Hobart and William Smith Colleges

French, Francophone and Italian Studies

Department Faculty
Kanaté Dahouda, Associate Professor, Chair
Courtney Wells, Associate Professor
Sebastiano Lucci, Director, Less Commonly Taught Languages Program and Instructor of Italian

French, Francophone and Italian Studies Department offers a transnational and transcultural program of studies with integrated courses in language, cultures, and literatures that reflect the rich diversity of French-and Italian-speaking cultures throughout the world. The majority of our courses are taught in French (FRN) and Italian (ITA); FRNE and ITAE courses are taught in English. Our academic program is designed to enhance the linguistic fluency of our students, while providing them with the opportunity to understand and appreciate the intellectual, literary and cultural traditions of France, Italy and the global Francophone cultures. To that end, students are encouraged to pursue their language and cultural education in one of our study abroad programs offered through the Center for Global Education. Currently our programs travel to Aix-en-Provence, Grenoble, Quebec, Rome and Tunis.

Mission Statement

The Department of French, Francophone and Italian Studies is dedicated to teaching the languages, cultures, literatures, and cinematic traditions of French-and Italian-speaking countries throughout the world. Our faculty are dedicated to the study of authentic cultural productions that enhance students' understanding of the artistic, linguistic, and literary traditions of French, Francophone and Italian cultures. All of our FRN and ITA courses are taught, and all student work is performed, in the target language. Our goal is to provide our students with the linguistic skills, cultural knowledge, and critical thinking skills necessary to successfully communicate within and between French, Francophone and Italian cultures. Our majors and minors have as their main objective the establishment of responsible, thoughtful and engaged global citizenship and openness to cultural and linguistic diversity.

Offerings

The French, and Francophone and Italian Studies Department offers a disciplinary major and minor, an interdisciplinary major and minor, and a concentration in French minor, as well as a disciplinary minor in Italian Studies.

French and Francophone Studies Major (B.A.) – Disciplinary

10 courses
Learning Objectives:

• Perfect their reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills in French in order to communicate successfully with native speakers in diverse communicative situations.
• Employ the cultural, linguistic, and literary knowledge they have acquired of the French and Francophone world to conduct research (both remotely and in the cultures studied) and to advance and support a persuasive argument, both in papers and in oral presentations.
• Articulate the role of issues of race, language, power, gender, and class in the constitution and expression of identity in French and Francophone literature, film, and art.
• Use their linguistic competencies to navigate all types of daily communicative situations.
• Identify and analyze the components of a literary or cinematic text and employ the appropriate vocabulary to explain how their authors use theme, genre, form, and other techniques to express and reconfigure our perspectives on memory, exile, love, death, and loss.

Requirements:
All FRN courses numbered 225 or above count toward the major. One FRNE French/Francophone literature or culture course taken in English may count toward the major. Courses must include: two FRN 240-level courses (or equivalent); two FRN 250-level courses preferably before the senior year; two FRN 300-level courses, one in the senior year, as well as and three additional French or Francophone language, culture, or literature courses selected in consultation with the advisor.

Upon declaring a disciplinary French and Francophone Studies major, the students may select an area of concentration. All courses must be passed with a grade of C or higher. Credit/no credit courses cannot be counted towards the major, except under exceptional circumstances to be assessed by the department.

Traditions Francaises Track for the Major (B.A.)

FRN 241, FRN 244, FRN 251, FRN 252, and FRN 254 before the senior year; one Francophone course at the 200- or 300-level; two FRN 300-level French literature courses taught in French, one in the senior year; and three additional FRN electives selected in consultation with the advisor. No more than one French/Francophone literature and culture course taken in English (FRNE) may count toward the major. French majors pursuing this track are strongly encouraged to pursue off campus study in France. All courses must be passed with a grade of C or higher. Credit/no credit courses cannot be counted toward the major, except under exceptional circumstances to be assessed by the department.

Parcours Muticulturels Track for the Major (B.A.)

FRN 242, FRN 243, FRN 251, FRN 252 OR FRN 254, and FRN 253, before the senior year; one French 200- or 300-level course; two departmental 300-level Francophone courses, one in the senior year; and three French and Francophone electives, selected in consultation with the advisor. No more than one French/Francophone literature and culture course taken in English (FRNE) may count toward the major. French majors pursuing this track are strongly encouraged to pursue off-campus study in Senegal. All courses must be passed with a grade of C or higher. Credit/no credit courses cannot be counted toward the major, except under exceptional circumstances to be assessed by the department.

