French

University of California, Berkeley

This is an archived copy of the 2016-17 guide. To access the most recent version of the guide, please visit http://guide.berkeley.edu.

Overview

In the Department of French, you can study French and francophone literature, culture, and film, along with the French language and French linguistics. The dedicated and creative teachers and scholars in our department share a commitment to excellence of instruction, whether it be in a first-year French class, a specialized course for majors (all of which are taught in French), a course on French literature in translation, or an advanced graduate seminar.

For its undergraduate majors and minors and its graduate students, the Berkeley French Department provides thorough coverage in the traditional, historically-based divisions of French literature and culture, as well as in francophone literatures. It blends this coverage with the study of a wide array of related fields and topics — from literary history and theory to philosophy, to social and cultural theory, to the study of gender and sexuality, historiography, visual arts and film, music, popular culture, and politics. We encourage independent and innovative thinking and research at both undergraduate and graduate levels.

We participate fully in the interdisciplinary emphasis that has traditionally distinguished study and research at Berkeley. Many of our faculty are affiliated with other programs in the University (with the Departments of Comparative Literature and Italian Studies, with programs in Romance Languages and Literatures and in Medieval Studies; with graduate-designated emphases in Critical Theory, Film Studies, and in Women, Gender, and Sexuality, Renaissance and Early Modern Studies; and with the Center for the Study of Sexual Culture). Graduate students typically count courses from other disciplines toward completion of their degree. We maintain close ties with scholars and writers in France, across North America, and around the world, and have a regular schedule of lectures and colloquia open to our students and colleagues, as well as to the public at large. Most years see visits by one or more Pajus Distinguished Visitor in French Studies. The department also regularly hosts international conferences.

Study Abroad

There are numerous opportunities for education abroad at all stages of our program. Undergraduate majors typically participate in the University of California Education Abroad Program , which offers summer, semester, and year-long programs in Paris, Lyon, and Bordeaux. For those wishing to take their first steps, our Summer Session Travel Study Office offers an exciting and rigorous program that takes students to Paris for six weeks and currently offers instruction in Elementary French (1), Intermediate and Advanced French conversation (13 and 14), and French History and Culture (43A). At the graduate level, the department has two yearly exchange programs with the Ecole Normale Supérieure and with the Institut d’Anglais at the Université Paris Diderot (Paris VII).

Libraries

The UC Berkeley Library collects materials in all areas of French literature, including literary criticism, philosophy, and theory. The library maintains a strong collection in all divisions of French literature, from the medieval period to the present. The library also collects in the area of Francophone studies, including, but not limited to, material about Africa, the Caribbean, Canada, and French-speaking Europe. The library also collects French-language dictionaries and other language reference material. The French collection is limited to materials primarily published in France. Materials on French subjects published outside France are listed with their respective provenance. For further information regarding these resources, see the French Studies collection page .

The Library of French Thought  is located in 4229 Dwinelle Hall. The collection contains close to 8,000 volumes, approximately 150 journal titles, magazines, maps, slides, and other ephemera. Subjects such as linguistics, criticism, theatre, and philosophy are well represented. Our vast literature holdings cover the entire history of French writing from the earliest chansons to the New Novel and beyond. New items are being added to the collection on a monthly basis. There are many delights waiting to be uncovered in the stacks; please feel free to come in and browse at your leisure.

Undergraduate Programs

French : BA, Minor

Graduate Program

French : PhD
Romance Languages and Literatures (French) : PhD (offered by the Graduate Group in Romance Languages and Literatures)

Visit Department Website

Courses

French

FRENCH 1 Elementary French 5 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Summer 2017 8 Week Session
Introduction to speaking, listening, reading, and writing in French.
Elementary French: Read More [+]

