Skidmore College

FF 101 ELEMENTARY FRENCH I (4)
An introduction to spoken and written French emphasizing cultural perspectives. Linguistic emphasis is on basic grammar, vocabulary, and the development of reading, conversation, and writing skills while learning about the cultures of France and the Francophone world. Four hours of class, one hour of drill or tutorial. Presupposes no previous study of French. The Department

FF 102 ELEMENTARY FRENCH II (3)
Continuation of FF 101. Further development of basic grammar, reading, conversation, and writing skills while focusing on cultural materials from France and the Francophone World. Three hours of class. The Department

FF 203 INTENSIVE INTERMEDIATE FRENCH (4)
Continuing intensive study of the structures of the French language. Extensive practice in conversation and writing. Vocabulary building through the reading of appropriate texts in the literature and culture. Four hours of class and one hour of lab. The Department

FF 206 FRENCH CULTURAL CONVERSATIONS (3)
Development of nonliterary, informal spoken vocabulary, and expressions used in everyday situations. Extensive practice in conversational idioms and work on accent and intonation. Prerequisite: FF203 or two years of high-school French or equivalent or permission of instructor. The Department

FF 208 WRITING IN FRENCH (4)
Review of grammar, idioms, and vocabulary. Intensive practice in writing short essays. Prerequisite: FF203 or 206 or permission of instructor. This course is required for the major. The Department

FF 209 INTRODUCTION TO THE CULTURE AND LITERATURE OF QUEBEC (4)
Study of the culture and literature of Quebec within a historical framework. This course focuses on the development of analytical skills through the study of literary texts and cultural documents from the beginnings of French Canadian society through the present. Prerequisite: FF203 or permission of the instructor. FF208 strongly recommended. This course alternates with FF210 as a requirement for the major in French. (Fulfills humanities requirement.) C. Evans

FF 210 INTRODUCTION TO FRENCH LITERATURE (4)
Reading and discussion of literary texts in the major genres: poetry, theater, and prose through close textual analysis. This course emphasizes the development of the analytical skills involved in doing a close reading and the critical skill needed for writing explications de texte. Regular papers required. Prerequisite: FF203 or permission of the instructor. This course is required for the major in French. (Fulfills humanities requirement.) The Department

FF 220 LANGUAGE ACROSS THE CURRICULUM (1)
A course designed for students who want to use their foreign language skills in any course taught in English at the college. Does not fulfill the foreign language distribution requirement or count toward the major or minor in foreign languages and literature. Prerequisite: FF203. Must be taken S/U. Can be repeated for credit. The Department

FF 228 LANGUAGE AND PHONETICS (3)
Students will study the historical development of the French language over the centuries, from its roots in vulgar Latin to its codification with the Academie Francaise to the contemporary debate over the increasing influence of English. Language holds a particularly important place in French culture, and an understanding of the rules governing its pronunciation, and of the differences between the written and spoken language, is vital to fully appreciating the culture. Through intensive training in phonetic transcription and the principles of intonation and syllabification, students will improve their pronunciation and reading skills and will learn to better appreciate the relationship of language and culture in France. Prerequisite: FF208. P. Han, The Department

FF 301 BUSINESS FRENCH (3)
Study of communication and cultural understanding in commercial transactions of everyday French life. The course covers such topics as real estate, management, advertising, marketing, insurance, personnel relations, banking, imports and exports, and doing business in France. These topics will be considered in the context of the geography of France, its agriculture and industrial production, its trade, transportation and taxation systems. Students will be encouraged to take the Paris Chamber of Commerce exam at the end of the semester. Required for business-French major. Prerequisite: FF208 or permission of instructor. M. Wiesmann

FF 304 ADVANCED CONVERSATION AND PRONUNCIATION (3)
Development of oral and written skills to increase active vocabulary, fluency, and the use of authentic French structures through reading and discussion of issues in contemporary French society. Topics include immigration, unemployment, gender distinctions, changing family patterns, education, and political parties in the "hexagon." Some attention to the influence of the European community on French life. H. Jaouad

