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University of Washington

Courses in French Studies | Courses in Italian Studies

Courses in French Studies (click on course for details)

French 101: Elementary French
French 102: Elementary French
French 103: Elementary French
French 110: Basic French Review
French 201, 202, 203: Intermediate French
French 211: Renaissance, Enlightenment, Revolution: Major Works in English
French 302, 303: Advanced French
French 304: French Literature: Origins to 1600
French 378: Contemporary France
French 420: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Literature
French 499: Special Topics - Science Fiction
French 510 A: French Teaching Methodology (Grads)
French 590B: Teaching Methods (Grads)
French 590C: Ecocriticism and the Postcolonial (Grads)

Courses in Italian Studies (click on course for details)

Italian 101: Elementary Italian
Italian 201: Intermediate Italian
Italian 250: Rome
Italian 301: Advanced Grammar
Italian 327: Advanced Conversation
Italian 351: Contemporary Italian Culture
Italian 401: Medieval Italian Readings
Italian 431: Italian Theater
Italian 501: Medieval Italian Readings (Grads)
Italian 531: Italian Theater (Grads)

Course Descriptions

FRENCH 101, 102, 103: ELEMENTARY FRENCH
Daily, multiple sections and hours, 5 cr., Staff

A three-quarter introductory-level sequence. The four skills--listening, speaking, reading and writing--are stressed in a primarily oral-aural method of presentation. The course covers all major elements of French grammar. Conducted in French; language laboratory required in addition to daily class sessions. Offered quarterly.
Required texts: S.L. Difusion and H. Meyer, Rond Point (text, workbook, and answer key), Prentice Hall, 2006.
Prerequisite for French 101: No prior French, or placement
Prerequisite for French 102: French 101, or placement
Prerequisite for French 103: Frenfch 102, or placement

FRENCH 110: BASIC FRENCH REVIEW
Daily, multiple sections and hours, 5 cr., Staff

Basic French Review combines in one quarter the contents of 101 and 102. This intensive course is designed for students who have studied French for at least two years in high school but who do not feel ready for 102. Highly motivated beginners with background in other languages are also encouraged to take the course. After completing 110, students can enroll directly in French 103.
Required texts: S.L. Difusion and H. Meyer, Rond Point (text, workbook, and answer key), Prentice Hall, 2006.
Prerequisite: Placement (score of 10-30 on 100-level French placement exam)

FRENCH 201, 202, 203: INTERMEDIATE FRENCH (VLPA)
Daily, multiple sections and hours, 5 cr., Staff

A three-quarter systematic review and expansion of French grammar, development of conversational skills (listening and speaking), reading literary and cultural materials, and writing compositions. Conducted in French, the intermediate sequence encourages students to use their language skills more actively and at a more sophisticated level than the elementary sequence. French 202 not offered Autumn quarter.
Prerequisites: 103 for 201; 201 for 202; 202 for 203.
Required texts: Reseau (Pearson) - for French 201; En Bonne forme used in 202/203; L'enfant noir used in French 203.
NOTE: French 202 is not always offered autumn quarter.

FRENCH 211: RENAISSANCE, ENLIGHTENMENT, REVOLUTION: MAJOR WORKS IN ENGLISH (VLPA)
Lecture TTH 10:30-11:50
5 cr., Geoff Turnovsky

This course explores the cultural, social, and political contexts out of which some of the most important, enduring works of French intellectual history emerged. We will focus specifically on the historical conditions in which increasingly critical writings from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment and Revolutionary period were circulated in the framework of absolute monarchy and hierarchical society. What opportunities were presented to those who were drawn to question the arbitrary nature of the political or social orders? And what constraints did they have to work against? In proposing such questions, the course will introduce students to the culture and history of an evolving France leading up to the Revolution of 1789 and into the modern era of the 19th century. Readings will include a mix of primary and secondary works. The course will be conducted in English.
Required texts: Corneille, The Cid, Cinna, and Theatrical Illusion, Penguin Classics; Montesquieu, Persian Letters, Hackett; Voltaire, Philosophical Letters, Hackett.

