where legends are made

Undergraduate Courses

Fall 2023

Spring 2024

FR 101 Elementary French I (4 credits, FL/HU)

For students who have never studied French; or with one year of high school French; or with one or more years of elementary or middle school French.

  • Covers essential fundamental French structures and vocabulary and their appropriate socio-linguistic applications in both spoken and written communication.
  • Develops knowledge of cultural topics relating to contemporary French and French-speaking countries through classroom discussions, diverse media resources, and various projects.
  • Focus on intercultural communicative competence.
  • Satisfies one of these two Core Curriculum/General Education requirements: FL, HU.
  • Conducted in French.

FR 102 Elementary French II (4 credits, FL/HU)

Prerequisite: Grade of C- or higher in FR 101 at UA; or equivalent from another institution; or two years of high school French.

  • Continuation of FR 101.
  • Advances knowledge of fundamental structures of French and their appropriate socio-linguistic applications in both spoken and written communication.
  • Further explorations of cultural topics relating to contemporary French and French-speaking countries.
  • Expands intercultural communicative competence.
  • Satisfies one of these two Core Curriculum/General Education requirements: FL, HU.
  • Conducted in French.

FR 201 Intermediate French I (3 credits, HU)

Prerequisite: Grade of C- or higher in FR 102 or FR 103; or equivalent from another institution; or 3 years of high school French with a B+ average in French or higher; or 4 years of high school French with a B average in French or lower; or a 3 on the AP French exam.

  • Consolidates and expands linguistic knowledge within a culturally rich context.
  • Broadens cross-cultural awareness.
  • Cultivates global competence.
  • Satisfies one Core Curriculum/General Education requirement:  HU.
  • Conducted in French.

FR 202 Intermediate French II (3 credits, HU)

Prerequisite: Grade of C- or higher in FR 201; or equivalent from another institution; or 4 + years of French with a B+ average in French or higher; or a 4 on the AP French exam.

  • Continuation of FR201.
  • Expands intercultural communicative competence.
  • Reviews and refines linguistics knowledge within a culturally rich context.
  • Prepares students for advanced courses through research projects and creative writing activities.
  • Satisfies one Core Curriculum/General Education requirement:  HU.
  • Conducted in French.

FR310 Global Citizenship through Service Learning in French (3 credits)

  • Hands-on service-learning project at a local elementary school.
  • Students prepare and teach lessons with an emphasis on understanding different Francophone cultures and understanding what it means to be a global citizen.
  • Develops French language skills, leadership skills,  interpersonal and presentational communication skills.
  • Real-world experience using the French language.

FR 318 French in Engineering (3 credits)

Prerequisite: grade of C- or higher in FR 202; or equivalent from another institution; or a 5 on the AP French exam; or French placement test.

  • Introduction of vocabulary and structures useful for project development and team communication.
  • Study of formatting and measurement differences often encountered in international situations.
  • Preparation of a mock interview and project proposal.
  • Methods to improve comprehension in technical documents and communication.
  • Examination of relevant government regulations and company hierarchies in France and other Francophone countries.
  • Conducted in French.

FR 321 Writing and Imagination (3 credits, W)

Prerequisite: grade of C- or higher in FR 202 or FR 212;  or equivalent from another institution; or a 5 on the AP French exam; or French placement test.

  • Introduction to literary and cultural analysis through selected works of French cultural expression: poems, short stories, plays, and films.
  • Refines writing and reading skills through reading strategies and techniques.
  • Satisfies one Core Curriculum/General Education requirement:  W.
  • Conducted in French.

FR 322 Advanced French Grammar (3 credits)

Prerequisite: grade of C- or higher in FR 202 or FR 212; or equivalent from another institution; or a 5 on the AP French exam; or French placement test.

  • Intensive review of grammar. 
  • Focuses on the many uses of language and on the rules that govern its behavior in meaningful contexts. 
  • Conducted in French.

FR 323 Writing and Analysis (3 credits, W)

Prerequisite: grade of C- or higher in FR 202 or FR 212; or equivalent from another institution; or a 5 on the AP French exam; or French placement test.

  • Engages students’ perspective and activates creativity through assignments based on visual, audio, and print media.
  • Emphasis on fluidity, coherency in argument as well as grammatical accuracy.
  • Promotes connections between texts and cultural, artistic, social, and/or political contexts.
  • Satisfies one Core Curriculum/General Education requirement:  W.
  • Conducted in French.

