French

This course focuses on oral comprehension and expression, as well as on phonetics. It examines basic concepts of articulatory phonetics and French phonology, including perceptual phenomena, segmental and supra-segmental features, linking, neutralization, assimilation, germination, individual and dialectal variations, written and oral systems, and discourse analysis. Emphasis is placed on the acquisition of French pronunciation, as well as oral and gestural expression. Methods employed include soundtracks, tapes, reading of texts, role-playing, formal writing, and note-taking.

This course studies the popular forms of literature that existed between the 16th and 18th centuries and how historical events invented stylistic choices as well as choices in medium. The 16th century focuses on the birth of the Renaissance, the poetry written then, and how prose became a bigger medium for fiction instead of just scholarly journals. The 17th century introduces the Jacobean era of the influence of Shakespeare's works. The 18th century introduces us to the "modern novel" to explore the era of Romanticism and how it began, the stylistic choices that embody it, and how society in Europe reflected or rejected its core ideals.

This advanced course improves communicative skills in oral French. It consists of 3 parts: listening comprehension, oral production, and phonetics. Listening comprehension involves listening and analysis of various and relatively long documents. Oral production includes expressing oneself on complex topics in a clear and well-structured way. Phonetics focuses on sound recognition, pronunciation exercises, and reading. The course develops French oral skills to reach a C1 level (comprehension, production). It provides an opportunity to practice the French language in a relaxed atmosphere, without fear of making mistakes.

This course is designed for beginners with at least one semester of university-level French to acquire the linguistic and communicative skills at a beginning intermediate level. Content covered includes reading, writing, oral and written comprehension, speaking, grammar, and vocabulary. Although all skills are worked on, the emphasis is put on speaking and interaction. Drawing on a wide range of materials, including audio and video documents, learners are gradually introduced to the structures that are necessary for communication and then use these linguistic tools in written and oral form. 

This course is a tutorial section for the course CHANGES IN FRENCH SOCIETY. This course focuses on the different aspects of French society in the 20th century and how that society has changed in recent history. Topics range from the French education system to socio-economic classes and French values. Students read papers by different sociologists and analyze and present them in class.

This pre-semester course examines both the lexicon and the syntax of French grammar, focusing on tenses, logical connectors, complex sentences, and argumentation. French academic writing techniques are explored throughout the course. In lectures and with examples and practice, emphasis is placed on summarizing, organizing, outlining, commentary, textual analysis, and forms of dissertation (compositions and term papers). The course also includes training in note-taking skills, using listening exercises with oral follow-up and written reports, training in the delivery of oral reports, and training in methods of debate. 

This course offers a study of major past and contemporary French film productions.

This online course examines the French culture along with some basic elements of the French language. nl