French and Francophone Studies Major (B.A.) – Interdisciplinary

14 courses
Learning Objectives:

• Perfect their skills in reading and listening, and demonstrate advanced proficiency in spoken and written French in diverse communicative contexts.
• Use their linguistic competencies to navigate all types of daily communicative situations.
• Use knowledge of literary, cinematic, and cultural traditions of the French-speaking world to actively engage in complex conversations and discussions with French speakers, and conduct research for papers and effective oral presentations.
• Critically analyze and discuss ways in which questions of race, and diversity, language, and power, gender, and class shape the issue of identity in French and Francophone literature, film, and art.
• Employ their interdisciplinary knowledge to make connections across cultures through exploring relevant links between French and Francophone Studies and other disciplines in the general curriculum that deal with key social issues relative to memory, exile, love, death, and loss.

Requirements:
The sequence of courses consists of 1) eight departmental courses including two FRN 240-level courses; two FRN 250-level courses to be taken before the senior year; two FRN 300-level courses, and two French and Francophone
electives selected in consultation with the advisor, and 2) six courses from other disciplines chosen in consultation with the advisor. No more than one French/Francophone literature and culture course taken in English (FRNE) may count toward the major. Upon declaring an interdisciplinary French and Francophone Studies major, the students may select an area of concentration. All courses must be passed with a grade of C or higher. Credit/no credit courses cannot be counted toward the major, except under exceptional circumstances to be assessed by the department.

French and Francophone Studies Minor – Disciplinary

6 courses
Requirements:
One FRN 240-level course; one Francophone course at the 200- or 300-level; and one 200- or 300-level French course. At least one of the FRN 200-level courses must be a FRN 250-level course taken before the senior year. Three additional FRN courses in consultation with the advisor. No more than one French/Francophone culture or literature course taught in English may count toward the minor. A semester abroad in one of the department programs is strongly recommended. All courses must be passed with a grade of C or higher. Credit/no credit courses cannot be counted toward the minor, except under exceptional circumstances to be assessed by the department.

Concentration in French Minor – Interdisciplinary

6 courses
Requirements:
This minor combines a semester abroad with courses taken before and after that semester in an uninterrupted sequence. Requirements include one or two courses in French preceding the semester abroad, a semester abroad in one of our programs with four courses in any of the department programs, and one or two courses upon returning from abroad. The minor may begin at any level of language acquisition, including the 100-level. All courses must be passed with a grade of C or higher. Credit/no credit courses cannot be counted toward the minor, except under exceptional circumstances to be assessed by the department.

French and Francophone Studies Minor – Interdisciplinary

6 courses
Requirements:
Six courses selected in consultation with the advisor. These courses will include one course at the French 240-level, one course at the French 250-level, the latter to be taken before the senior year; two courses in other disciplines approved by the advisor; and two additional FRN courses approved by the advisor. A semester abroad in one of the department programs is strongly recommended. All courses must be passed with a grade of C or higher. Credit/no credit courses cannot be counted toward the minor, except under exceptional circumstances to be assessed by the department.

Courses in French

Language Acquisition
Level I: Fundamentals Language Skills
FRN 101 Beginning French I
FRN 102 Beginning French II
Level II: Intermediate Language Skills
FRN 201 Intermediate French I
FRN 202 Intermediate French II
Level III: Advanced Language Skills
FRN 225 Parlons Franais
FRN 226 French in Review I: Parler et comprendre

Culture and Literature
Level IV: Introduction to Culture and Literature
FRN 230 Senegal: An Orientation
FRN 241 Prises de Vues: Introduction to Contemporary France
FRN 242 Introduction to Quebec Studies
FRN 243 Introduction to Francophone Cultures
FRN 244 Le Midi de la France
FRN 251 Introduction to French Literature I: Mystics, Friends, and Lovers 
FRN 252 Introduction to French Literature II: Que sais-je?
FRN 253 Introduction to French and Francophone Literatures III: Paris-Outre-mer
FRN 254 French and Francophone Cinema
Level V: Advanced Culture and Literature
FRN 306-01 The Medieval Hero in French Texts
FRN 351 Francophone African Fiction
FRN 355 Francophone Caribbean Literatures
FRN 383 Topics in Middle Ages and Renaissance