FR 324 French for Business Development (3 credits)

Prerequisite: Recommended FR321, 322 or 323; or equivalent from another institution; or instructor permission.

  • Prepares to communicate in a French-speaking business environment.
  • Develops multimodal, linguistic, and problem-solving skills in French.
  • Critical study of tourism-related communicative practices, protocols, and local vs. global issues affecting intercultural business relations.
  • Conducted in French.

FR 325 Cultures and Conversations (3 credits, FL)

Prerequisite: grade of C- or higher in FR 202 or FR 212; or equivalent from another institution; or a 5 on the AP French exam; or French placement test.

  • Improves ability to function in the interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational modes of communication.
  • Develops oral fluency.
  • Examples of topic: Exploration of the concepts of freedom, equality, solidarity, and laïcité within the thematic backdrop of food and fashion; exploration and discussion of French TV series.
  • Satisfies one Core Curriculum/General Education requirement: FL.
  • Conducted in French.

FR 330 French in the News (3 Credits)

Prerequisite: grade of C- or higher in FR 202 or FR 212; or equivalent from another institution; or a 5 on the AP French exam; or French placement test.

  • Discussions of current news in French-speaking countries represented in various types of media.
  • Analysis of journalistic reporting and writing principles.
  • Focus on contemporary language use in narration and description of current events.

FR 331 French Civilization (FR 339 abroad, 3 credits)

Prerequisite: FR 321, FR 322, or FR 323; or instructor permission.

  • Introduction to visual and material culture in the French-speaking world and how it has evolved from the Middle Ages to today.
  • Exploration of how artistic production was impacted by political and social structures of its era.
  • Overview of developments in architecture, fine art, decorative arts, photography and film.
  • Examination of how acquisition of colonial territories affected the production of art in France and around the world.

FR 341 Survey of French Literature I (3 credits, L/W)

Prerequisite: FR 321, FR 322, or FR 323; or instructor permission.

  • Introduces to French literature from its origins to the French Revolution.
  • Explores literary and cultural history of this period (11th to 18th century).
  • Develops analytical, critical thinking, and writing skills.
  • Conducted in French and satisfies one of these two Core Curriculum/General Education requirements: L, W.

FR 351 Survey of French Literature II (3 credits, L/W)

Prerequisite: FR 321, FR 322, or FR 323; or instructor permission.

  • Introduction to French literature from the 19th and 21th centuries through poems, short stories, essays, plays, and excerpts from novels.
  • Exploration of literary movements and cultural history: movements such as pre-Romanticism, Romanticism, Idealism, Realism, Naturalism, Surrealism, and the contemporary novel.
  • Develops analytical and writing skills.
  • Satisfies one of these two Core Curriculum/General Education requirements: L, W.
  • Conducted in French.

FR352 Survey of Global French Literature (W)

Prerequisite: FR 321 or FR 323; or instructor permission.

  • Exploration of important works of literature of French-speaking regions around the world including the Caribbean, Africa, and Canada.
  • Using a trans-historical approach, this course includes texts from the major literary movements of the late- and post-colonial periods, such as Négritude, Pan-Africanism, Créolité, and Antillanité.
  • Works of various genres (nonfiction, fiction, poetry, theater, and film) are analyzed in relation both to literary and geopolitical history.
  • Conducted in French.

FR 361 Introduction to Romance Linguistics (3 credits)

Prerequisite: FR202; or equivalent from another institution; and permission of the instructor.

  • Introduction to linguistic science and its use in describing language in general and the Romance languages in particular.
  • Cross-listed with IT361 and SP361.

FR 380 Special Topics (1 to 3 credits)

Prerequisite: Instructor permission.

  • Offered based on demand.
  • Directed reading, research, and writing.
  • Topic determined in consultation with the instructor.
  • May not substitute for courses already offered as part of regular programming.
  • May be repeated for credit when topic varies (maximum of 6 hours).

FR 421 Pronunciation and Phonetics (FR 484 abroad, 3 credits)

Prerequisite: FR 321, FR 322, or FR 323; or instructor permission.

  • Introduction to phonetic theory.
  • Study the International Phonetic Alphabet.
  • Develops awareness of the correspondence between written representations and actual pronunciation.
  • Emphasis on developing oral proficiency.
  • Slash-listed with FR 521.

