Advanced Conversation – Café Français (FRE422) 2 CU, 1st semester, one semester elective is a prerequisite, with permission of Mr. Pratt
This advanced elective will examine contemporary topics of cultural importance relating to daily life in France as presented in the media. Students will regularly engage with authentic French media sources on topics surrounding contemporary society. The class will view clips from the day’s French television news, listen to and analyze French popular music and podcasts, read French magazine articles and blog posts, and communicate with native speakers in France and other countries in the Francophone world in order to be able to make cross-cultural comparisons. Topics for discussion and exploration will be chosen by the class members for their immediate relevance during the time span of the semester. Great emphasis will be placed on strengthening students’ speaking and listening skills, refining pronunciation, and perfecting short analytical writing pieces in French.
The Gourmet Culture of France (FRE351)
2 CU, 2nd semester, French 3 is a prerequisite This course, designed as an on-level course, will explore the culinary culture of France. Students will strengthen and develop all areas of their written and spoken French while exploring a cornerstone of French culture and making crosscultural comparisons. Taught entirely in French, the course will include topics such the history of French gastronomy, table etiquette, Parisian salons, the accreditation process of food in France, as well as an in-depth look at the courses of a meal and the diverse regions of France. Readings will include selected short literary texts and contemporary first-person narratives by French chefs and writers. Each unit will culminate in a cooking and/or tasting experience that will allow students to put into practice what they are learning.
Advanced French: Conversation, Culture and Media (FRE428) 2 CU, 2nd semester, French 3 or one semester elective is a prerequisite, with permission of Mr. Pratt
Modern Lit on the Page, Stage, and Screen (FRE430)
2 CU, 1st semester, French 3 or one semester elective is a prerequisite, with permission of Mr. Pratt This advanced elective will introduce students to modern French-language plays as texts that can be interpreted both as literature and as scripts. Works by a geographically and ethnically diverse set of authors writing in French from the 1960s to the 2000s will be read. As students move through the reading of each text, they will refine literary analysis skills and practice analysis of performance and film (in French, of course!) by dissecting filmed stage productions and movie adaptations. Thematically, the course will focus on the human desire to know, to be known, and to remember—three central preoccupations of modern theatre. All discussions and class work will be in French. Students will be expected to keep a reading notebook, to give oral presentations that lead the class in close analysis of a movie or filmed stage production clip, to write short reflective or analytical essays, to engage in dramatic reading of passages, and to prepare a final analytical and/or performative final project.
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This advanced elective will examine contemporary topics of cultural importance relating to daily life in France as presented in the media. Students will regularly engage with authentic French media sources on topics surrounding contemporary society. The class will view clips from the day’s French television news, listen to and analyze French popular music and podcasts, read French magazine articles and blog posts, and communicate with native speakers in France and other countries in the Francophone world in order to be able to make cross-cultural comparisons. Topics for discussion and exploration will be chosen by the class members for their immediate relevance during the time span of the semester. Great emphasis will be placed on strengthening students’ speaking and listening skills, refining pronunciation, and perfecting short analytical writing pieces in French.