Courses in English

FRNE 111 Transnational France: Diversity from 1789 to Present Day 
FRNE 155 Exile and Identity in Francophone Caribbean Fiction
FRNE 211 African Literature: The Quest for Identity
FRNE 218 Memory, Culture and Identity in French Caribbean Literatures
FRNE 255 Modern French Theater
FRNE 285 The Troubadours: Songs of Love, War, and Redemption

Examples of Cross-Listed Courses (Interdisciplinary major and minor)

French and Francophone Studies are relevant across all disciplines taught at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Cross listed course offerings vary yearly depending on the current schedule. They may come from any department or program. The courses listed below are given as examples. This is not an exhaustive list. New relevant courses may be added. Consultation with a French and Francophone Studies advisor is necessary to determine if a course from another department or program can be applied to the departmental interdisciplinary major and minor.
AFS 110 Introduction to African Experience 
AFS 150 Foundations of Africana Studies
AFS 180 The Black Atlantic
AFS 203 African Voices 
ANTH 115 Language and Culture
ANTH 205 Race, Class, and Ethnicity 
ANTH 296/AFS 296 Africa: Beyond Crisis, Poverty, and Aid
ARTH 101 Introduction to Art: Ancient and Medieval
ARTH 102 Introduction to Western Art: Renaissance through Modern 
ARTH 218 Gothic Art and Architecture
ARTH 232 Rococo Art and Architecture
ARTH 240 European Painting In the 19th Century 
ARTH 255 French Roots of Modernism
ARTH 334 Manet and the Modernist Project
ARTH 389 Rococo to Revolution: Painting in France 1760-1800
BIDS 206 Multiculturalism in Canada
BIDS 213 The French Medieval Connection 
BIDS 291 Medieval Art and Literature
BIDS 298 The Ballets Russes: Modernism and the Arts 
DAN 210 Dance History I
ECON 233 Comparative Economics
EDUC 115 Introduction to Linguistics
EDUC 370 Multiculturalism
ENG 232 Medieval Romance 
ENG 235 The Once and Future King
ENG 276 Imagining the Middle East
ENG 317 Heart of Darkness
ENG 370 Who am I? Identity and World Literature 
ENV 120 Sustainable Geography and Global Economy 
ENV 345 Decolonial Environmentalisms 
HIST 101 Foundations of European History Society
HIST 103 Early Modern Europe 
HIST 209 History of Medieval Women
HIST 237 Europe since the War
HIST 238 World Wars in Global Perspective
HIST 250 Medieval Popular Culture
HIST 264 Modern European City 
HIST 253 Renaissance and Reformation 
HIST 284 Africa: From Colonialism to Neocolonialism 
HIST 301 The Enlightenment
HIST 325 Medicine in Modern Europe 
HIST 353 Invention of Africa 
LTAM 222 Caribbean Literature and Politics
LGBT 202 Histories of Sexuality in the West 
MDSC 313 Global Cinema
MUS 202 Medieval Renaissance (600-1600) 
MUS 203 Baroque and " Classical Music (1600-1800)
MUS 204 Romantic Modern (1800-1950)
PHIL 120 Critical Thinking and Argument Analysis
PHIL 220 Semiotics
PHIL 230 Aesthetics
PHIL 233 Cosmopolitism & Global Ethics 
PHIL 312 Language and Power
PHIL 372 Early Modern Philosophy
POL 140 Introduction to Comparative World Politics 
INRL 180 Introduction to International Relations
INRL 208 Gender and Politics in the Middle East and North Africa 
INRL 258 State, Society, and Market in the Middle East and North Africa
INRL 290 American Foreign Policy
INRL 285 Borders, Belongings, and Rights in the Middle East and North Africa
INRL 380 Theories of International Relations
PSY 245 Introduction to Cultural Psychology
REL 236 Gender and Islam
REL 271 The Holocaust
REL 285 Medieval Philosophy
REL 347 Gender and Identity in the Muslim World
SOC 253 Global Cities
SOC 299 Vietnam: Conflict & Change
THTR 320 Theatre History II
GSIJ 100 Introduction to Women's Studies
GSIJ 212 Gender & Geography
GSIJ 213 Transnational Feminisms
GSIJ 222 African Women's Literature
GSIJ 300 Feminist Theory
WRRH 105 Multilingual Writer's Seminar
WRRH 106 Multilingual Writers Seminar II
WRRH 207 Sociolinguistics