FR 424 Globalization, Marketing and Communication (3 credits, FL)

  • Semester-long experiential simulation culminating with the design of a website to launch a fictitious product or service on the French market.
  • Analysis of the impact of globalization on French marketing and advertising strategies.
  • Exploration of brand identities, economic patriotism, characteristics of French consumers, language use in advertising.
  • Conducted in French.
  • Satisfies the Core Curriculum/General Education requirements: FL

FR 426 History of the French Language (3 credits)

Prerequisite: FR 321, 322, 323, or instructor permission.

  • Overview of the evolution of French, including Vulgar Latin, Romance, Old French, Middle French, Renaissance French, and Modern French.
  • Comparison of the unique and shared elements of French within the Romance languages.
  • Examination of the split between the langues d’oïl and the langues d’oc.
  • Discussion of historical texts such as La Chanson de Roland, selected poems by Marie de France, La Défense et illustration de la langue française, Les Serments de Strasbourg, and others.
  • Analysis of developments in pronunciation, lexical borrowings, and systemic changes in grammar and syntax.
  • Exploration of cultural factors that shaped the language, such as the Académie française, laws affecting regional languages, the centralization of power in the medieval period, the role of French in colonization, etc.
  • Conducted in French.

FR 431 Democracy and France (3 credits)

Prerequisite: FR 321, 322, 323 or instructor permission.

  • Exploration of the political, technological, and cultural movements of post-revolutionary France from 1789 to the present through the evolution of its democratic institutions.
  • History of democratic movements and institutions in France from the Revolution until the second World War.
  • Issues facing contemporary France, including decolonization, the rise of the European Union, the current migrant crisis.
  • Seeks to answer questions about how the idea and practice of democracy changes over time, such as: Who can participate? How can they participate? How do changes in democratic institutions reflect and affect social structures?
  • Offered in alternation with FR 331.
  • Slash-listed with FR 533.

FR 441 Page and Stage (3 credits, FL/HU/L)

Prerequisite: FR 321, 322, 323, or instructor permission.

  • Analysis and interpretation (both physical and written) of theatrical texts and plays.
  • Focus on comedies by the most legendary French playwright, Molière.
  • Satisfies one of these three Core Curriculum/General Education requirements: FL, HU, L.
  • Conducted in French.

FR 461 French Linguistics (3 credits)

Prerequisites: FR 321, FR 322, or FR 323.

  • Applies linguistic theory to the analysis and description of French phonological, morphological, syntactic and semantic structures.
  • Explores tendencies of change in contemporary French and dialects.
  • Slash-listed with FR 561.

FR 470 Undergraduate Seminar (3 credits)

Recommended prerequisites vary according to topic: FR 321, FR 322, or FR 323 (or instructor permission) for a linguistics topic; FR 341 or FR FR 351 (or instructor permission) for a literature topic; FR 331 or FR 431 (or instructor permission) for a civilization topic.

  • Intensive examination of a selected topic, with emphasis on reading, research, writing and presentations.
  • Examples of topics: Descartes et l’esprit cartésien;  The Libertine Novel; Bohemia; Francophone Louisiana; Feminine Fictions; French-English Translation; Poetry of the French Renaissance; Post-colonialism; Science Fiction Contemporaine; French in Contact.
  • May be repeated for credit when the topic varies (maximum of 12 hours).
  • Slash-listed with FR graduate courses.

FR 477 French Cinema (3 credits, FA/FL)

Prerequisites: FR 321, FR 322, FR 323, or FR 328

  • Critical study of seminal motion pictures produced in French fostering an appreciation of cinema as art.
  • Emphasis on student research and presentations.
  • Film screenings are a necessary part of this course.
  • Satisfies one of these two Core Curriculum/General Education requirements: FA, FL.

FR 478 Writing Immigration (3 credits)

  • Focuses on writings on immigration in the context of all movement of immigrants in the French-speaking world, not just the French metropole and its immigrant neighborhoods.
  • Writings cover a range of experiences and social classes, from an elite class of immigrants to clandestine immigration.
  • Uses interdisciplinary critical theory as a tool for literary analysis.

FR 480 Special Topics (1 to 3 credits)

Recommended prerequisites vary according to topic: FR 321, FR 322, or FR 323 (or instructor permission) for a linguistics topic; FR 341 or FR FR 351 (or instructor permission) for a literature topic; FR 331 or FR 431 (or instructor permission) for a civilization topic.

  • Directed reading, writing, research, and oral presentations.
  • Examples of topics: Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa; Bande Dessinée; Québécois Literature and Culture; The 20th- and 21st-Century French Novel; Research in French Sociolinguistics.
  • May be repeated for credit when the topic varies (maximum of 12 hours).
  • Slash-listed with graduate courses.