FRENCH R1A English Composition in Connection with the Reading of Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017
This course is designed to fulfill the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement. The primary goal of this course is to develop students' reading and writing skills through a series of assignments that will provide them with the opportunity to formulate observations made in class discussions into coherent argumentative essays. Emphasis will be placed on the refinement of effective sentence, paragraph, and thesis formation, keeping in mind the notion of writing as a process. Other goals in this course are a familiarization with French literature and the specific questions that are relevant to this field. In addition, students will be introduced to different methods of literary and linguistic analysis in their nonliterary readings.
English Composition in Connection with the Reading of Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH R1B English Composition in Connection with the Reading of Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Summer 2017 Second 6 Week Session
This course is designed to fulfill the second half of the Reading and Composition requirement. The primary goal of this course is to develop students' reading and writing skills through a series of assignments that will provide them with the opportunity to formulate observations made in class discussions into coherent argumentative essays. Emphasis will be placed on the refinement of effective sentence, paragraph, and thesis formation, keeping in mind the notion of writing as a process. Other goals in this course are a familiarization with French literature and the specific questions that are relevant to this field. In addition, students will be introduced to different methods of literary and linguistic analysis in their nonliterary readings.
English Composition in Connection with the Reading of Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 2 Elementary French 5 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Summer 2017 8 Week Session
Introduction to speaking, listening, reading, and writing in French. Continuation of French 1.
Elementary French: Read More [+]

FRENCH 3 Intermediate French 5 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Summer 2017 8 Week Session
Building on foundation established in first year, trains students in listening, reading, writing, and speaking French. Review and refinement of grammar.
Intermediate French: Read More [+]

FRENCH 4 Advanced Intermediate French 5 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Summer 2017 8 Week Session
Advanced training in listening, reading, writing, and speaking French. Review and refinement of grammar.
Advanced Intermediate French: Read More [+]

FRENCH 13 Intermediate Conversation 2 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Summer 2017 10 Week Session, Spring 2017
Intermediate French conversation. May not be repeated for credit.
Intermediate Conversation: Read More [+]

FRENCH N13 Intermediate Conversation 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2005 10 Week Session, Summer 2004 10 Week Session
Intermediate French conversation.
Intermediate Conversation: Read More [+]

FRENCH 14 Advanced Conversation 2 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Summer 2017 8 Week Session
Advanced French conversation. This course may not be repeated for credit.
Advanced Conversation: Read More [+]

FRENCH N14 Advanced Conversation 2 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2005 10 Week Session, Summer 2004 10 Week Session
Advanced French conversation.
Advanced Conversation: Read More [+]

FRENCH 24 Freshman Seminars 1 Unit

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Fall 2016, Spring 2014
The Berkeley Seminar Program has been designed to provide new students with the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member in a small-seminar setting. Berkeley seminars are offered in all campus departments, and topics vary from department to department and semester to semester. Enrollment limited to freshmen.
Freshman Seminars: Read More [+]

FRENCH 35 Practical Phonetics and Listening Comprehension 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Summer 2016 8 Week Session
This multimedia course concentrates on pronunciation and listening comprehension skills and provides a new understanding of the French language. Course Web site includes a wide variety of material--text, audio, or video, authentic or specifically recorded for the course--an audio-visual sound chart, and a multimedia reference section. International phonetic alphabet and theoretical concepts are taught as necessary. Strongly recommended before study, work, or travel in French- speaking countries, particulariy for Education Abroad Program students. Course required for French majors and minors in French Language Studies.
Practical Phonetics and Listening Comprehension: Read More [+]

FRENCH 42AC The Cultures of Franco-America 3 Units

Terms offered: Not yet offered
Literary and cultural texts that emerge out of the long history of the French in North America and of Americans in France. Topics may vary from semester to semester, but the course will always take substantial account of the experiences and histories of representations of different ethnic groups. Students should consult the department's course bulletin well before the beginning of the semester for details.
The Cultures of Franco-America: Read More [+]

FRENCH 43A Aspects of French Culture 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2016 10 Week Session, Summer 2015 10 Week Session, Summer 2007 10 Week Session
Various historical and aesthetic themes and problems in the development of French civilization. In English.
Aspects of French Culture: Read More [+]