Italian Studies Minor – Disciplinary

6 courses
Requirements:
The Italian Studies minor is disciplinary, and required 6 courses, at least 3 courses must be unique to the minor. All courses for the minor must be completed with a grade of C- or better. All ITA and ITAE classes count toward the minor. If the student places into the language sequence at a course above 101, they may use electives to fulfill the remaining language courses. All students in this track are strongly encouraged to participate in the Rome semester abroad program. Credit/No credit courses may not be used toward the minor.

French Courses Taught in French (FRE)

FRN 101 Beginning French I  For students with no French experience, or placement. This is an immersion course that teaches speaking, listening, reading, writing, and French body language through a creative combination of interactive materials that introduce students to French culture as well as language. This course uses French as the principal language of instruction in the classroom. Students will work weekly in an integrative way with interactive materials online such as online exercises, movies, music and cultural readings. It is open only to students with no prior experience and students who have been placed in FRN 101, or students who have permission of the instructor. (Offered every semester)

FRN 102 Beginning French II  For students who had French I in 12th grade, or placement. This course is a continuation of FRN 101. Students will work weekly in an integrative way with interactive materials online such as online exercises, movies, music and cultural readings. This course uses French as the principal language of instruction in the classroom. First-year students are placed according to placement exam results. Prerequisite: FRN 101 or equivalent, or permission of the instructor. (Offered every semester)

FRN 201 Intermediate French I  This course is for students who have successfully completed the elementary sequence or equivalent. Students practice oral/aural skills, and review fundamentals of French grammar, vocabulary, and conjugation, while improving their understanding of French and Francophone culture through reading, and films. Prerequisite: FRN 102 or equivalent, placement, or permission of the instructor.

FRN 202 Intermediate French II  is the fourth-semester French language and culture course at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Students will work to fine-tune their proficiency in the four fundamental language skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing, while improving their understanding of French and Francophones cultures through movies, music, and cultural readings. First-year students are placed according to placement exam results. Prerequisite: FRN 201 or equivalent, placement, or permission of the instructor.

FRN 225 Parlons Français  This course is designed as an intensive training in oral expression for semi-advanced students. It focuses on the practice of speaking and aims to help students develop pertinent vocabulary, as well as conversational or idiomatic expressions used in everyday life by French speakers. Students will gain greater fluidity and confidence and improve their oral communication skills by exploring contemporary issues in films and the media and reading and discussing short stories, plays, and articles from French and Francophone magazines and newspapers. This course will prepare students linguistically for 240-level French topics courses through a wide variety of challenging conversational activities. Prerequisite: FRN 202 or equivalent, placement, or permission of the instructor.

FRN 226 French in Review I: Parler et Comprendre  For students who had FRN IV in 12th grade, or placement. This course offers a complete grammar review while emphasizing aural and speaking skills to prepare students for advanced courses. All grammatical concepts are reviewed to form a firm foundation for all advanced French classes. First-year students are placed according to placement exam results. The course uses French as the principal language of instruction in the classroom, and includes mandatory recitations every week. Prerequisite: FRN 202, 225 or equivalent, placement, or permission of the instructor.

FRN 241 Prises De Vue: Introduction to Contemporary France  This course seeks to analyze contemporary French culture through its representation in films and the media. Major trends examined include youth, education, immigration, women in society, and the political system. Students pursue a research topic of their choice and submit a portfolio at the end of the semester. Students improve their language skills through readings, discussions, written weekly film reviews, and reflection papers and oral presentations on relevant topics. This course is highly recommended for students planning a term in France. This course is cross-listed with Media and Society. Prerequisites: FRN 226, or permission of the instructor, or concurrently with FRN 226. (Staff, offered annually)

