French

Department of Modern Languages and Literatures
College of Arts and Sciences
910 Clemens Hall
North Campus
Buffalo, NY 14260-4620
(716) 645-2191
Fax: (716) 645-5981
Web: Modern Languages and Literatures
Rosemary G. Feal, Chair
Maureen Jameson, Director of Undergraduate Studies
(716) 645-6000, ext. 1172
E-mail: jameson@acsu.buffalo.edu
Jeannette Ludwig, Director of Language Program
(716) 645-6000, ext. 1175

Introduction
The French language is spoken by millions of people living in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, the Caribbean, North and Central Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. It is a major international language of the arts, commerce, and science, a status that reflects the leading role that French culture and technology have played and continue to play. In the United States, French is studied by more students than any other foreign language except Spanish.

The centuries-old relationship of the English-speaking and French-speaking cultures has resulted in a great deal of common heritage. Not only is there a substantial overlap in vocabulary-some 40 percent of English words are of French origin-there is also a common cultural heritage, going from the Arthurian legends through postcolonial self-examination, and students will find many familiar landmarks in the study of French culture.

The Program
The French program is intended to train students in the spoken and written language, and to deepen their knowledge of and interest in the literature and culture of France and other French-speaking countries. Majors in French are encouraged to study abroad for a summer, a semester, or a full year. SUNY programs in French cities are open to UB students. For a major or minor, a minimum of four courses at the 300-400 level must be taken in residence at the Buffalo campus.

For study abroad options, see the Study Abroad section on page TK or contact the Study Abroad Programs Office at (716) 645-3912.

Students wishing to satisfy the requirements for teacher certification should plan their programs with particular care in order to accommodate the required semester of the professional sequence during their senior year. For certification requirements, students should contact the Teacher Education Institute, Graduate School of Education, 379 Baldy Hall.

Transfer Policy
Transfer applications are welcome in the French section. To facilitate the evaluation of coursework completed elsewhere, students should submit course materials (syllabi, reading lists, papers, and exams) to the director of undergraduate studies. Transfer students are offered the same opportunities and are subject to the same regulations as other students.

Career Opportunities
Students who choose French as their academic home at UB find a number of career opportunities open to them. Among graduates in the past decade, a small number have gone on to do graduate work in French, several have gone on to law school, and others have found positions in the State Department and secondary education. Students frequently combine a program in French with concentrations in other humanities programs-other languages, or linguistics or history, for instance-or indeed in unrelated fields, such as management. Whatever career appeals to graduating students, fluency in French will assuredly be an advantage.

Special Programs and Opportunities
The generosity of two alumni families has made it possible for the French section annually to award the Linda Rock Memorial Scholarship and the Maria Becker Memorial Scholarship. These awards are intended to facilitate study abroad, and are given on the basis of academic performance and financial need. Details are available every March in the department office.

Undergraduate students are eligible to participate in the group activities organized by the French Graduate Student Association, such as French films, a French coffee hour, and excursions to Montreal.

An honors program in French is open to students who achieve a minimum GPA of 3.25 overall and a minimum GPA of 3.67 in French in five upper-division courses. Those who successfully complete the two honors projects will be honored at a special awards ceremony of the College of Arts and Sciences.

French (FR)

Note: Since not all courses listed are offered every semester, students should obtain a current listing of course descriptions from the departmental office or from our website before registration each semester.

101-102 Elementary French 1st Semester, 2nd Semester (5-5)
FR 101 prerequisite: none
FR 102 prerequisite: FR 101
Language as heard and spoken; development of listening, speaking, reading, and writing; five class hours weekly plus regular drill with language recordings. LEC

104 Transitional Elementary French (5)
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. LEC

151-152 Intermediate French 1st Semester, 2nd Semester (3-3)
FR 151 prerequisite: FR 102 or FR 104
FR 152 prerequisite: FR 151 or permission of the language director
Continuing study of the language, including 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 language tapes. Also seeks to develop students' reading and writing skills through the use of literary and cultural texts. LEC

211-212 Studies in French Language and Culture I-II (3-3)
FR 211 prerequisite: FR 152 or permission of instructor
FR 212 prerequisite: FR 211 or permission of instructor
Perfecting writing skills in preparation for advanced courses or study abroad: selections from prose, poetry, drama, or writings on contemporary issues and problems. LEC

270 Intermediate Conversation (3)
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. LEC

271-272 Business French (6)
FR 271 prerequisite: FR 152
FR 272 prerequisite: FR 271 or permission of instructor
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 completion of 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. LEC

301 Survey of French Literature I (3)
Prerequisites: FR 211-212, or permission of instructor
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. LEC

302 Survey of French Literature II (3)
Prerequisites: FR 211-212, or permission of instructor
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-with a particular emphasis on the relationship between text and context. LEC

