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French: Courses
FR 101 Elementary French 1st Semester
Credits: 5Semester(s): F Sp Su
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Language as heard and spoken; development of listening, speaking, reading, and writing; five class hours weekly plus regular drill with language recordings.
FR 102 Elementary French 2nd Semester
Credits: 5Semester(s): F Sp Su
Prerequisites: FR 101
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Language as heard and spoken; development of listening, speaking, reading, and writing; five class hours weekly plus regular drill with language recordings.
FR 104 Transitional Elementary French
Credits: 5Semester(s): F Sp
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Students who have completed FR 101 and/or FR 102 should not register for FR 104 as no credit will be given for duplicate courses.
One-semester review course designed for students who have taken the Regents exams, but who are not yet able to go into the second year of language study. Involves development of all four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and, to some extent, writing), emphasizing the grammatical structures and vocabulary fundamental to simple, everyday conversation.
FR 151 Intermediate French 1st Semester
Credits: 3Semester(s): F Sp Su
Prerequisites: FR 102 or FR 104
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Continuing study of the language, includes a brief review of basic elements and the introduction and practice of more precise linguistic features. Students further their listening and speaking skills through in-class activities, as well as independent work with sound files. Also develops students' reading and writing skills through the use of literary and cultural texts.
FR 152 Intermediate French 2nd Semester
Credits: 3Semester(s): F Sp Su
Prerequisites: FR 151 or permission of the language director
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Continuing study of the language, including briefly reviewing basic elements and the introduction and practice of more precise linguistic features. Students further their listening and speaking skills through in-class activities, as well as independent work with sound files. Also develops students' reading and writing skills through the use of literary and cultural texts.
FR 211 Studies in French Language and Culture I
Credits: 3Semester(s): F
Prerequisites: FR 152 or permission of instructor
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Perfecting writing skills in preparation for advanced courses or study abroad: selections from prose, poetry, drama, or writings on contemporary issues and problems.
FR 212 Studies in French Language and Culture II
Credits: 3Semester(s): Sp
Prerequisites: FR 211 or permission of instructor
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Perfecting writing skills in preparation for advanced courses or study abroad: selections from prose, poetry, drama, or writings on contemporary issues and problems.
FR 270 Intermediate Conversation
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: FR 152
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
For majors and nonmajors who wish to enhance their spoken French by intensive listening and speaking activities. No credit toward French major. Develops understanding and speaking ability, and knowledge of contemporary France.
FR 271 Business French
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: FR 152
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Builds on the language proficiency acquired in 100-level French courses by introducing students to the vocabulary, idiom, and social conventions they must master to function in a business setting in the French-speaking world. Expects students to demonstrate proficiency both in the language skills taught in the course and in knowledge of the European and non-European business context. Among the anticipated assignments are oral comprehension exercises based on French news broadcasts, drafting of several business letters in French, and short business-related papers. No credit toward French major.
FR 301 Survey of French Literature I
Credits: 3Semester(s): F
Prerequisites: FR 211-FR 212, or permission of instructor
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Introduces students to major currents of French literature and thought in selected readings from the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Classical period, and Enlightenment. The study of epic (La Chanson de Roland), romance (Yvain ou le chevalier au lion), autobiographical writing (Montaigne's Essais), classical tragedy and comedy (Racine and Molière), the novel (La Princesse de Clèves and Candide), philosophical writing (selections from Descartes, Pascal, and Rousseau), and poetry (selections from Charles d'Orléans, Villon, Du Bellay, and Ronsard) emphasizes both literary and philosophical traditions, as well as textual interpretation.
FR 302 Survey of French Literature II
Credits: 3Semester(s): Sp
Prerequisites: FR 211-FR 212, or permission of instructor
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Acquaints students with the major literary movements from the French revolution through contemporary times. Examines a selection of works - including Romantic poetry of Hugo, Lamartine, and Vigny; theatre; Flaubert's Madame Bovary; and contemporary and avant-garde works - particularly emphasizing the relationship between text and context.
FR 331 Pre-Romanticism and Romanticism
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: FR 211-FR 212, or permission of instructor
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Begins with the study of Madame de Stael's De l'Allemagne and Châteaubriand's René and Atala for a sense of the origins of French Romanticism. The study of texts by Stendhal, Balzac, and Hugo focuses on the Romantic search for inspiration in the subject's emotional life, in exotic settings, and in the wealth of national legend.
FR 334 Poetry from Baudelaire to Surrealism
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: FR 211-FR 212, or permission of instructor
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Surveys French poetry from 1857 - date of the publication of Les Fleurs du mal - to the years immediately following World War II when surrealism is on the decline. A series of schools, movements, and tendencies that constitute the historical frame of reference for the course characterizes the period, in which the works of poets who dominated the period are particularly emphasized.
FR 338 Women Writers of Francophone Africa
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: FR 211-FR 212, or permission of instructor
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Explores feminine writing - écriture féminine - as it has developed starting in the late 1970s in Francophone Africa. Focuses upon the differences between the concerns and themes voiced by African women writers and those raised by their male counterparts. Issues include religion, marriage, polygamy, education, the workplace, urban and rural life, love, and family life.
