PDF version of this chapterCourses of Instruction
French and Italian
The terms indicated are expected but are not guaranteed. For the courses offered during any given term, consult the Schedule of Classes.
French (FREN)
020x Course in Reading French (2, FaSpSm) For graduate students who wish help in meeting the French reading requirement for the Ph.D. degree. Synoptic presentation of French grammar. Emphasis on development of reading skills. Not available for degree credit. Graded CR/NC.
120 French I (4, FaSpSm) Introduction to current French. Oral practice, listening and reading comprehension; grammar necessary for simple spoken and written expression. Prerequisite: No previous experience or appropriate placement score.
150 French II (4, FaSpSm) Continuation of FREN 120. Prerequisite: FREN 120 or appropriate placement score.
220 French III (4, FaSpSm) Continuation of FREN 150. Review of structural patterns of French; selected cultural and literary readings; conversation and composition. Prerequisite: FREN 150 or appropriate placement score.
240 Intermediate French Conversation (4, Sm) (SS only) Designed to develop fluency in the everyday use of French. Corequisite: FREN 220.
250 French IV (4, FaSpSm) Introduction to French literature through the study of texts and audiovisuals organized around a central theme; develops close-reading techniques and discursive skills; reviews French grammar. Recommended preparation: FREN 220 or appropriate placement score.
300 French Grammar and Composition (4, FaSp) Grammatical structure and vocabulary building with practical application to written composition. Normally follows FREN 250. Recommended preparation: FREN 220.
310 French Pronunciation and Conversation (4, FaSp) Practice in sustained conversation. Emphasis on spoken sentence patterns. Normally follows FREN 250. Recommended preparation: FREN 220.
320 French Cinema and French Society: 1900 to the Present (4) Film-making in France from the earliest experiments to current trends. Emphasis on the political, social, historical context of French films. Taught in English. Reading knowledge of French recommended.
330 Writing about Literature (4, FaSp) Critical reading of literary texts; comprehensive analysis of difficult grammatical structures and stylistics; advanced composition. Recommended preparation: FREN 300.
340x French Literature in Translation (4, Fa) Readings of major works in French literature selected from the Middle Ages to the present. Not available for major or minor credit.
347 Race, Gender and Power in Franco-phone Literature (4, FaSp) Study of post-colonialism as a ferment for literary creation in the literature of French expression from Africa, the Caribbean and Canada. Conducted in French. Recommended preparation: FREN 330.
351 Early Modern French Cultures (4) Study of France’s cultural development to the end of the Ancien Régime. Special attention to events, trends and ideas that helped shape today’s France. Conducted in French. (Duplicates credit in former FREN 346.) Recommended preparation: FREN 300 or FREN 310.
352 Modern French Cultures (4) Study of the major intellectual, artistic and sociopolitical trends that have shaped French culture from the revolution to the present. Conducted in French. (Duplicates credit in former FREN 346.) Recommended preparation: FREN 300 or FREN 310.
360 Business and Technical French (4) Specific vocabulary and formulae used in international commerce. Attention given to developing vocabulary and standard forms appropriate to individual career objectives. Recommended preparation: FREN 330.
370m Equality and Difference Around the Enlightenment (4) 18th- and 20th-century debates around the idea of equality and the notion of difference. Relevance of the Enlightenment to contemporary discussions of identity, citizenship, and human rights.
380 Existentialism in French Literature (4, FaSp) Literature and thought of the major French existentialist writers: Sartre, Beauvoir, Camus and Malraux. Conducted in English. (Duplicates credit in former FREN 280.)
381 Studies in an Author (4, max 8) Close readings in the works of a single influential French or francophone author. Focused study of style, creative developments, historical context. In French. Corequisite: FREN 330.
383 French Women Writers (4) Major figures and their role in French society and contribution to literature. Conducted in French. Recommended preparation: FREN 330.
385 Colloquium: French Literature (4, max 8) Selected topics from literature of the French-speaking community. Conducted in French. Recommended preparation: FREN 330.
386 Autobiographical Writing (4) Explores the complexities and challenges involved in writing and reading the autobiographical discourse, both as genre and literary theme in French writing. In French. Corequisite: FREN 330.
390 Special Problems (1-4) Supervised, individual studies. No more than one registration permitted. Enrollment by petition only.
400 20th-Century France (4) French culture since 1900; emphasis on major intellectual, sociopolitical, and artistic trends, including cinema and television. Conducted in French. Recommended preparation: FREN 330.
