The Institut's curriculum
includes general and advanced courses in French language, literature,
history and economics. The plan of study is designed to accomplish two
main purposes. The first is to provide work in French language of such
a nature that each student will make appreciable progress in fluency,
comprehension and writing. The second is to provide courses covering
material pertinent to
the understanding of modern France and the appreciation of French culture.
Students also attend a series of lectures given by visiting speakers
and are expected to participate in supplementary discussions. Individual
drill in French phonetics is available for students who need to do remedial
work in French pronunciation. Students are encouraged to take advantage
of the listening and recording equipment available at the Palais du
Roure.
COURSES
OFFERED IN 2009
Undergraduate
Courses
French S 201
COURS AVANCÉ DE LANGUE FRANÇAISE
A general review of grammar and language problems with the goal of improving written and oral skills in French. (M. Giraud)
French S 203
ATELIER DE PHONÉTIQUE
This course is a non-credit course which is offered to all students wishing to feel more comfortable in expressing themselves orally in the French language. (T.A.)
French S 208
LE THÉÂTRE MODERNE: COURS ET ATELIER DE JEU THÉÂTRAL
A study of dominant visions and techniques in modern theater (Artaud's théâtre de la cruauté, theater of the absurd, etc.), and a workshop with training in the projection of voice, diction, memorization, staging and acting. Excerpts from plays by authors such as Jarry, Ionesco, Beckett, Genet, Sarraute will be staged and presented to the public. (P. Osmalin)
French S 215
LA PROVENCE: VIOLENCE ET MYSTÈRE
A study of the diversity of landscapes of Provence (Camargue, Comtat Venaissin, Haute Provence, etc.) through major literary works anchored in specific locations. We will analyze the ways in which, for authors such as Pagnol, Giono, Bosco and Char, Provence is not simply a decor but an enigmatic and dangerous character. (G. Tellène)
Economics S 201
L'ÉCONOMIE ET LA CIVILISATION DE L'EUROPE
A study of contemporary French economic policies in the context of political institutions of the European Union, with particular emphasis on the anthropological and philosophical motivations at work in the development of these policies. The course will include a number of field trips to businesses in the region so that students may observe the practical results of what we will have studied in terms of the adaptation of local commerce to increasingly globalized markets. (J.-R. Alcaras)
French S 309
MOLIÈRE
A close reading of some of Molière's major plays (among them Le Tartuffe, Dom Juan, L'école des femmes, Le malade imaginaire, and L'impromptu de Versailles), focusing on theatrical representation of comic effects, as well as a number of key issues addressed in the plays, such as marriage, sexual and social dynamics, honesty and deceit, etc. The course will allow students to explore the text in performance during the Avignon Theater Festival. (B. Hoefer)
French S 305
COMÉDIE DU 18e SIÈCLE: DE ARLEQUIN À FIGARO
An examination of the comic drama of Marivaux and Beaumarchais in the
context of theatre history, comic theory and cultural context. Questions to
be discussed include the ubiquity of the marriage plot, the notion of the
happy end, farce versus high comedy, comedy as a bourgeois genre, comedy as
a subversive/normative genre, the workings of satire and of laughter. To
complement our reading of Beaumarchais, we shall also study Mozart's Le
Nozze di Figaro and Rossini's Il Barbieri di Siviglia. (J. Prest)
Graduate
Courses
French 501
ATELIER D'ÉCRITURE
Advanced training in grammar, stylistics and written expression. (A. Peysson-Zeiss)
French S 502
LYRIQUE ET RÉCIT AU MOYEN-ÂGE (OCCITAN/FRANÇAIS)
The songs of the troubadours were one of the most successful and influential literary forms to be produced on French soil. The first part of the course introduces the works of the major troubadours and the literature that grew up around them (short stories, legends, and biographies). The second studies the rich culture which sprang from the troubadours in northern France, and the development of "courtly love" in both lyric and narrative contexts. The course will include close study of medieval texts and reflect on such issues as love, gender, sexuality, courtliness, performance, subjectivity, irony and play. (S. Kay, K. Brownlee)
French S 511
HÉRITAGES DE LA RÉVOLUTION HAÏTIENNE
Although the Haitian Revolution is often regarded as the first successful slave revolution in history, the most radical political movement in the age of Enlightenment, and the founding moment of Haitian literature, its legacy in modern Haitian literature and culture has been fraught with ambivalence. By tracking this legacy in literary works from the revolutionary period to the present, we will explore this ambivalence, and examine, as we do so, a number of related questions such as the role of the Revolution in the history of "Western modernity"; the possibilities and limits of universalism as an anticolonial or nationalist discourse; the practice of state terrorism in Haïti. Readings may include Toussaint Louverture, Jean-Jacques Dessaline, Varon de Vastey, Jacques Roumain, René Depestre, Marie Chauvet, as well as a range of critical , theoretical and historical material. (D. Garraway)
NOTE:
Courses on the 500-level carry graduate credit. Qualified undergraduates
may be admitted to these courses with the consent of the Director.
Each student must enroll in two courses, for a total of two units of
academic credit. Attendance at all class meetings is required. Courses
are so organized as to include student participation in classroom discussion.
The student who wishes transfer credits should make the necessary arrangements
with the appropriate officer of his/her own college or university.
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