FRN 242 Introduction to Quebec Studies  This course seeks to examine various aspects of the French Canadian culture of the Province of Quebec in its socio-political and historical contexts. It offers students an understanding of contemporary issues, such as colonialism, post-modernity, the Quiet Revolution, language and politics, feminist movements, the dynamics of identity, immigration, and the new nationalism. Students will also consider Quebec's relations with France and the USA in the context of globalization. While exploring a new socio-cultural space, students will improve their French language skills through readings, discussions, film reviews, and papers on relevant topics. Prerequisite: FRN 226, or permission of the instructor, or concurrently with FRN 226. (Dahouda, offered regularly)

FRN 243 Topics in Francophone Cultures  This course seeks to introduce the variations of French and the variety of cultures in the Francophone world. Students are introduced to the concept of Francophone, its ideological and political meaning as well as its cultural and literary expressions. Students discover the unity and the diversity of French-speaking countries. They explore contemporary issues in these countries, and discuss the relations of the Francophone world with France and the U.S. in the context of globalization. The goal of this course is not simply to acquaint students with issues and realities around the Francophone world, but to provide them with a broader cultural and intercultural perspective. Students improve their French through readings, discussions, weekly film reviews, and papers on relevant topics. Prerequisite: FRN 226, or permission of the instructor, or concurrently with FRN 226 (Dahouda, offered alternate years)

FRN 244 Le Midi de la France  In this course, we will study the cuisine, history, language, literature, music, politics, and identities of the cultures of the south of France, or le Midi de la France. Through an in-depth examination of the many regional languages, vibrant cultures, and varied landscapes of the Midi, students will learn to appreciate more fully the great diversity and cultural richness of metropolitan France. Furthermore, by studying how France became the nation it is today through a series of annexations of independent and culturally, politically, and linguistically autonomous peoples, students will deepen their understanding of nationhood and identity within the context of our increasingly globalized world. Some questions addressed in this course are: What is a nation? What is identity? Is it possible to possess many identities at once, or is identity something more monolithic? How do these questions of identity affect contemporary discussions of the European Union? How does the formation of the European Union affect our understanding of ‘minor’ and ‘regional’ identities when prevalent notions of nationhood have been challenged again and again over the course of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries? What does it mean to be French? How have prevalent definitions of French-ness been challenged by the valorization of local identities, immigration, and the formation of the European Union? How does language and multilingualism challenge our current conceptualizations of identity and nationhood? Through a study of the cultures of the south of France, students will gain broader perspectives on, and deeper knowledge of, modern French culture and what makes France France (Wells, offered alternate years)

FRN 251 Introduction to French Literature I: Mystics, Friends and Lovers  The conventions governing erotic love and passion in Europe were first formulated by the troubadours in Southern France. This course traces the evolution of passionate love from the Middle Ages to the Present, and analyzes its connections with mystical love. We will also study other traditions of love such as marital love and friendship. Prerequisite: Any two 240 level courses, or permission of the instructor, or a 240 level with another 240 level taken concurrently. (Wells, offered alternate years)

FRN 252 Introduction to French Literature II: "Que Sais Je?"  This course is an introduction to literary discourse and a study of essays by significant authors who have shaped French thought from the Renaissance to the present. The question `Que sais je?' is an epistemological question, that is, a question about knowledge. What we know, or think we know, shapes our vision of the world, and who we are. The subject determines the object of knowledge. We pay particular attention to the subject, the "je" of the question. We consider the subject's position before the unknown, and the other. Our journey, beginning with Montaigne's question about identity, will lead naturally to analysis of contemporary Western attitude toward others. Prerequisite: Any two 240 level courses, or permission of the instructor, or a 240 level with another 240 level taken concurrently. (Staff, offered regularly)

FRN 253 Introduction to French and Francophone Literatures III: Paris-Outre-mer  Depending on the instructor, this course follows various trajectories between Paris and Francophone countries and regions around the world. Students listen to voices in French from outside France. Paris is considered a starting point, rather than the center of Francophone cultures. Special attention is given to the ambiguous love-hate relations between France and other Francophone countries. This course teaches explication de texte, the French approach to reading literary and other cultural texts. Prerequisite: Any two 240 level courses, or permission of the instructor, or a 240 level with another 240 level taken concurrently. (Dahouda, offered alternate years)

FRN 254 French and Francophone Film  In this course, students will study the language of cinema (le langage cinématographique) and how directors use it to create films that participate in the intellectual, political, philosophical, religious, linguistic, and aesthetic debates of their time. Starting with the beginnings of film in the 19th century with the Frères Lumières and George Méliès and ending in the twenty-first century, students of FRN 254 will study film's seemingly paradoxical ability to record reality while showing us the impossible. In addition to learning the vocabulary, tools, and techniques of film analysis in French, students will also study the various historical and political contexts of the films studied to learn how to appreciate movies as both aesthetic objects and the product of a given culture and a specific time. Films will be shown in French with English subtitles and classroom discussions will be in French, along with any assignments, exams, presentations, etc.

