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French Classes

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Fall 24 Course Highlights

At Valpo, your French classes will introduce you to the language and culture of the French-speaking world. Within an intimate class setting, you will master French by doing role-plays, engaging in debates, producing videos, and writing business letters, among many other hands-on activities. In upper-level classes, you will examine the key events, people, places, and texts that have shaped France and the Francophone world. Along the way, you may also study the history of French cinema, experience Digital Humanities through a Renaissance cookbook project, act in a French play, or learn how to cook French food.

Two Ways to Minor in French Individualized Major in French Studies

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

FREN 101 | Beginning French I
An introduction to French language and culture with emphasis on spoken and written communication skills. Refer to world language credit policies stated beginning on page 125. (4 credits)

FREN 102 | Beginning French II
A continuation of FREN 101. Prerequisite: FREN 101 or equivalent. (4 credits)

FREN 203 | Intermediate French I
A consolidation of French language skills with emphasis on interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational communication. Students increase control of grammatical structures, broaden vocabulary, and become more familiar with French and Francophone cultures. Prerequisite: FREN 102 or equivalent. (4 credits)

FREN 204 | Intermediate French II
A review and expansion of French language skills with emphasis on interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational communication. Students refine grammatical accuracy, write on varied topics, participate in extensive oral practice, and read literature and other authentic texts while building on their understanding of French and Francophone cultures. Prerequisite: FREN 203 or equivalent. May be repeated for credit at approved study abroad programs in France. (4 credits)

FREN 230 | French and Francophone Culture Today
An introduction to contemporary France as it is situated in the wider Francophone world (Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Canada), focusing on current cultural, economic, social, and political contexts. Prerequisite: FREN 204. (3 credits)

FREN 240 | French Phonetics
A study of the principles of French phonetics with special emphasis on the difficulties encountered by American students. Brief introduction to the history of the French language. Prerequisite: FREN 204. (3 credits)

FREN 251 | French Culture Through Food
An exploration of food practices in France, from medieval banquets to modern molecular gastronomy. Students will examine how food habits and culinary practices change over time and how culinary culture shapes local, regional, national, and transnational identities and tastes. Topics include meals as social and political performance, culinary revolutions, terroirs and regional cuisines, the industrialization of food, the impact of technology and media on food habits, and the influence of French gastronomy on global food culture. Prerequisite: FREN 204. (3 credits)

FREN 252 | French Science, Technology, and Sustainability
An examination of French contributions to science and technology from the ancien régime until today and how these innovations have shaped contemporary French environmental sustainability efforts. Students will explore how French science and technology developed in relation to social, political, and economic trends at particular historical moments, focusing on the accomplishments of notable figures such as René Descartes, Antoine Lavoisier, Marie Curie, Louis Pasteur, Gustave Eiffel, and Jacques Cousteau, among others. Prerequisite: FREN 204. (3 credits)

FREN 253 | French Places and Spaces
A survey of spatial culture in France, focusing on public and private spaces, monumental and memorial spaces, as well as metaphorical and material spaces, with emphasis on national, regional and Parisian geographies. From the iconic Eiffel Tower and Loire Valley chateaux to typical train station and apartment architecture, students will examine how notable places and French conceptions of space contribute to the construction of French identity via a shared sense of place. Prerequisite: FREN 204.

FREN 290 | Topics in French
A study of selected topics or issues in French or Francophone literature, language, or culture. May be repeated for credit if the topic varies. Prerequisite: FREN 204.(1-3 credits)

FREN 291 | Topics in World Cinema
(Also offered as CVA 291.) Students examine and analyze the cinema of a particular country or region both in its cultural context and in its relation to global film production and exhibition. May be repeated for credit if topics are different. May be used to fulfill the Humanities: Fine and Performing Arts or Cultural Diversity component of the General Education requirements. (3 credits)

FREN 300 | Topics in French and Francophone Cultures
A study of critical cultural contributions of France and the Francophone world. Course taught in English. May be repeated for credit if the topic varies. May be used to fulfill the Cultural Diversity course component of the General Education Requirements. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or above. (3 credits)

FREN 301 | Advanced French Expression
Development of advanced oral and written proficiency by exploring different registers of contemporary spoken French as well as analyzing a variety of written genres. Students will improve fluency, increase vocabulary, refine grammatical accuracy, and learn to use appropriate linguistic register. Prerequisite: FREN 204. (3 credits)

FREN 306 | French in the Media
Development of advanced French language skills through an exploration of contemporary French media. Students will read and discuss texts representative of traditional print culture and contemporary screen culture, as well as social media. Students will examine how media and technology shape contemporary French culture by discussing topics such as politics, education, popular culture, privacy, and censorship. Prerequisite: FREN 204. (3 credits)

FREN 307 | French for the Professions
Development of practical oral and written skills in French through a range of communicative tasks in business, engineering, and/or health-care settings. Students will study topics pertaining to professional careers with attention to relevant situational vocabulary as well as French cultural practices and norms. Emphasis on specific course content will reflect the interests of students enrolled in a particular semester. Prerequisite: FREN 204. (3 credits)

FREN 320 | French Monsters, Marvels, and Legends
An examination of French literary texts and cultural history focused on representations of iconic legends, supernatural events, and monstrous characters throughout French culture. From Arthurian legend, to Rabelais’s giants, to the scandalous protagonists of Classical tragedies and modern novels, students will read and situate literary masterworks within their historical contexts, attentive to how these works contribute to shared notions of French cultural identities. Prerequisite: FREN 204. (3 credits)

FREN 330 | French Migration and Identity
An analysis of France’s colonial past as a way of understanding its complex cultural and linguistic legacy within the many countries of the larger Francophone world, with emphasis on contemporary issues surrounding immigration, acculturation, and identity formation. Students will examine contemporary struggles and triumphs among immigrant populations in France through the lens of past occupations and independence movements. Prerequisite: FREN 204. (3 credits)

FREN 390 | Seminar in French
A study of selected themes or issues in French or Francophone literature, language, or civilization. May be repeated A study of selected topics or issues in French or Francophone literature, language, or culture. May be repeated for credit if the topic varies. Prerequisite: FREN 204. (1-3 credits)