FF 306 TRANSLATION AND STYLISTICS (3)
A translation course for the study of the structure of the French language through comparative examination of vocabulary, grammar, and cultural influences. The course provides extensive practice of the traditional exercise of thème et version (translations back and forth of texts from a variety of disciplines) to develop an awareness of the idiomatic distinctions of French and English, the variety of written styles and what constitutes one's own prose expression. Prerequisite: FF208 or consent of instructor. J. Anzalone

FF 340 ADVANCED LANGUAGES ACROSS THE CURRICULUM (2)
Students apply and develop their French language skills in conjunction with any course taught in English at the college. Students will read, report, discuss and write about sophisticated materials in the disciplines, and learn how to translate them to and from English. Does not fulfill the foreign language distribution requirement in foreign languages and literatures. Can be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: FF208. The Department

FF 213 MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE FRENCH LITERATURE (4)
A survey of medieval and Renaissance French literature focusing on the origins and development of epic and lyric poetry, theater, and prose, including the essai. Readings will include such works and authors as La Chanson de Roland, Chrétien de Troyes, Marie de France, Christine de Pisan, Villon, La Farce de Maître Pathelin, Le Roman de la Rose, Marguerite de Navarre, Ronsard, Du Bellay, Louise Labé, Rabelais, and Montaigne. Prerequisite: FF210 or permission of the instructor. Offered in alternate years. (Fulfills humanities requirement.) M. Wiesmann

FF 214 FRENCH LITERATURE OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY (4)
Introduction to the concepts of classic and baroque, including social, artistic, and intellectual developments in the seventeenth century through study of the masterpieces of such authors as Corneille, Racine, Moliere, Pascal, Descartes, Mme. de Sévigné, La Fontaine, La Rochefoucauld, and Mme. de Lafayette. Prerequisite: FF210 or permission of instructor. (Fulfills humanities requirement.) A. Zuerner

FF 216 FRENCH LITERATURE OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY (4)
Study of the social, intellectual and artistic development of the Enlightenment in the works of such authors as Montesquieu, Mme. de Graffigny, Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, Lesage, Marivaux, Beaumarchais, Mme. Roland, and Olympe de Gouges. Spring semester. Prerequisite: FF210 or permission of instructor. (Fulfills humanities requirement.) M. Wiesmann or A. Zuerner

FF 219 LITERATURE AND CULTURE OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY (4)
Introduction to the social, intellectual, and artistic developments of the nineteenth century through study of the literary masterpieces of such poets, playwrights, and novelists as Chateaubriand, Mme. de Staël, Lamartine, Hugo, Vigny, Balzac, Sand, Baudelaire, Flaubert, Zola, Rimbaud, and Mallarmé. Fall semester. Prerequisite: FF210 or permission of instructor. (Fulfills humanities requirement.) J. Anzalone or P. Han

FF 221 TWENTIETH-CENTURY LITERATURE (4)
Introduction to the poetry, novels and plays of France through study of the works of such writers as Gide, Apollinaire, Proust, Cocteau, Mauriac, de Beauvoir, Sartre, Beckett, Aragon, Duras, Sarraute, and Robbe-Grillet. The course will also focus on contemporary artistic, social, and intellectual trends since 1890. Spring semester. Prerequisite: FF210 or permission of instructor. (Fulfills humanities requirement.) H. Jaouad

FF 223 INTRODUCTION TO ISSUES IN THE FRANCOPHONE WORLD (4)
Study of aspects of the Francophone world (Caribbean, Africa, Canada) with particular emphasis on historical, political, and social problems. Reading and discussion of texts and documents from a variety of sources. Practice in writing critical and literary essays. Prerequisite: FF210 or permission of instructor. (Designated a non-Western culture course.) H. Jaouad