FRN 306 The Medieval Hero in French Texts  The purpose of this course is two-fold. First, the emphasis of this course will be on "masculinities" as opposed to "masculinity." We will read, analyze and interpret medieval French texts that depict medieval male heroes and their behaviors in a number of circumstances and environments going from the battlefield to the cell, from the woods to the bedroom. We will observe men as they construct their identities as kings, warriors, friends, lovers, husbands, outlaws and saints. We will explore the synchronic and diachronic diversity with which medieval cultures constructed such images of maleness and we will examine the ideologies behind these. Second, students will read the texts in Modem French translations. However, they will learn to read or understand with some level of confidence excepts from the original of Old French. They will also practice translation by using some short passages.

FRN 310 Exiled Song: Desire, Memory, and Loss in Troubadour Lyric  The troubadours of the south of France were poet-musicians who practiced the art of trobar: the dual art of setting poetic texts to original melodies. While most of the troubadours native to the south of modern-day France sang of love and desire within the context of the greatest secular courts of the Middle Ages, many of them also sang of politics, religion, and philosophy in their texts. With the annexation of Occitan-speaking lands into French territory over the course of the Middle Ages, troubadour culture increasingly spread from the courts of southern France into medieval Catalonia and Italy – and beyond. In this course, we will study the diasporic dimensions of the Occitan lyric, as well as the inherent connection between love and exile cultivated by the troubadours from the very beginning of the lyric tradition in Europe. Through a close study of the poetry, music, and the manuscripts that transmit these texts, students will learn of one of the most brilliant and vibrant poetic movements of vernacular European poetry. Offered alternate years. Prerequisite: Two 250-level classes, or one FRN250-level class with the second one taken simultaneously, or instructor permission.

FRN 351 Francophone African Fiction   A survey of Francophone North and Sub-Saharan African fictions from the colonial era to the present day. In this course students will develop their understanding of questions pertaining to race, gender, language, politics, and religion, while learning the methodology of literary analysis and enriching their critical vocabulary in French. Prerequisite: FRN 253 and one of FRN 251 or FRN 252, or permission of the instructor, or concurrently with another 250 level. (Staff, offered regularly)

FRN 355 Francophone Caribbean Identities  This course deals with ways in which Francophone Caribbean writers represent their society in a context of deep alienations, and how they try to reinvent themselves and their community through the diversity of their unique culture and humanity. Students improve their cultural and language skills by discussing these major topics: deconstructing colonization; the relation of self to other; memory, migrancy and the quest for identity; women in literature; French language and local language relations; writers and their imaginary homeland; Caribbean societies and the racial problem; images of society in literature (France or the French West Indies). Prerequisite: FRN 253 and one of FRN 251 or FRN 252, or permission of the instructor, or concurrently with another 250 level. (Dahouda, offered regularly)

FRN 383 Topics in Middle Ages and Renaissance  Topics include Medieval epic and romance, Medieval and Renaissance lyric poetry, Montaigne, Rabelais, The Pléiade poets, Women in the French Renaissance. Prerequisites: FRN 251 and FRN 252, or permission of the instructor, or concurrently with another 250 level. (Wells, offered regularly)

FRN 450 Independent Study

FRN 456 1/2 Credit Independent Study

FRN 495/496 Honors

French Courses Taught in English (FRNE)

FRNE 155 Exile and Identity in Francophone Caribbean Fiction  This course serves as introduction to the study of the French Caribbean literatures, from tradition to modernity. It explores the interface between exile and identity, and examines how gender, memory, and race, class and ethnicity, language and violence inform the works of French Caribbean writers. It will also discuss literary and historical relations of French Caribbean authors with Black writers of the Harlem Renaissance movement. Typical readings: Césaire, Zobel, Depestre, Glissant, Condé, Danticat, Kesteloot, Freire, Fabre, Jules-Rosette, Wright, Baldwin. (Dahouda, offered occasionally).