331 Pre-Romanticism and Romanticism (3)
Prerequisites: FR 211-212, or permission of instructor
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. LEC

334 Poetry from Baudelaire to Surrealism (3)
Prerequisites: FR 211-212, or permission of instructor
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. The period is characterized by a series of schools, movements, and tendencies that constitute the historical frame of reference for the course, in which the works of poets who dominated the period are particularly emphasized. LEC

338 Women Writers of Francophone Africa (3)
Prerequisites: FR 211-212, or permission of instructor
Explores feminine writing-écriture féminine-as it has developed starting in the late 1970s in Francophone Africa. Of particular interest are the differences between the concerns and themes voiced by African women writers and those raised by their male counterparts. Issues to be discussed include religion, marriage, polygamy, education, the workplace, urban and rural life, love, and family life. LEC

341 The French Film (3)
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. LEC

343 Advanced Grammar and Composition (3)
Prerequisites: FR 211-212, or permission of instructor
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. LEC

345 French Phonetics (3)
Prerequisites: FR 211-212, or permission of instructor
Provides a practical and theoretical introduction to the contrastive differences between American English and French (including, when possible, characteristics of other major dialect areas of the French-speaking world, principally Canada and Africa). Through transcription exercises, oral presentations and corrections, as well as evaluative critiques, students analyze their pronunciation problems and work to improve identified weak spots. LEC

349 Stylistics and Translation (3)
Prerequisites: FR 211-212, or permission of instructor
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 "intentions" 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. LEC

351 French Literature in English Translation (3)
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). LEC

383 Problems of the French Novel (3)
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 Cl. Simon. LEC

393-394 Study in Absentia (1-16)
For students enrolled in the Study Abroad Program sponsored by the University at Buffalo (see Study Abroad section on page 260). TUT

404 Introduction to the Structure of Modern French (3)
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. LEC

420 History of the French Language (3)
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. The nature of language change, the development of dialects, and the emergence of national standards are discussed. Consists of two lectures and one discussion period per week involving linguistic problem sets and brief translations of early French texts. LEC

480 Seminar for Majors (3)
Variable content. SEM

499 Independent Study (1-16)
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. TUT

French - B.A.

Acceptance Criteria
Minimum GPA of 2.0 overall
Minimum GPA of 2.5 in preparatory coursework in French (FR 101-102 or FR 104, FR 151-152 or equivalent preparation, FR 211-212)

Required Courses
FR 101-102 Elementary French 1st-2nd Semester or FR 104 Transitional Elementary French or equivalent preparation
FR 151-152 Intermediate French 1st-2nd Semester or equivalent preparation
FR 211-212 Studies in French Language and Culture I-II*
FR 301 Survey of French Literature I
FR 302 Survey of French Literature II
FR 343 Advanced Grammar and Composition
Seven additional 300/400-level electives

See Baccalaureate Degree Requirements (page 254) for general education and remaining university requirements.

Recommended Sequence of Major Requirements

First Year
Fall-Elementary or intermediate French or FR 211*
Spring-Elementary or intermediate French or FR 212*

Second Year
Fall-FR 211 or FR 301*
Spring-FR 212 or FR 302*

Third Year
Fall-Two 300/400-level electives, FR 301
Spring-One 300/400-level elective, FR 302, FR 343

Fourth Year
Fall-Two 300/400-level electives
Spring-Two 300/400-level electives

*Placement is based on a student's prior training, and may be determined by a placement test and an advisement session in the department. For further information, please contact Professor Jeannette Ludwig at (716) 645-6000 x 1175, or jmludwig@acsu.buffalo.edu.

Note: Different scheduling arrangements can be made for those students wishing to study abroad.

Total required credit hours in French - 36

French - Minor

Acceptance Criteria
Minimum GPA of 2.0 overall
Minimum GPA of 2.5 in preparatory coursework in French (FR 101-102 or FR 104, FR 151-152 or equivalent preparation, FR 211-212)

Required Courses
FR 101-102 Elementary French 1st-2nd Semester or FR 104 Transitional Elementary French or equivalent preparation
FR 151-152 Intermediate French 1st-2nd Semester or equivalent preparation
FR 211-212 Studies in French Language and Culture I-II*
FR 301 Survey of French Literature I
FR 302 Survey of French Literature II
FR 343 Advanced Grammar and Composition
One additional 300/400-level elective

*Placement is based on a student's prior training, and may be determined by a placement test and an advisement session in the department. For further information, please contact Professor Jeannette Ludwig at (716) 645-6000, ext. 1175, or jmludwig@acsu.buffalo.edu.

Total required credit hours in French - 18

Academic Affairs

Phone: (716) 645-6003

Fax: (716) 645-2549

Last updated: Thursday, 09-Dec-2004 15:21:18 EST