The major in French requires completion of 28 credit hours of advanced
courses (the 3000 level and above). The three following courses, or their equivalents, are required of all
majors. Typically they are taken in the sequence listed below. However, with
approval of the French undergraduate advisor, students sometimes take 3455
and 3356, or 3356 and 4370, simultaneously. The first two of these courses help solidify the student's basic mastery of
the language; in the third course students develop fluency in
reading/viewing and interpreting poems. stories, essays and films. At the
same time they increase their knowledge of French society and culture.
FRENCH 2455 - ADVANCED FRENCH I
Continuing refinement of all four language skills, with special emphasis on
oral proficiency. Includes detailed study of phonetics, oral presentations,
viewing and discussion of films, vocabulary development, grammar review,
reading and discussion of recent articles from French news magazines, and
compositions. Five classes per week. Four credits.
(Prerequisite: C- or better in FREN 2401 or consent of French undergraduate
adviser)
FRENCH 3356 - ADVANCED FRENCH II
As in FRENCH 3455, the course focuses on
all four language skills, but with emphasis on a high level of achievement
and proficiency in written French. Areas of concentration are expository
writing, narration, description, correspondence, and literary analysis.
Class work and assignments include grammar review, oral presentations of
written work, correct dictionary use and research, and outside reading for
the examination of various prose styles.
(Prerequisite: C- or better in FREN 3455 or consent of French undergraduate
adviser)
FRENCH 4370 - INTRODUCTION TO THE ANALYSIS OF FRENCH AND FRANCOPHONE TEXTS
Strategies for interpreting French and Francophone written and filmic
texts. Focus on the principal genres: poetry, prose narrative, essay, drama,
criticism. The course is a prerequisite for all 4000 and 5000-level
literature and film courses in French.
(Prerequisites: C- or better in FREN 3455 and 3356 or consent of French
undergraduate adviser)
Majors
generally take one course from each of the two following pairs. The
courses in the first pair help students obtain an overview of several
centuries of French and Francophone literature.
FRENCH 4371 - SURVEY OF FRENCH LITERATURE: FROM THE MIDDLE AGES TO THE
REVOLUTION
An overview of French literary history from the beginning in
the Middle Ages to the end of the 18th century. One or more characteristic
authors and texts will be studied from each period. Focus on the three major
literary genres: drama, poetry, and prose fiction. Continued refinement of
language skills through discussion, oral presentations, and written
analyses. (Prerequisites: FREN 4370 or consent of French undergraduate adviser)
FRENCH 4372 - SURVEY OF LITERATURE IN FRENCH: FROM ROMANTICISM TO THE PRESENT
An overview of French and Francophone (Caribbean, Quebec,
sub-Saharan Africa, the Maghreb) literary history from the beginning of the
19th century to the present day. Selection of characteristic texts from
major dramatists, poets and writers of prose fiction. Continued refinement
of language skills through discussion, oral presentations, and written
analyses. (Prerequisites: FREN 4370 or consent of French undergraduate adviser)
(NOTE: FRENCH 4373 or 4374 - FRENCH CIVILIZATION, taught in our programs
abroad, may be substituted for either of the courses above.)
The courses in the following pair afford students an overview of French
political, social and cultural history and a survey of the Francophone
cultures of Africa, the Caribbean, and Québec.
FRENCH 4375 - INTRODUCTION TO FRENCH HISTORY AND CULTURE
Survey of French political and cultural history from Roman Gaul to the Fifth Republic. This
course introduces students to the conventional periodization of French
history, as learned by students in French schools. For each historical
period, students will study one or more characteristic institutions, social
groups, individuals and defining cultural myths. Continued refinement of
language skills through discussion, oral presentations, and written
analyses. (Prerequisites: FREN 4370 or consent of French undergraduate adviser)
FRENCH 4376 – INTRODUCTION TO FRANCOPHONE CULTURES
This course is an introduction to the French-speaking world; it explores the history and
impact of French colonization on North America, Africa and the Caribbean.