410 Actualités Françaises (4, Sp) Present day French life through readings in French periodicals and viewing of French films and art exhibits. Non-majors prepare assignments in English. Conducted in French. Spring semester in Paris only. Recommended preparation: FREN 330.
432 French Theatre (4, Sp) (Paris Semester only) A survey of French theatre from the 17th century to the present. Students read plays ranging from classical comedy and tragedy to modern movements. Live theatre performances will supplement class work. Taught in French. Prerequisite: FREN 330;recommended preparation: familiarity with French history since the Renaissance.
445 Studies in Gender and Feminism (4) Major feminist thinkers and writers seen in the perspective of the evolution of gender roles in France today. Conducted in French. Recommended preparation: FREN 330.
446 Contemporary French Thought (4, max 8) Introduction to important trends in recent French philosophy, political and social theory, psychoanalysis, ethnology, semiotics, and media studies. Readings in structuralism, post-structuralism, feminism, and deconstruction. Conducted in English.
447 Decadence (4) Decadence in French literature and thought from 1650 to the present. Close textual analysis of works by Colette, Huysmans, Rousseau, Tocqueville, and others.
449 Studies in French Civilization (4, Sp) (Paris Semester only) An analysis of the prestige of Paris, past and present, based upon close examination of literary texts and graphic materials, and visits to sites and monuments. Recommended preparation: FREN 300.
464 Colloquium: French Civilization (4, max 8) Selected topics such as the press, educational institutions, French cinema today, and French colonial history. Conducted in French. Recommended preparation: FREN 351 or FREN 352.
470 Readings in Medieval and Renaissance French Literature (4) Study of modernized versions of major medieval and Renaissance texts. Conducted in French. Recommended preparation: FREN 330.
471 Readings in 17th Century French Literature (4) Close readings of texts by Descartes, Pascal, Corneille, Racine, Moliére, La Fontaine, and others. Conducted in French. Recommended preparation: FREN 330.
472 Readings in 18th Century French Literature (4) Study of the major figures of the Enlightenment: Prevost, Montesquieu, Voltaire, Diderot, Rousseau, and others. Conducted in French. Recommended preparation: FREN 330.
473 Readings in 19th Century French Literature (4) Texts selected from the works of Balzac, Stendhal, Flaubert, Zola, Hugo, Musset, and Baudelaire, illustrating the century’s major literary movements. Conducted in French. Recommended preparation: FREN 330.
474 Readings in 20th Century French Literature (4) Representative novels, plays and essays exemplifying such movements as Modernism, Surrealism, Existentialism, the Theatre of the Absurd, and Post-modernism. Conducted in French. Recommended preparation: FREN 330.
490x Directed Research (2-8, max 8) Individual research and readings. Not available for graduate credit. Prerequisite: departmental approval.
499 Special Topics (2-4, max 8) Selected topics in French.
500 Rhétoriques des Arts I (4) Core seminar on the arts, especially writing, in French and Francophone traditions. Methodological emphasis. Texts by Paulhan, Baudelaire, and others. Topics will vary.
502 Raison et Déraison I (4) Core seminar on reason and unreason in literature and the arts in French and Francophone cultures. Methodological emphasis. Texts by Descartes, Foucault, and others. Topics will vary.
511 Revolutions I (4) Core seminar on concept of revolution in French and Francophone cultures. Methodological emphasis. Texts by Rousseau, Marx, and others. Topics will vary.
551 Revolutions II (4, max 8) Seminar on concept of revolution in French and Francophone cultures. Topics will vary.
552 Raison et Déraison II (4, max 8) Seminar on reason and unreason in literature and the arts and Francophone cultures. Topics will vary.
560 Rhétoriques des Arts II (4, max 8) Seminar on the arts in French and Francophone traditions. Topics will vary.
590 Directed Research (1-12) Research leading to the master’s degree. Maximum units which may be applied to the degree to be determined by the department. Graded CR/NC.
600 Rhétoriques des Arts III (4, max 8) Seminar on the arts in French and Francophone traditions. Topics will vary.
601 Revolutions III (4, max 8) Seminar on concept of revolution in French and Francophone cultures. Topics will vary.
602 Raison et Déraison III (4, max 8) Seminar on reason and unreason in literature and the arts in French and Francophone cultures. Topics will vary.
695 Topics and/or Themes in French Literature (4, max 12)
790 Research (1-12) Research leading to the doctorate. Maximum units which may be applied to the degree to be determined by the department. Graded CR/NC.
