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French Program

Faculty

Full-time: Dr. Jean-François Duclos and Dr. Ann Williams

Part-time: Michele Duff and Dr. Christian Roche

 

Program highlights

Program

Curriculum

  • proficiency-based:  you will learn to speak, write read and understand French;
  • interdisciplinary: we teach culture (in a broad sense), history, cinema, literature, social issues; if you minor in French, you can use your skills to acquire knowledge and expertise in your major;
  • international: we cover the whole French-speaking world and have a study abroad program in France;
  • relevant: we bring contemporary issues into all courses, from day one;
  • innovative: we use the most recent technological and pedagogical developments to make your learning experience lively and effective;
  • organized: every course is designed and taught as part of a cohesive program.

 Language abilities

  • get a real expertise in French communication (oral and written, cultural);
  • use French as a tool to think, research, debate and get things done;
  • learn other romance languages fast;
  • get a initial experience in translation, a growing industry;
  • write better in your native language.

 Marketable skills

  • differentiate yourself form the rest of the workforce;
  • be able to adapt and function in unfamiliar environments;
  • communicate well with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds;
  • negotiate difficult tasks with an acute sense of initiative;
  • analyze, evaluate, and assess cultural differences in professional settings;
  • synthesize information;
  • communicate with French-speaking customers;
  • be worldly-wise, while knowing who you are.

Source : Alain-Philippe Durand, U. of Arizona, The French Review, Vol.86, N°6, May 2013.

 

Study abroad

Spend four weeks in Vichy, France and earn 6 university credits. Our next trip is scheduled for June 2018.

 

Live and work in France for a year

The Teaching Assistant Program (TAPIF) offers you the opportunity to work in France for 7 months, teaching English to French students of all ages. Several MSU Denver student have taken advantage of this opportunity. Read

 

Career paths

Among our alumni are former students who

  • constantly use the skills they honed while studying with us;
  • traveled to and lived in French speaking countries;
  • teach French;
  • attend and complete Graduate Programs in French, Comparative Literature and International Affairs.

 


Course Descriptions

FRE 1010 - Elementary French I

Credits: 5

Description: This course focuses on skills development in listening, speaking, reading, and writing with emphasis on the use of functional, communicative language for oral and written proficiency and cultural competency.

FRE 1020 - Elementary French II

Credits: 5

Prerequisite(s): FRE 1010 or one year of high school French or its equivalent with a grade of “C” or better

Description: This course is a continuation of FRE 1010 and focuses on skills development in listening, speaking, reading, and writing with emphasis on the use of functional, communicative language for oral and written proficiency and cultural competency.

Note: This course requires a grade of “C” or better to fulfill the General Studies requirement.

General Studies: Oral Communication

FRE 1800 - International French Year I

Credits: 1-15

Description: This is a variable-credit course, designed for first-year students learning French in a study abroad setting. Recognizes approved study-abroad educational experience in French speaking, comprehension, reading, and writing.

FRE 2010 - Intermediate French I

Credits: 3

Prerequisite(s): FRE 1020 or equivalent

Description: This course is the first of a two-semester, integrated, second-year sequence. The course focuses on further skills development in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, with emphasis on the use of functional, communicative language for oral and written proficiency and on cultural competency. Class is conducted mostly in French and will include a variety of interactive activities designed to help students develop their knowledge of French and their ability to use it productively in situations of communication.

FRE 2020 - Intermediate French II

Credits: 3

Prerequisite(s): FRE 2010 or equivalent

Description: This course is a continuation of FRE 2010 and is the second of a two-semester, integrated, second-year sequence. The course focuses on further skills development in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, with emphasis on the use of functional, communicative language for oral and written proficiency and on cultural competency. Class is conducted mostly in French and will include a variety of interactive activities designed to help students develop their knowledge of French and their ability to use it productively in situations of communication.

FRE 2110 - French Reading and Conversation

Credits: 3

Prerequisite(s): One year of college French or equivalent, or Permission of instructor

Description: This course helps to build oral proficiency at intermediate and advanced levels through a variety of personalized interactional activities that are based on readings appropriate to each stage of linguistic development.

FRE 2800 - International French Year II

Credits: 1-15

Prerequisite(s): One year of college French or equivalent

Description: This is a variable-credit course that recognizes second-year study of French language and culture in an approved study-abroad setting.

FRE 3010 - French as a Global Language

Credits: 3

Prerequisite(s): FRE 2010, FRE 2020, or departmental permission

Description: This transitional course is designed to develop those critical, linguistic, and analytical skills required to pursue French studies at the advanced level. The cultural sources studied-literary texts, films, news articles, videos, audio programs,etc.-are chosen to acquaint students with Francophone socio-cultural and literary issues.