FRNE 255 Modern French Theater  This course introduces students to Modern French Theatre and to the new dramatic forms that appear in the course of the 20th century. The focus is on the revolution that takes place in the performing and visual arts and gives birth to Modern French Theatre. Students learn to analyze the dramatic text and the performance onstage and investigate the relationships between culture, society and theatre. (Staff, offered occasionally)

FRNE 285 The Troubadours: Songs of Love, War, and Redemption in Medieval Southern France  This course introduces students to the texts, music, and culture of the troubadours of medieval Southern France-and their legacy as the inventors of love poetry in the vernacular. Performing their songs in the most powerful and vibrant cultural centers of medieval France. The Troubadours sang the praises of their beloved, incited kings to war, accused the decadence and corruption of the ruling classes, and made the vernacular an accepted medium for religious expression. But who were the troubadours? In this class, students are introduced to the language, history, religion, geography, and culture of these poets. Through the study of printed texts, CD recordings, digital images of medieval manuscripts, and artistic representations, students will learn about the origins of the troubadour lyric as live musical performance, its later transformation into written text, and the troubadours' impact on other cultures and literary traditions. Readings (and CD/MP3 recordings): the troubadours, some texts of the Northern French trouvères, and occasional relevant readings in literature of other periods and traditions.

Italian Courses Taught in Italian (ITA)

ITA 101 Beginning Italian  This course is designed for absolute beginners who have never been exposed to Italian. Students will learn basic pronunciation, grammatical structures and vocabulary for everyday use. Students' exposure to the language will be enhanced by music, films, short literary texts and other authentic cultural materials. By the end of the course, students should be able to understand simple dialogues and passages and to express themselves with simple sentences using the present and past tenses.

ITA 102 Beginning Italian II  This course is designed for students who have already taken one semester of Italian and are able to express themselves in the present and in the past using limited vocabulary. Students will be introduced to more complex tenses (like future and conditional), as well as more advanced vocabulary. They will improve their listening and reading comprehension skills and oral proficiency. Students' exposure to the language will be enhanced by music, films, short literary texts and other authentic cultural materials.

ITA 201 Intermediate Italian I  As the first course in the intermediate sequence, Italian 201 is best suited for students who have completed two semesters of Italian. With a focus on oral communication, students will continue to expand their vocabulary, while being introduced to more complex grammatical structures, and more advanced uses of the tenses they are already familiar with. Students' exposure to the language will be enhanced by music, films, short literary texts and other authentic cultural materials'.

ITA 202 Intermediate Italian II  In Italian 202, designed for students who have taken three semesters of the language, students will be exposed to more complex grammatical structures. They will practice communicating orally and through writing, comfortably using the present, past and future and conditional tenses. More complex grammatical structures such as subjunctive will be introduced. Students' exposure to the language will be enhanced by music, films, short literary texts and other authentic cultural materials'.

Italian Courses Taught in English (ITAE)

ITAE 204: Italian Cinema  This course focuses on the history of Italian cinema from its inception to the most recent productions in order to have an overview of the significant changes in Italian society over the past 100 years. Students will be introduced to basic cinema concepts and terminology during the first two classes. Then there will be weekly in-class film screenings and discussions. We will examine some of the most influential Italian films from the neorealist period like The Bicycle Thief/The Bicycle Thieves and Rome Open City through the present, using the films as a means to explore the social, cultural and political issues that affected Italy during this period.

ITAE 285 Dante's Divine Comedy  In this class, we will be reading Dante's Divine Comedy, one of the masterpieces of Global Literature. In the three books of his great work, the Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso, Dante travels through Hell, Purgatory, and then Heaven in order to learn the nature of the universe, to observe the motivations behind all human action, and, of course, to be reunited with his love, Beatrice. In this course, we will study Dante as being not only the culmination of the classical and medieval literary models that precede him, but also a participant in the vibrant French and Occitan literary traditions that inspired his work. While Dante is universally recognized as the poet of Italy, he was also part of dynamic literary circles that emulated French and Occitan models, as well as classical ones, in order to create a poem that has captivated readers from all over the world for over 700 years.