794abcdz Doctoral Dissertation (2-2-2-2-0) Credit on acceptance of dissertation. Graded IP/CR/NC.
Italian (ITAL)
020x Course in Reading Italian (2) For graduate students who wish help in meeting the Italian reading requirement for the Ph.D. degree. Synoptic presentation of Italian grammar. Emphasis on development of reading skills. Not available for degree credit. Graded CR/NC.
120 Italian I (4, FaSpSm) Introduction to current Italian. Oral practice, hearing and reading comprehension; grammar necessary for simple spoken and written expression. Lecture, classroom drill, laboratory drill. Prerequisite: Italian placement exam.
150 Italian II (4, FaSpSm) Continuation of Italian I. Prerequisite: ITAL 120 or Italian placement exam.
220 Italian III (4, FaSpSm) Continuation of Italian II. Review of structure of the language, drill in aural and reading comprehension, practice in oral expression. Prerequisite: ITAL 150 or Italian placement exam.
224 Italian Composition and Conversation (4, FaSpSm) Practice in composition and conversation; organized around a set of themes; develops close-reading techniques and discursive skills; reviews Italian grammar. Prerequisite: ITAL 220 or Italian placement exam.
320 Writing About Italian Literature (4, FaSpSm) Critical reading of literary texts; comprehensive analysis of difficult grammatical structures and stylistics; advanced composition. Prerequisite: ITAL 224.
330 Advanced Italian Composition and Style (4) Original composition in Italian; written translation of English material; analysis of stylistic techniques of contemporary Italian authors. (Duplicates credit in former ITAL 444.) Recommended preparation: ITAL 220.
340 Italian Literature from Unification to Fascism (4, FaSp) Reading of standard English translations of selected novels by leading Italian writers (1861-1945).
345 Contemporary Italy (4) Italian literature and arts in Italy following World War II. Conducted in English.
350 Italian Renaissance Literature in Translation (4) Readings of major texts of Italian literature of the 15th and 16th centuries, including works by Petrarch, the Humanists, Lorenzo de Medici, Ariosto, Machiavelli, Castiglione, and Tasso.
380 Italian Women Writers (4) Selected poetry, prose, and drama by outstanding Italian women authors and their role in Italian society from the Middle Ages to 20th century. Taught in Italian. Recommended preparation: ITAL 320.
390 Special Problems (1-4) Supervised, individual studies. No more than one registration permitted.
430 Readings in Medieval and Renaissance Italian Literature (4) Introduction to principal works and movements of Italian literature from 1226 to 1600. Recommended preparation: ITAL 320.
435 Ruins, Magic and Melancholy: Italian Literature 1600-1860 (4) Introduction to principal works and movements of Italian literature from 1600 to 1860. Recommended preparation: ITAL 320.
440 Futurism and Fascism in Italy (4) Literature, theatre, visual arts, and politics, from the Futurist Avant-Garde through the reign of Mussolini. Recommended preparation: ITAL 320.
446 Italian Cinema and Society (4) Survey of Italian cinema in its relation to social transformation, from the silent era to the present. Weekly screenings, lectures, and discussions. Conducted in English. (Duplicates credit in former ITAL 346.)
450 Dante (4) Analysis of the Divina Commedia and other works.
461 Theatre, Spectacle, Drama and Performance in Italy (4, FaSp) Italian dramatic literature from the earliest written documents to the present. Reading and close textual scrutiny of plays by major dramatists from the Renaissance to the present. Recommended preparation: ITAL 320.
462 The Novella Tradition: Fables and Stories (4, FaSp) Reading and close textual scrutiny of major short stories from Boccaccio’s Decameron to the present. Recommended preparation: ITAL 320.
470 Modern and Postmodern Italian Literature (4, FaSp) Reading and close textual scrutiny of works of the 20th century from Verga’s I Malavoglia to the present. Recommended preparation: ITAL 320.
480 Perceptions of the Exotic in Italian Culture (4) The “exotic” as a cultural concept in Italian literature, popular genres, and film. Conducted in Italian. Recommended preparation: ITAL 320.
490x Directed Research (2-8, max 8) Individual research and readings. Not available for graduate credit. Prerequisite: departmental approval.
499 Special Topics (2-4, max 8) Special topics in Italian literature, culture, and society. Conducted in Italian. Prerequisite: ITAL 224.
590 Directed Research (1-12) Research leading to the master’s degree in cognate fields. Maximum units which may be applied to the degree to be determined by the department. Graded CR/NC.