FRE 3050 - Cultural Crossroads: France, Germany, Spain

Credits: 3

Prerequisite(s): ENG 1020

Description: This course gives students the cultural background necessary to understand and appreciate those spiritual and intellectual developments that have given today’s three European nations (representing our language disciplines) their characteristics. Main topics include the Indo- European language family, the cultural and technological development of Germanic and Romance-speaking countries, the causes for the rise and fall of these countries throughout the 2000 years under consideration, the role of women in politics and the arts, the development of differing social etiquette, reasons for mass emigrations, and contributions of immigrants to their new countries, and the effect that the European Union has on the educational social welfare of its member nations.

Note: Credit will be granted for only one prefix.

Cross Listed Course(s): GER 3050, HON 3050, MDL 3050, SPA 3050

FRE 3110 - Survey of French Literature I

Credits: 3

Prerequisite(s): FRE 3010 or permission of instructor; and completion of General Studies requirements in Written Communication, Oral Communication, and Quantitative Literacy.

Description: This introduction to French literature from the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment gives an insight into French literary, historical, and cultural development through selected reading and discussion.

FRE 3120 - Survey of French Literature II

Credits: 3

Prerequisite(s): FRE 3010 or permission of instructor; completion of General Studies requirements in Written Communication, Oral Communication, and Quantitative Literacy.

Description: This introduction to 19th- and 20th-century French literature emphasizes the evolution of literary style and content from Romanticism to contemporary literary schools. Readings and discussion are in French.

FRE 3150 - French Phonetics: Theory and Practice

Credits: 3

Prerequisite(s): Two years of college French or equivalent, or Permission of instructor

Description: This course covers the essential facts of French phonology. It is aimed at improving students’ pronunciation and articulation and introducing them to the field of linguistics.

FRE 3310 - Advanced French Composition and Grammar

Credits: 3

Prerequisite(s): FRE 2010, FRE 2020 or equivalent, or Permission of instructor

Description: This course is designed to reinforce and further develop writing skills, thus enabling the student to combine accuracy with imagination and inventiveness in writing French.

FRE 3320 - Cinema in French for Advanced Conversation

Credits: 3

Prerequisite(s): FRE 3010 or Senior Standing or Instructor’s Permission

Description: This course explores French-language films and provides a vehicle for advanced-level French language comprehension and expression. While students receive an enriched understanding of contemporary French culture, they are encouraged to use advanced structures of the language, as well as other aspects of grammar and idiomatic expressions.

FRE 3550 - French Historical Perspectives

Credits: 3

Prerequisite(s): FRE 3010 or permission of instructor; completion of General Studies requirements in Written Communication, Oral Communication, and Quantitative Literacy.

Description: This survey chronologically presents major political, societal, and cultural movements that have molded France and the French throughout history.

FRE 3560 - Contemporary Socio-Cultural Issues

Credits: 3

Prerequisite(s): FRE 3010 or permission of instructor; completion of General Studies requirements in Written Communication, Oral Communication, and Quantitative Literacy.

Description: This course provides in-depth presentations and analysis of recent social, cultural, political, and economic issues important to an understanding of contemporary France.

FRE 3800 - International Advanced French

Credits: 1-15

Prerequisite(s): At least junior standing in French or equivalent

Description: This course recognizes upper-division study in language, culture, and literature in a study abroad setting. It uses a variety of methods and includes reading, writing, and discussion seminars in French.

FRE 4520 - Modern French Theater

Credits: 3

Prerequisite(s): Three years of college French or equivalent, or Permission of instructor; completion of General Studies requirements; and senior standing.

Description: This is a sampling of the French dramatists who have not only contributed to literary development, but who also have had an impact on society and culture. Theater analysis techniques will also be stressed.

University Requirement(s): Senior Experience

FRE 4530 - The French Novel

Credits: 3

Prerequisite(s): Three years of college French or equivalent, or permission of instructor; completion of General Studies requirements; and senior standing.

Description: This is a sampling of 19th- and 20th-century French novels that will be studied in depth using several literary analysis techniques.

University Requirement(s): Senior Experience

FRE 4540 - Literature, Culture, and Translation

Credits: 3

Prerequisite(s): FRE 3310 and/or Senior standing or permission of instructor

Description: This course is designed to allow students to use the various skills that they have developed during their studies of French language, culture and literature at an advanced level. Students analyze and apply translation techniques (from both French to English and English to French) and demonstrate an ability to analyze cultural differences that affect translation, both of text and image. The course provides a practical application of skills toward a service-leaming translation project and includes reflection on the service learning process. Enrollment is limited to 15 students. (Service Learning)

FRE 4750 - Senior Seminar in French Studies

Credits: 3

Prerequisite(s): Senior standing, at least two courses at the FRE 3000-level

Description: This is an intense thematic seminar on either a literary or cultural topic emphasizing a comparative study in the former and a multidisciplinary approach to the latter.

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