This course reviews intensively the structure of the language and of idiomatic expressions. Daily translations and frequent original compositions are required. The student will acquire an extensive working vocabulary and fluency through conversation, reading, and discussion of cultural texts. French phonetics and its application to the improvement of pronunciation are also studied. This course discusses specific techniques of intensive reading and analysis through an in-depth study of a variety of short texts in French chosen to represent various discourse styles, periods, genres, themes, and traditions from both French and Francophone cultural milieux.
Special emphasis is on training students in the commentaire or explication de texte.
It includes the study of the geography of the French hexagon, from the centrality of Paris to the regionalism of the provinces. Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque art and music are discussed. This course is a study of the important historical events from the 18th century to present day and social and economic changes beginning with the Revolution of 1789. The nature and development of French aesthetics and artistic traditions in painting, sculpture, and music will be presented, along with current topics including education, and the politics of modern-day France. FREN A201 or equivalent.