FR 341 The French Film
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Examines the works of some of the major movie directors of France since WWII. First Carné, Ophuls, Cocteau, then the directors of the "Nouvelle Vague": Truffaut, Resnais, Duras, Goddard. The last part of the course is devoted to a selection of more recent works, such as Au Revoir les Enfants, Ridicule, and Tous les Matins du Monde.
FR 343 Advanced Grammar and Composition
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: FR 211-FR 212, or permission of instructor
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Provides a more sophisticated understanding of French syntax and improves skill in fluent, written self-expression. Brief weekly compositions serve as a basis for the discussion of points of syntax and style. Students also become familiar with reference works, which will be of continuing use.
FR 349 Stylistics and Translation
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: FR 211-FR 212, or permission of instructor
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Introduces the objectives, techniques, and difficulties of translation to and from French. At the theoretical level, and through a number of explications de texte, students reflect on such issues as the distinction between an author and a narrator, the 'voice'in a text, textual 'ntentions'vs. reader response. In practical terms, weekly translations of selected short texts should foster the development of respect for the linguistic, stylistic, and occasional cultural differences between English and French.
FR 350 Modern French Short Story
Credits: 3Semester(s): Sp
Prerequisites: FR 211 and FR 212
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Surveys a selection of modern French short stories sampling from French as well as Francophone writers and explores the means by which short stories achieve their effects within the restricted economy of the genre. Considers the stories both as narrative constructs and as reflections of the historical and cultural contexts in which they were written.
FR 351 French Literature in English Translation
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Upper-level literature course offered to non-majors who have an interest in literature but little or no training in the language. Organized by topic, the course sometimes focuses on an author (e.g. Montaigne, Flaubert) and sometimes on critical perspectives (e.g. French feminism).
FR 383 Problems of the French Novel
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: FR 211-FR 212, or permission of instructor
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Examines the evolution of the narrative genre (centered on the novel with reference to a few short stories) from La Princesse de Clèves to the 'New Novel.' Offers a close reading of some of the major works of Mme de Lafayette, Prévost, Balzac, Stendhal, Aurevilly, Camus, and Claude Simon.
FR 393 Study in Absentia
Credits: 1 - 16Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: TUT
The content of this course is variable and therefore it is repeatable for credit. The University Grade Repeat Policy does not apply.
For students enrolled in the Study Abroad Program sponsored by the University at Buffalo (see Study Abroad section in this catalog).
FR 404 Introduction to the Structure of Modern French
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: FR 211-FR 212, or permission of instructor
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Describes present-day French from a modern linguistic standpoint. Successively covers phonology, morphology, and syntax and lexical change to give the student a better understanding of the structure of French and a broader comprehension of the function of language in general. Weekly travaux pratiques enable students to apply the analytical theory to real language problems.
FR 420 History of the French Language
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: FR 211-FR 212, or permission of instructor
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Acquaints students with the internal and technical linguistic changes that characterize the emergence of French from Latin, as well as the external and historic events that influence this development. Discusses the nature of language change, the development of dialects, and the emergence of national standards. Consists of two lectures and one discussion period per week involving linguistic problem sets and brief translations of early French texts.
FR 429 Advanced Business French
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: FR 211 - FR 212, or permission of instructor
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Seeks to familiarize students with the cultural and professional aspects of doing business in France. Topics include tariffs and quotas, the role of the EU and the euro, genetically modified foods, the environment, and globalization. Also covers French domestic issues, including the 35-hour work week, the strained retirement system, domestic political wrangling, the French press, and activist trade unions. This course also stresses practical skills such as business correspondence, how to read reports and other documents, how to follow the news (both written and televised) with full knowledge of its bias (national and political), and how to interview or give a business presentation.
FR 480 Seminar for Majors
Credits: 3Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: FR 211-FR 212, or permission of instructor
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
The content of this course is variable and therefore it is repeatable for credit. The University Grade Repeat Policy does not apply.
Variable content.
FR 496 Internship/Practicum
Credits: 1 - 6Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: Permission of Instructor
Corequisites: None
Type: TUT
The content of this course is variable and therefore it is repeatable for credit. The University Grade Repeat Policy does not apply.
Hands-on experience in language and cultural studies at institutions and community organizations in the Western New York area.
FR 498 Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity
Credits: 1 - 6Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: Permission of Instructor
Corequisites: None
Type: TUT
The content of this course is variable and therefore it is repeatable for credit. The University Grade Repeat Policy does not apply.
Students collaborate with faculty research mentors on an ongoing faculty research project or conduct independent research under the guidance of a faculty member.
FR 499 Independent Study
Credits: 1 - 6Semester(s): N/A
Prerequisites: FR 211-FR 212, or permission of instructor
Corequisites: None
Type: TUT
The content of this course is variable and therefore it is repeatable for credit. The University Grade Repeat Policy does not apply.
Students who have demonstrated the ability to perform upper-level coursework may, on occasion, wish to research a topic not available through regular course offerings. Such students may, with permission of a supervising faculty member and the director of undergraduate studies, enroll in FR 499.
Last updated: Wednesday, 23-Apr-2008 15:42:57 EDT