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 Options (Pick One):

• Albert Valdman, Chez Nous: Branché sur le Monde Francophone [4th Edition] (with MyFrenchLab)  (Pearson)
• Albert Valdman, Chez Nous: Branché sur le Monde Francophone [4th Edition] (Media-Enhanced)  (Pearson)
   

---

FRENCH 21. Intermediate French (5 Units)
Supervisor: 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-Paule Tranvouez, Réseau: Communication, Intégration, Intersections (with Access Code)  (Pearson)
   

---

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

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.

Textbooks:

• Nora Megharbi, et al., Pause-Café: French in Review - Moving Toward Fluency  (McGraw-Hill, 2008)
• Nora Megharbi, et al., Cahier d'activities to accompany Pause-Café  (McGraw-Hill, 2008)
• Stacey Katz Bourns, Contextualized French Grammar: A Handbook  (Cengage Learning, 2012)

E-Book Options:

• Nora Megharbi, et al., Pause-Café: French in Review - Moving Toward Fluency - Available via CourseSmart, ISBN 9780077283148
• Stacey Katz Bourns, Contextualized French Grammar: A Handbook - Available via CourseSmart, ISBN 9781133347507
   

---

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

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-Paule Tranvouez, Réseau: Communication, Intégration, Intersections (with Access Code)  (Pearson)

---

-----------------------------------------

UPPER-DIVISION COURSES
-----------------------------------------

FRENCH 100. Composition in French (4 Units)
Claire Goldstein

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 Credits (Old): None.
GE Credits (New): ArtHum, World Cultures and Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture - 3 hours; Term Paper.

Textbooks:

• Gustave Flaubert, Un Coeur Simple  (Nathan, 2012)
• Honore de Balzac, Sarrasine  (Livre de Poche, 2001)
• Madame de Beaumont, La Belle et la Bete et autres contes  (Larousse, 2011)
   

---

FRENCH 102. Introduction to French Drama (4 Units)
Noah Guynn

Description: This course will offer an introduction to French drama, with a particular focus on the politics of public performance in the fifteenth, seventeenth, and twentieth centuries. Through a combination of lectures and seminar-style discussions, we will consider a number of theatrical genres and movements (medieval farce, comedy of manners, neoclassical tragedy, la pièce à thèse, and the theater of the absurd), as well as the cultural and political contexts in which these genres and movements emerged.  The course will emphasize textual analysis and expository style.  Requirements will include active class participation, two three- to four-page papers, and a take-home final exam (essay).

Prerequisite: French 100 or consent of instructor.

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

Format: Lecture - 3 hours.

Textbooks:

• Anonymous and Jean Dufournet, Le Farce de Maitre Pierre Pathelin  (Flammarion, 1993)
• Molière, L'ecole Des Femmes  (Larousse, 2007)
• Jean Racine, Phèdre  (Larousse, 2011)
• Jean-Paul Sartre, Huis Clos, suivi de Les Mouches  (Gallimard, 2000)
• Samuel Beckett, En Attendant Godot  (Editions de Minuit, 1997)
   

---

FRENCH 105. Advanced French Grammar (4 Units)
Elisabeth Griffart-Meissner

Description: This course will offer a thorough review of the most problematic French grammar issues. A varied range of exercises, from the traditional 'fill-in the-blank' ones to writing samples, dictees and translations will expose you to grammar in context and will improve your writing skills.  All this extensive practice will prepare you for quizzes, tests and a final exam.

Prerequisite: French 23 or the equivalent.

GE Credits (Old): None.
GE Credits (New): Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture - 3 hours; Extensive Writing or Discussion - 1 hour.

Textbook:

• David Stillman and Ronni Gordon, The Ultimate French Review and Practice [2nd Edition]  (McGraw-Hill, 2010)
   

---

FRENCH 108. Modern French Culture (4 Units)
Jeff Fort

Description: This course will provide a survey of modern French culture from the late nineteenth century (with the Dreyfus affair) to the present day, with an emphasis on the cultural crises and shifts that marked the twentieth century. We will examine salient periods and issues such as World War I and the inter-war period, World War II and the Occupation, post-war consumerism and ambivalence toward the U.S., the Algerian War and decolonisation, the student and worker uprisings of May ’68, and immigration. Course material will include historical documents, journalism, essays, photography, painting and films. Course work will include multiple writing assignments, including a research paper, in-class presentations, quizzes and exams.

Prerequisite: French 100 or consent of instructor.

GE Credits (Old): None.
GE Credits (New): Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture - 3 hours; Extensive Writing.

Textbooks:

• All material will be put up on SmartSite
   

---

------------------------------------

 GRADUATE COURSES
------------------------------------

FRENCH 204. Medieval Literature (4 Units)
Noah Guynn

Description: This course will offer an introduction to the study of Old French language and literature.  Using William Kibler’s textbook (MLA), our aims will be to master the basic elements of OF grammar and syntax and to develop skills in the linguistic and formal analysis of medieval literature.  Students will be asked to do regular translation assignments and close readings.  Class sessions will be structured as workshops and will require active, informed participation from all students.  Course requirements will include a translation exam and a 10-page paper.  The course will be taught in English, however a reading knowledge of Latin and/or a modern Romance language is required.

Textbook:

• William W. Kibler, Introduction to Old French  (Modern Language Association of America, 1984)
   

---

FRENCH 206B. Vision and Epistemology in 17th-Century France (4 Units)
Claire Goldstein

Description: René Descartes and his cogito are perhaps the most iconic symbols of France, and in particular the forms of culture and belief cultivated in the 17th Century. While we tend to credit Descartes and his cogito with de-realizing sensory perceptions, however, Descartes, like many of his contemporaries, placed great philosophical weight in study of optics, publishing Discours de la méthode as an introduction of sorts to the 1637 volume containing la Dioptrique. Concern for the mechanics and ramifications of vision and visual observation – from Natural Philosophy’s observation of the natural world; to the observation of different cultures and landscapes by travelers, traders and missionaries; to the observation of emotion that announces the emergence of the modern novel and of Classical drama – strongly marks this period when the ‘show’ culture of court life prepared to collide with the empiricism of the nascent Enlightenment.  This seminar will study how 17th-Century French literature imagined the relationship between vision and knowledge, from Descarte’s Discours de la méthode to Lafayette’s Princesse de Clèves and Choisy’s cross-dressing memoirs, and beyond.

Textbooks:

• Renee Descartes, Discours de la Methode  (Flammarion, 1978)
• Madame de Lafayette, Princesse de Cleves  (Gallimard Education, 2005)
• Pierre Bayle, Pensées Diverses sur la Comète  (Flammarion, 2007)
• Jean Baptiste Racine, Phedre  (Gallimard Education, 2008)
• Jean de la Fontaine, Les Amours de Psyche et de Cupidon  (Flammarion, 1990)
• Pierre Corneille, L'Illusion Comique  (Gallimard Education, 2000)
• Fontenelle, Entretiens sur la Pluralité des Mondes  (Flammarion, 1998)
   

---

FRENCH 396. Teaching Assistant Training Practicum (4 Units)

Elisabeth Griffart-Meissner (Sec. --, CRN ***)
Julia Simon (Sec. --, CRN ***)

(Note: Contact Falicia Savala at fsavala@ucdavis.edu for the CRNs.)