The course also examines the relationship between each of these regions and
metropolitan France. Students will study a number of historical and literary
texts, films and other cultural forms including music, photographs and art
in order to engage the question of how France’s mission civilisatrice – the
belief that France was the bearer of a superior culture to the world—shaped
the project of empire and the colonial era. We will also explore the legacy
of empire in the form of immigration from France’s former colonies to the
métropole, the various attitudes towards France and the French in formerly
colonized regions, and French attitudes towards formerly colonized peoples.
Students will gain insight into the historical progression of French
influence in the world and an appreciation of the impact that (post)colonial
immigration has had, and continues to have, on France. (Prerequisites: FREN
4370 or consent of French undergraduate adviser)
(NOTE: FRENCH 4373 or 4374 - FRENCH CIVILIZATION taught in our programs
abroad, may be substituted for either of the courses above.)
After completing FRENCH 4370 and two additional courses at the 4000 level,
majors are required to take any two courses at the 5000 level. In these courses students
engage in extensive study of topics in French or Francophone literature, film, history,
and culture. Specific topics change from semester to semester and year to year but typically
fall under the following rubrics:
FRENCH 5320, 5321 - LITERARY PERIODS
-- for example: THE ENLIGHTENMENT: LITERATURE AND THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
FRENCH 5334, 5335 - GENRE STUDIES
-- for example: TWENTIETH-CENTURY FRENCH THEATER OF THE AVANT-GARDE
FRENCH 5344, 5345 - LITERARY MOVEMENTS
-- for example: FRENCH ROMANTICISM FROM ROUSSEAU TO BAUDELAIRE
FRENCH 5350, 5351 - PROBLEMS IN FRENCH LITERATURE
-- for example: GENDER AND POWER: WOMEN WRITERS FROM THE MIDDLE AGES AND RENAISSANCE
FRENCH 5365, 5366 - TOPICS IN FRENCH AND FRANCOPHONE CINEMA
-- for example: FRANCOPHONE CINEMA OF SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
FRENCH 5367, 5368 - MAJOR AUTHORS
-- for example: BALZAC AND THE HUMAN COMEDY
To round out the major, students must take any two additional advanced
courses at either the 4000 or 5000 level. In addition to those mentioned
above, such courses may include the following:
FRENCH 4357 - FRENCH STYLISTICS
An intensive, hands-on study of advanced
syntactic, lexical, grammatical and rhetorical features of written French.
Comparison of standard French and English styles. French-English and
English-French translation. The central goal of the course is to help
students achieve not only correct, but also sophisticated writing and formal
speaking skills in French.
(Prerequisites: FREN 3455 & 3356)
FRENCH 4365 - INTRODUCTION TO FRENCH CINEMA
An introduction to French cinema's major works, filmmakers, and trends with a continued emphasis on
improvement of advanced French language skills.
(Prerequisites: FREN 3356 & 4370, or permission of instructor and French
undergraduate adviser)
FRENCH 4185, 4285, 4385 - INTERNSHIP IN FRENCH
These courses offer students experience working in organizations where knowledge of French and
the cultures of French-speaking countries is relevant: corporations involved
in international business, government agencies, health clinics, etc.
(Prerequisites: junior or senior standing; an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher;
GPA in French of 3.3 or higher; sponsorship of a professor and of the
organization, agency, or corporation.)
FRENCH 4391 - COMMERCIAL FRENCH FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE
French means business. This course prepares you for work through the study of the
specific language and protocols necessary to succeed in the French-speaking
business world. Students gain experience communicating in French with
business professionals, analyzing French business documents, addressing
groups in French, and negotiating cross-cultural differences in the FR-US
workplace. Students prepare collaborative projects, mock interviews, and
professional correspondence with Dallas-based French companies. The course
prepares students to take the exam (administered each spring at SMU) for the
Certificat de Français Professionnel, a prestigious diploma offered by the
Paris Chamber of Commerce.
(Prerequisites: FREN 3455 & 3356 or permission of instructor and French
undergraduate adviser)