Graduate School Bulletin
Spring 2025
FRN: French
FRN 500: Techniques of Reading for Graduate Research
Through intensive study of language structures and idiomatic usage, with extensive practice in written translation of literary and scholarly texts, candidates for advanced degrees are able to attain the proficiency level of the graduate French reading requirement. Several departments grant exemption from further examination for successful completion of this course. (Not for graduate students in French.)
Fall or Spring, 1-3 credits, Letter graded (A, A-, B+, etc.)
FRN 501: Contemporary Culture and Civilization
Analysis of contemporary French civilization through the study of the development of its historical, cultural, political, and social characteristics. Designed for potential teachers of French at the college level as well as in secondary schools, this course will emphasize and trace the evolution of the character and institutions of contemporary France and French-speaking countries.
Fall or Spring, 3 credits, Letter graded (A, A-, B+, etc.)
FRN 502: French Civilization in Its Historical Perspective
In this course, students study historical French civilization concentrating on those features which have created France today and its current culture. Political and social developments are considered as well as major trends in the arts.
Spring, 3 credits, Letter graded (A, A-, B+, etc.)
FRN 507: Stylistics
Stylistic theory and analysis. Contrastive stylistics French/English. Exploration of the connotative level of written message. Designed to develop and refine written expression in French and analysis of literary and non-literary texts.
Fall or Spring, 3 credits, Letter graded (A, A-, B+, etc.)
FRN 510: Phonetics
The pronunciation of French with emphasis on intonation and articulation. Theory and practice of linguistic and phonetic factors of the sound system. Coursework includes phonetic transcriptions, oral and aural transcriptions, as well as pronunciation. The class is entirely conducted in French.
Fall or Spring, 3 credits, Letter graded (A, A-, B+, etc.)
FRN 511: Business French
A course designed to provide efficiency in spoken and written business French with an emphasis on bilingual translation. This course will also familiarize students with French business domestically, in the context of the European Union, and in contrast to America. Issues of current importance as well as institutions will be studied. Students will also carry on individual projects such as comparing marketing strategies of an American company in the US and in France or profiling a major French company.
3 credits, Letter graded (A, A-, B+, etc.)
FRN 513: Romance Linguistics
This course examines the linguistic evolution of the Romance languages from the classical period through modern times. The synchronic grammars of Italian, French, and Spanish are examined.
Fall or Spring, 3 credits, Letter graded (A, A-, B+, etc.)
FRN 531: Studies in 17th-Century French Literature
Analysis of some of the major literary genres of 17th-century French literature such as tragedy, and comedy, novels or poems, or focus on some of the major themes of 17th-century literature in general. , Mme de Lafayette, La Rochefoucauld, La Bruyère, etc.The class is entirely conducted in French.
Fall or Spring, 3 credits, Letter graded (A, A-, B+, etc.)
FRN 532: Seminar in 17th-Century French Literature
Special topics in 17th-century French literature. Intensive reading and analysis of selected texts by authors such as Descartes, Pascal, La Fontaine, La Rochefoucauld, La Bruyere, Mme de Sevigné, and Mme de Lafayette, among others. Changing topic. The class is entirely conducted in French.
Fall or Spring, 3 credits, Letter graded (A, A-, B+, etc.)
May be repeated for credit.
FRN 541: Studies in 18th-Century French Literature
A study of the major texts of the 18th-century expressing the struggle between absolutism and the emerging forces of Enlightenment, preromanticism. It may include the works of Montesquieu, Voltaire, Diderot, Rousseau, Beaumarchais, and Laclos, among others, as well as the works of lesser-known authors who also helped reshape the literary scene during that time
Fall or Spring, 3 credits, Letter graded (A, A-, B+, etc.)
May be repeated for credit.
FRN 542: Seminar in 18th-Century French Literature
Special topics in 18th-century literature, such as "Le roman initiatique," and "Eros in fiction," are studied through the works of major writers of the period as well as those of lesser-known figures, in particular women writers.
Fall or Spring, 3 credits, Letter graded (A, A-, B+, etc.)
FRN 552: Studies in 19th-Century French Literature
Close reading of selected works by major novelists of the period, such as Balzac, Stendhal, Flaubert, Zola; themes such as Paris versus the provinces, money and decadence; or 19th-century poetry by Baudelaire, Mallarme, Verlaine, and Rimbaud, with an introduction to some important critical approaches to these texts.
Fall or Spring, 3 credits, Letter graded (A, A-, B+, etc.)
May be repeated for credit.
FRN 561: Seminar in 20th-Century French Literature
Special attention to a literary trend, a movement of ideas, or a single author of the first half of the century. Topics are considered in parallel with the political and social contexts, and with other artistic mediums such as cinema, painting, or photography. Possible topics: Avant-garde & Surrealism, Existentialist writers, War Literature, Marcel Proust, Jacques Prevert, etc.
Fall or Spring, 3 credits, Letter graded (A, A-, B+, etc.)
May be repeated for credit.
FRN 562: Studies in 20th and 21st-Century Literatures
Focused examination of contemporary French literary texts and recent Francophone writings of Belgium and Switzerland. Questions may address the limits of fiction and representation in the novel, the status of modern theater and poetry, the new impact of visual and technological devices, human relationships in a global world.
Fall or Spring, 3 credits, Letter graded (A, A-, B+, etc.)
May be repeated for credit.
FRN 564: Seminar in Francophone Literature
Close examination of the literatures written in French of the Francophone world outside of France. This course will pose and explore questions such as: What is Francophone literature? What is the function of writing in French in a Francophone context? Attention is paid to the issue of critical approaches to these texts. Topics vary from year to year and may include texts from any of the French-speaking territories outside of France.
Fall or Spring, 3 credits, Letter graded (A, A-, B+, etc.)
May be repeated for credit.
FRN 570: Special Topics in French Literature
Courses given in the past have covered a single author, French women writers, French poetry of 1664-1674 and other topics.
3 credits, Letter graded (A, A-, B+, etc.)
May be repeated for credit.
FRN 571: Free Seminars
Courses given in the past have covered a single author, genre, and other topics.
Fall or Spring, 3 credits, Letter graded (A, A-, B+, etc.)
May be repeated for credit.
FRN 581: Independent Individual Studies
May be repeated for credit as the topic changes.
Prerequisite: must be enrolled in a graduate program.
Fall, 1-6 credits, Letter graded (A, A-, B+, etc.)
May be repeated for credit.
FRN 591: Language Acquisition I
Elementary French I intended for graduate students from other programs.
1-4 credits, Letter graded (A, A-, B+, etc.)
FRN 592: Language Acquisition II
Elementary French II intended for graduate students from other programs.
1-4 credits, Letter graded (A, A-, B+, etc.)
FRN 593: Language Acquisition III
Intermediate and Advanced French intended for graduate students from other programs. The requirements for the course will include a graduate-level component to be determined by the instructor. May be repeated for credit.
1-6 credits, Letter graded (A, A-, B+, etc.)
May be repeated for credit.
FRN 595: Practicum in Teaching
Fall and Spring, 1-3 credits, S/U grading
May be repeated for credit.
FRN 599: Thesis Research
Fall and Spring
1-6 credits, S/U grading
May be repeated for credit.
FRN 800: Summer Research
May be repeated for credit.