FRENCH 43B Aspects of French Culture 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016
Various historical and aesthetic themes and problems in the development of French civilization. In English.
Aspects of French Culture: Read More [+]

FRENCH 102 Reading and Writing Skills in French 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017
An exploration of the ways words and images structure thought, communication and interactions of the subject and society. Development of reading and writing skills leading to correct and effective expression in French.
Reading and Writing Skills in French: Read More [+]

FRENCH 103A Language and Culture 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Fall 2016, Fall 2015
Discussion and composition based on the analysis of literary and cultural texts.
Language and Culture: Read More [+]

FRENCH 103B Language and Culture 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
Discussion and composition based on the analysis of literary and cultural texts.
Language and Culture: Read More [+]

FRENCH 112A Medieval Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2015, Fall 2013, Spring 2012
Medieval literature from the Chanson de Roland to the Roman de la Rose.
Medieval Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 112B Medieval Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2016, Fall 2014, Fall 2012
Medieval literature from the Chanson de Roland to the Roman de la Rose.
Medieval Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 114A Late Medieval Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Spring 2014, Fall 2009
Late medieval literature: Joinville to Villon.
Late Medieval Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 116A Sixteenth-Century Literature: Marot to Montaigne 4 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2015 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2014 10 Week Session, Summer 2014 Second 6 Week Session
Poetry and prose of the first half of the 16th century, in the context of the intellectual and aesthetic trends of the time, including humanism, evangelism, and the development of a new poetic language.
Sixteenth-Century Literature: Marot to Montaigne: Read More [+]

FRENCH 117A Seventeenth-Century Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2017, Fall 2014, Spring 2012
Authors from the first half of the 17th century. The Baroque; its chief exponents, literary attempts to resolve the crisis in Renaissance values, formulation of new concepts in philosophy and psychology, experiments with traditional forms in poetry, fiction, and the theatre. Preciosity, Descartes, and rationalism.
Seventeenth-Century Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 117B Seventeenth-Century Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Spring 2014, Fall 2006
The concept of classicism and the development of tragedy. Jansenism, the doctrine of Port-Royal. Social satire and comedy.
Seventeenth-Century Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 118A Eighteenth-Century Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2015, Fall 2013, Fall 2012
Authors from the first half of the 18th century, with emphasis on the origins of the philosophical movement and the development of modern art forms in the theater and the novel.
Eighteenth-Century Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 118B Eighteenth-Century Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2016, Fall 2015
A study of authors of the second half of the 18th century stressing the importance of the "Movement Philosophique" and the development of libertine values as well as the emergence of the pre-Romantic aesthetics.
Eighteenth-Century Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 119A Nineteenth-Century Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2017, Spring 2014, Fall 2012
Authors from the first half of the 19th century. Romantic poetry and drama. Balzac, Stendhal and the novel. Michelet and the emergence of history.
Nineteenth-Century Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 119B Nineteenth-Century Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2015, Spring 2011, Fall 2009
Authors from the second half of the 19th century. The various poetic movements: Le Parnasse and Symbolism. Development of the novel, realism, and naturalism.
Nineteenth-Century Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 120A Twentieth-Century Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Fall 2015, Spring 2013
The modern novel, the avant-garde, cubist poetry, Dada and Surrealism, the theatre before the Second World War.
Twentieth-Century Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 120B Twentieth-Century Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2017, Fall 2014, Fall 2013
Development of the novel, poetry, and theatre since the Second World War. Sartre and existentialism, theatre of the absurd, nouveau roman.
Twentieth-Century Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 121A Literary Themes, Genres, and Structures 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2016, Summer 2016 Second 6 Week Session, Fall 2013
Topics vary from year to year. Past topics have included "litterature fantastique," science fiction, autobiography, French lyric poetry.
Literary Themes, Genres, and Structures: Read More [+]