FF 224 FRENCH CIVILIZATION FROM GAUL TO 1815 (4)
French culture and civilization from the Gallo-Roman period to the 1789 revolution and its immediate aftermath. This course will trace the succession of broad political and societal phenomena defined by traditional historians, employing a spectrum of documents representative of social, gender and religious diversity. These documents will draw equally from music, painting, science, philosophy, and literature. Through a series of films we will question the interplay between "history" and its representations. (Fulfills humanities requirement.) M. Wiesmann

FF 225 PAINTERS AND WRITERS (4)
A survey of the rich interaction that exists in French culture between writers and visual artists, mostly painters, from the Renaissance through the twentieth century. Since the sixteenth century, French writers have reflected upon the practices and productions of painters. In a multiplicity of literary genres (poems, short stories, novels, essays), they have left a body of work that theoretically uses the visual artist's craft as a means to explore the singularities of their own literary practices. Using this thematic thread that familiarizes students with different modes of French thought, culture, and writing, this course develops students' analytical skills in the reading of literary texts while exposing them to major figures of French painting. Prerequisites: FF208 and FF210. (Fulfills humanities requirement.) M. Wiesmann

FF 263 SPECIAL TOPICS IN FRENCH (3)
Literary or cultural study at an introductory to intermediate level of an author, a genre, a period, or a topic. Topics will vary from semester to semester. Prerequisites: FF208 or FF210 or permission of the department. The Department

FF 271, 272 FRENCH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE DISCUSSION (1)
A discussion group about an author, a period, a genre, a topic, a translation, or a research project in conjunction with another course. Can be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: FF208 or permission of the department. The Department

FF 316 FRENCH POETRY (3)
Study of fundamentals and development of the French poetic form through close textual analysis of representative poets and major movements. Prerequisite: FF214 or 216, 219 or 221 or consent of instructor. Offered in alternate years. J. Anzalone

FF 317 FRENCH NARRATIVE PROSE (3)
Exploration of major themes and techniques of narrative fiction as it has developed in French-speaking cultures. Prerequisite: FF214 or 216, 219 or 221 or consent of instructor. Offered in alternate years. M. Wiesmann

FF 318 FRENCH DRAMATIC LITERATURE (3)
Study of dramatic techniques and themes through careful examination of representative texts and attention to the role of the theater in French culture. Prerequisite: FF214 or 216, 219 or 221 or consent of instructor. Offered alternate years. The Department

FF 332 SURREALISM (3)
Study of surrealism as an historical and ontological movement through analysis of poetry, novel, cinema, theater, and painting. The course examines the impact of surrealism on current literary, critical, and artistic expressions. Prerequisite: FF210 or permission of the instructor. H. Jaouad

FF 363 SPECIAL STUDIES IN FRENCH (3)
Advanced literary or cultural study in an author, a genre, a period, or a topic. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. The Department

FF 371, 372 INDEPENDENT STUDY (3)
Individual study projects under the guidance of the department. The Department

FF 373 PREPARATION FOR SENIOR THESIS (3)
Required for all second-semester junior or first-semester senior French majors who intend to write a thesis (FF374). Under the direction of a thesis advisor, the student reads extensively in primary and secondary sources related to the proposed thesis topic, develops research skills, and brings the thesis topic into focus by writing an outline and a series of brief papers that contribute to the thesis. Prerequisites: FF208, 210, and second-semester junior or first-semester senior status. The Department

FF 374 THESIS (3)
An extended research project culminating in a paper based on readings and extensive individual conferences. Required of all majors who wish to be considered for departmental honors. Prerequisite: FF376, senior standing, permission of instructor, and 3.5 GPA in the major. The Department

FF 376 SEMINAR (3)
A detailed study of an author, a period, or theme prominent in France, Africa, Canada, or the French speaking countries of the Caribbean. Frequent oral reports. Close attention to development, organization, and writing of an extensive paper. Prerequisite: Senior status. The Department