FRENCH 301, 302, 303: ADVANCED FRENCH (VLPA, W courses)
Multiple sections and hours, 5 cr., Staff

French 301 allows students to review French grammar at an advanced level and to acquire the essentials of French composition, through the study of written and audiovisual authentic cultural material . French 302 is a continuation of French 301. French 303 is geared toward students planning to take literature classes and allows them to complete their studies of the techniques of French composition. These courses are conducted exclusively in French. French 302 not offered Autumn quarter.
Prerequisites: 203 for 301; 302 for 303, 302 for 303, or placement.
Required texts: Denise Rochat, Contrastes text & workbook (Pearson Education); William F. Edmiston, Annie Duménil, La France contemporaine (Harcourt Brace); for 301: Pascal Quignard, Tous les matins du monde (Folio Gallimard); for 302 & 303: Irene Nemirovsky, Suite Francaise (in French).

FRENCH 304: SURVEY OF FRENCH LITERATURE: ORIGINS TO 1600 (VLPA)
MW 11:30-1:20, 5 cr., Delcourt

Students will read and discuss masterpieces of Medieval and Renaissance literature. Medieval texts will be read in modern French translations. The following topics will receive special attention: models of gender and kinship; violence and the social order; the human body in love and death; spirituality and desire. Class will be conducted in French.
Prerequisite: FRENCH 303, which may be taken concurrently.
Required Texts: La Chanson de Roland (Paris: Garnier-Flammarion); Tristan et Iseut (Paris: Editions 10/19/1998); Aucassin et Nicolette (Paris: Garnier-Flammarion); Francois Rabelais, Pantagruel et Gargantua (Paris: Bordas).

FRENCH 378: CONTEMPORARY FRANCE (VLPA/I&S)
MW 10:30-12:20, 5 cr., Doug Collins

Study of the historical origins and subsequent development of contemporary problems and characteristics of French government and politics, economy, and society. Course conducted in English.
Prerequisite: FRENCH 203
Required texts: Carles, Emilie, Une Soupe aux herbes sauvages, Pocket; Gaspard, Françoise, A Small City in France, Harvard University Press; Emaux, Annie, La Place, Gallimard Folio; Guene, Faiza, Kiffe Kiffe Dermain, Livre de Poche.

FRENCH 420: THE FIRST NEW MEDIA: CULTURAL, SOCIAL, AND POLITICAL IMPACTS OF THE 'PRINTING REVOLUTION' (VLPA)
TTH 1:30-3:20, 5 cr., Geoff Turnovsky

Ceci tuera cela. Victor Hugo described the transformative effect of the
printed book's rise in the fifteenth-century Europe of Notre Dame de Paris, in which it would consign to obsolescence the previously dominant medium of architecture. Today, it is the book's turn on the chopping block, yet reports of its demise are premature: globally, more books are published now than at anytime in history.

This course studies the rise, influence, and durability of print culture
throughout the modern era in France and Europe. It's a truism to say that
Gutenberg's press was 'revolutionary.' But how? We will explore key changes to fabric of intellectual, social, and political life introduced by what Hugo, 400 years after Gutenberg, still depicted as 'new media,' focusing on the legal and economic structures to which it gave rise: authorship, intellectual property, censorship, etc.. Our culture remains heavily invested in many of these forms: a recent survey showed that 81% of respondents still dreamed one day to 'write a book.' In the age of blogs, IM, and Twitter, why would this be the case?

Since we will be mostly reading in historical research with some primary
case studies, readings and discussion will be in English.

FRENCH 499: SPECIAL TOPICS - SCIENCE FICTION
MW 1:30-3:20, 5 cr., Louisa Mackenzie

Science fiction is taken more seriously in France than in the English-speaking world. Many of the country's most respected writers try their hand at this genre. One of the founding figures of modern science fiction, Jules Verne, is esteemed as greatly as H.G. Wells, Arthur C. Clarke and other Anglo-American masters.

