Major
Minor
Courses |
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 A student who chooses French as a major will gain valuable
knowledge, not only about the language, but also about the many
unique and fascinating cultures represented in the Frenchspeaking
world. Like all languages offered in our foreign language program,
the French major is informed by "the five C's": Communication,
Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities. These areas
represent the defined goals of the National Standards for Foreign
Language Learning.
The journey toward a French major begins with a thorough emphasis
on reading, writing, listening comprehension, and speaking. These
essential skills prepare the student with the foundations for
communicating in diverse contexts in the French language. More
advanced study of French will enable the student to explore the
treasures of French and Francophone prose, poetry, drama and cinema,
in addition to the study of colorful and intriguing civilizations in
France, Belgium, Switzerland, Africa and Québec and wider
French-speaking Canada. Through course offerings in French at
Oglethorpe University, students become more informed about America's
French-speaking neighbors to the north and in the Caribbean to the
south, in addition to becoming more functional global citizens.
Once students have reached an adequate level of proficiency in
French, they will be ready to complement their classroom studies
with full-immersion study abroad opportunities. As an invaluable
component of the French major, students are required to study and
live in a Frenchspeaking country for a semester during the academic
year following the completion of an initial sequence of courses
taken in the program. Most French majors choose to study at
Oglethorpe's partner institution the Catholic University of Lille.
In addition, for the adventurous student, there are many other
creative study abroad options available, all of which can be
discussed with student advisors. Native speakers of French are
invited to complete the 12-semester hour requirements of study
abroad in courses at Oglethorpe or through cross registration at one
of the Atlanta Regional Consortium for Higher Education (ARCHE)
institutions.
Many students who complete the French major at Oglethorpe go on
to carry out graduate programs at other institutions in French and
Francophone language and literature, linguistics, French cultural
studies, or International Relations. Other graduates from the
program become French instructors or find opportunities in corporate
or non-profit organizations, where they continue to apply their
language skills and global experiences. Students are also invited to
combine a double major in French with other disciplines, a
combination which greatly enhances student marketability after
graduation.
All students with previous study or experience in French must
take a language placement examination. They will be placed in the
course sequence according to their competence. Under no circumstance
should students with past experience in French place themselves in
courses, especially at the elementary level. Students are not
eligible to enroll in elementary and intermediate courses in their
native languages.
Major
Students who major in French must first complete the following
requirements:
FRE 201 Intermediate French
FRE 301 French Conversation and Composition
FRE 302 French Lyric and Literary Prose
Students will then complete a semester in an approved study
abroad program, which should include a minimum of 12 semester hours.
Returning students must complete three upper-level (300 or 400)
courses in French.
Elementary Spanish I or equivalent as determined through the
Spanish placement test is also required. It is recommended that this
requirement be completed during the student's first two years.
The degree awarded is the Bachelor of Arts.
Minor
A minor in French consists of the following requirements:
FRE 201 Intermediate French
Three upper-level courses (300 or 400)
Certain of these requirements may be met through an approved
study abroad program.
The following courses are offered on French:
| FRE 101, FRE 102. Elementary French I, II |
4 plus 4 hours |
| This course is beginning college French,
designed to present a sound foundation in understanding,
speaking, reading and writing contemporary French. Prerequisite:
None for FRE 101; FRE 101 required for FRE 102, or placement by
testing.
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| FRE 201. Intermediate French |
4 hours |
| This course involves further
practice in developing oral and written skills. Introduction to
a variety of unedited French texts will be included.
Prerequisite: FRE 102 or placement by testing.
|
| FRE 301. French Conversation and Composition |
4 hours |
This course focuses on the
development of oral skills through practice in group settings
and individual class presentations combined with weekly writing
assignments in French to be revised on a regular basis. A study
of style and grammatical forms used exclusively in the written
language completes the course work. Prerequisite: FRE 201 or
placement by testing.
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| FRE 302. French Lyric and Literary Prose |
4 hours |
| Selected texts from French
literature are studied as examples of prose, poetry and drama.
Students will read original works from the French classical and
modern periods. Taught in French. Prerequisite: FRE 301 or
placement by testing.
|
| FRE 401. Special Topics in French Language,
Literature, and Culture |
4 hours |
Topical aspects of the literature
and cultural phenomena associated with the French language are
explored in this course. Offerings will vary according to
faculty and student interest. Prerequisite: FRE 301.
|
| FRE 402. The Modern French Republics and
Their Institutions |
4 hours |
A study of both political and
cultural institutions in France from 1870 to the present with
emphasis on the traditions established by the new republican
government in the 1880s and the creation in 1958 of the Fifth
Republic under which France is currently governed. Taught in
French. Prerequisite: FRE 301.
|
| FRE 403. Franco-American Relations in Trade
and Culture |
4 hours |
This course is an orientation to
French business and cultural communities and considerations of
existing connections with their American counterparts. The
course includes an introduction to business French. Guest
lecturers are invited from the diplomatic and business community
in the wider Atlanta area. Field trips are also organized to
consulates, trade offices, and businesses. Taught in French.
Prerequisite: FRE 301.
|
| FRE 404. Great French Actresses and Their
Film Roles |
4 hours |
This course will study French film
actresses and their roles in an attempt to understand better the
situation of women in France during the last half of the 20th
century. Readings from The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir,
written at the outset of the period in question, provide a
counterpoint to the cinematic fiction. Actresses studied may
include Isabelle Adjani, Arletty, Fanny Ardant, Brigitte Bardot,
Juliette Binoche, Sandrine Bonaire, Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle
Huppert, Miou-Miou, Romy Scheider, and Simone Signoret. The
course is conducted in English. Students may take the course as
part of a French major or minor and complete readings, tests,
and written work in French. Prerequisite: None for work in
English, FRE 302 for work in French.
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| FRE 405. The 19th-Century French Realist
Novel |
4 hours |
This course studies the 19th-century
French realist novel by concentrating on three "giants" of the
tradition. The course includes Balzac's Père Goriot, Flaubert's
Education Sentimentale and Zola's Germinal. The study of one
novel of each of these writers gives an overview of the major
literary moments in the century following the French Revolution.
The principal characters in each novel confront the particular
challenges of each historical and social moment in 19thcentury
France. The course thus allows students to obtain a complex
notion of realism in an historical context along with greatly
enhanced vocabulary and language skills in French. Taught in
French. Prerequisite: FRE 302.
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| FRE 450. Independent Study in French |
1-4 hours |
Supervised research on a selected
topic. Prerequisite: Submission of a proposed outline of study
that includes a schedule of meetings and assignments approved by
the instructor, the division chair, and the Provost and Senior
Vice President prior to registration.
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| FRE 406. French and Spanish Crossroads in the Caribbean and Africa |
4 hours |
This course uses Spanish- and French-speaking countries in proximity to each other in the
Caribbean or Africa as a point of departure for literary, cultural, social and service learning
exploration. Offerings may focus upon Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Martinique and
Cuba, Equatorial Guinea in relation to Senegal or other appropriate pairings. The course is
taught in English and students without advanced skills in French or Spanish may register.
This course is also cross listed as SPN 406. Prerequisite: FRE 301 for French major or minor
credit; SPN 301 for Spanish major or minor credit.
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