This class provides an introduction to the richness of French science fiction. Starting with Jules Verne, we will situate our readings firmly in historical context, trying to understand how literature has reacted to scientific innovation and what the articulations might be between science and the literary more generally. We will also examine sci-fi in its political context (one novel written during Nazi-occupied France, another written in the period of civil rights activism in America). Franco-American relationships are often at stake in French sci-fi: we will ask why. Along the way, we will also engage the "genre wars": the question of whether science fiction is worthy of the same kind of respect that we give more traditional genres. Class conduced in French.
Prerequisite: FRENCH 303; either FRENCH 304. FRENCH 305, FRENCH 306, or FRENCH 307. Course taught in English; readings and assignments in French
Required texts: Course reader; Rene Barjavel, Ravage (ISBN: 2070362388); Pierre Boulle, La planete des singes (ISBN: 2266118323); Amin Maalouf, Le premier siecle apres Beatrice (ISBN: 2253097829); Bernard Werber, L'arbre des possibles (ISBN: 222613459X).

FRENCH 510 A: TEACHING METHODOLOGY
TH 3:30-5:20, 3 cr., Hedwige Meyer

This class is for new Teaching Assistants in French only and is required. We will explore various teaching techniques and learn how to apply them in our classes. Students enrolled in this course also take Klaus Brandl's seminar, which meets T 3:30-5:20.
Prerequisite: Must be holding teaching assignment or permission of instructor. No text required.
STUDENTS ENROLLED IN THIS COURSE SHOULD ALSO ENROLL IN KLAUS BRANDL’S CLASS, FRENCH 590 B, T 3:30-5:20.

FRENCH 590 B: SPECIAL SEMINAR - TEACHING METHODS
T 3:30-5:20, 3 cr., Klaus Brandl

This class is required for new Teaching Assistants in French, who must also take Hedwige Meyer's seminar, which meets TH 3:30-5:20.

FRENCH 590C: ECOCRITICISM AND THE POSTCOLONIAL
F 1:30-4:20, 5 cr., Richard Watts

We will read the literary and cinematic production of the francophone post/colonial world through the lens of ecocriticism with a view to understanding the limits of both ecocriticism and postcolonial theory as well as finding the critical common ground between them. From Aimé Césaire’s linking of man and environment in Cahier d’un retour au pays natal to Tran Anh Hung’s disenchanted urban “nature” in Cyclo, or, in critical writings, from Richard Slaymaker’s cautionary essay on the risks of “ecoing the Other” to Tiffin and Huggan’s embrace of “Green Postcolonialism,” the readings for the seminar articulate a wide of range of approaches and representational strategies for addressing the problematic binary of “nature” and “culture” in postcolonial contexts. Still, out of this heterogeneity, a habitus of the field of postcolonial ecocriticism emerges, and this is what we will aim to identify through discussions, presentations, and written work. Authors/filmmakers on the list will likely include Aimé Césaire, Patrick Chamoiseau, Edouard Glissant, Maryse Condé, Mongo Beti, Thierno Monénèmbo, Sony Labou Tansi, Djibril Diop Mambéty, Assia Djebar, and Tran Anh Hung; criticism will include selections from Caribbean Literature and the Environment (DeLoughrey et al.), Postcolonial Ecocriticism (Huggan and Tiffin), and others. Although all discussions and many of the critical readings will be in English, a reading knowledge of French is required.
Graduate students only.

ITALIAN 101: ELEMENTARY ITALIAN
Daily, multiple hours and sections, 5 cr., Staff

The first part of a three-quarter introductory-level sequence. The four skills -- listening, speaking, reading and writing -- are stressed in a primarily oral-aural method of presentation. The course covers all major elements of Italian grammar. Conducted in Italian; language laboratory required in addition to daily class sessions. Offered primarily sequentially, Autumn 101, Winter 102, Spring 103.
Required texts: Branciforte & Grassi, Parliamo Italiano! and Parliamo Italiano! Workbook/Lab Manual/Video Manual & accompanying CDs (Houghton Mifflin Company).

ITALIAN 201: INTERMEDIATE ITALIAN (VLPA)
Daily, multiple times, 5 cr., Staff

The first part of a three-quarter, systematic review of Italian grammar and development of conversational skills (comprehension and speaking) as well as reading literary and cultural materials and writing compositions. Conducted in Italian, the intermediate sequence encourages students to use their language skills more actively and at a more sophisticated level than the elementary sequence.
Prerequisite: 103 or college equivalent or placement
Required texts: (for the ITALIAN 201-202-203 sequence): Monetti, Da Capo, 6th edition, 2007.

ITALIAN 250: ROME (I&S/VLPA)
Lecture TTH 3:30-5:50, Sections vary, 5 cr., Albert Sbragia & Mary O'Neil

Focuses on Rome as an historical, intellectual, and artistic world center. Literary and historic documents, visual arts, architecture, film, and opera will be used to explore the changing paradigms of the Eternal City. In English. Offered: jointly with ART H 250/HSTEU 250.
Required text: Chris Scarre, The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Rome, Penguin, ISBN: 0140513299.

ITALIAN 301: ADVANCED ITALIAN (VLPA, W course)
Multiple sections, 5 cr.

The third part of a three-quarter perfection-level sequence of syntax, composition and stylistics.
Offered sequentially Autumn 301, Winter 302, Spring 303.
Prerequisite: 203 or college equivalent or placement
Required texts: Sciascia, A Ciascuno il suo (Adelphi).

ITALIAN 327: ADVANCED CONVERSATION (VLPA)
MW 10:30-11:20, 2 cr., Sabrina Tatta

Focus on developing advanced conversational skills--listening and speaking--to fluency and increasing vocabulary in varying situations. May be taken up to four different times (2 cr. each time, 8 maximum) for credit. Discussions are based on contemporary Italian current event articles, fiction, and essay. Conducted in Italian. Not open to students whose native language is Italian. Offered quarterly. Materials available in class.
Prerequisite: 203 or college equivalent or placement.

ITALIAN 351: CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN CULTURE
TTH 12:30-2:20, 5 cr., Claudio Mazzola

Italian culture from the 1980s to the present, with discussion of major events of the period and readings from fiction, political manifestos, song lyrics, etc. Emphasis on recent linguistic developments, changed role of women, meaning of multiculturalism in Italy, and the spread of global culture. Conducted in Italian.
Prerequisite: either ITAL 203 or ITAL 234

ITALIAN 401: MEDIEVAL ITALIAN READINGS
TTH 10:30-12:20, 5 cr., Donna Yowell

Exploration of medieval Italian cultural history through a broad variety of literary and other textual traditions.
Prerequisite: ITAL 302.

ITALIAN 431: LA NASCITA DEL TEATRO MODERNO
TTH 3:30-5:20, 5 cr., Susan Gaylard

This course is an introduction to the Renaissance through comedy, as we
study plays from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries. We will
compare different versions of each plot (theatrical, cinematic, pictorial)
as we investigate the emergence of the female heroine, the modern
spectacle, and the theater as an architectural space. Coursework includes
the 2006 film "She's the Man" starring Amanda Bynes (adapted from one of
the plays we will read). At the end of the quarter students perform their
own adaptation of an early modern masterpiece. All coursework is in
Italian.
Note: Majors required to take Ital 403 in Spring quarter will find this course good preparation for reading Renaissance literature!
Prerequisite: ITAL 302.

ITALIAN 499 A: SPECIAL TOPICS
2-5 cr,To be arranged

ITALIAN 501: MEDIEVAL ITALIAN READINGS
TTH 10:30-12:20, 5 cr., Donna Yowell

Exploration of medieval Italian cultural history through a broad variety of literary and other textual traditions.
Required texts: TBA

ITALIAN 531: ITALIAN THEATER
F 1:30-4:20, 5 cr., Susan Gaylard

This graduate seminar will explore Renaissance theater and its plot lines
before the advent of Shakespeare. Readings will include some of the earliest versions of "Romeo and Juliet" as well as the major source of "Twelfth Night". Texts will be in Italian and English. Students will have the
opportunity to study some of Special Collections' extraordinary holdings in
sixteenth-century theater.
Grads only.

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