FRENCH 121B Literary Themes, Genres, and Structures 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Spring 2016, Summer 2011 Second 6 Week Session
Topics vary from year to year. Past topics have included "litterature fantastique," science fiction, autobiography, French lyric poetry.
Literary Themes, Genres, and Structures: Read More [+]

FRENCH 122A Literary Criticism 4 Units

Terms offered: Prior to 2007
The course will focus on literary criticism and will discuss the various options proposed as well as the relationship between criticism and fiction or philosophy in a given writer's work.
Literary Criticism: Read More [+]

FRENCH 122B Literary Criticism 4 Units

Terms offered: Prior to 2007
The course will focus on literary criticism and will discuss the various options proposed as well as the relationship between criticism and fiction or philosophy in a given writer's work.
Literary Criticism: Read More [+]

FRENCH 123 Prose Fiction 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2011, Fall 2003, Summer 1997 10 Week Session
Studies in the French novel.
Prose Fiction: Read More [+]

FRENCH 125A Poetics and Poetry 4 Units

Terms offered: Prior to 2007
Studies in French poetry.
Poetics and Poetry: Read More [+]

FRENCH 126 Senior Seminar 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2015
Intensive study of a major author.
Senior Seminar: Read More [+]

FRENCH 138 French for Future Teachers of the Language 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Spring 2014, Spring 2013
Introduction to applied linguistics, for students planning to use their French in language teaching or related careers. In this course we will begin with a general account of the French language--its phonology, morphology, and syntax--and we will subsequently consider specific issues in the learning and teaching of French. We will also examine a variety of commonly used foreign language teaching methods. Students should have a working knowledge of both oral and written French.
French for Future Teachers of the Language: Read More [+]

FRENCH 139 Creative Writing in French 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2016, Summer 2003 10 Week Session, Summer 2002 10 Week Session
Develops students' creative writing skills in French through analysis and discussion of techniques, experimentation with those techniques, and production of various literary genres. Enables students to explore the new possibilities for creativity and self-expression that are presented by writing in a foreign language. Weekly writing assignments using a process-based approach, including peer response, group work, and classroom collaboration. Discussion of literary texts to be read outside class, and weekly time spent on writing laboratory. Students will produce four polished pieces of creative writing. Content will vary from year to year.
Creative Writing in French: Read More [+]

FRENCH 140A French Literature in English Translation 4 Units

Terms offered: Prior to 2007
Major texts of French literature of the Middle Ages. Readings and writing assignments in English for non-majors; in French for French majors and minors. Class discussions in English.
French Literature in English Translation: Read More [+]

FRENCH 140B French Literature in English Translation 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2013, Spring 2009, Fall 2007
Major texts of French literature of the Ancien Regime. Readings and writing assignments in English for non-majors; in French for French majors and minors. Class discussions in English.
French Literature in English Translation: Read More [+]

FRENCH 140C French Literature in English Translation 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2015, Fall 2008, Fall 2002
Major texts of French literature of the 19th Century. Readings and writing assignments in English for non-majors; in French for French majors and minors. Class discussions in English.
French Literature in English Translation: Read More [+]

FRENCH 140D French Literature in English Translation 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2017, Fall 2016, Spring 2014
Major texts of modern French literature. Readings and writing assignments in English for non-majors; in French for French majors and minors. Class discussions in English.
French Literature in English Translation: Read More [+]

FRENCH 141 French Studies in an International Context 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2008, Fall 2006
An examination of a theme, issue, or concept from French literary, intellectual, or cultural history in its interrelation with non-French texts and contexts. Writing assignments and readings in English for nonmajors; writing assignments and French readings in French for French majors and minors. Class discussions in English. Topics vary from year to year.
French Studies in an International Context: Read More [+]

FRENCH 142AC The Cultures of Franco-America 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Fall 2015, Summer 2015 First 6 Week Session
Literary and cultural texts that emerge out of the long history of the French in North America and of Americans in France. Topics may vary from semester to semester, but the course will always take substantial account of the experiences and histories of representations of different ethnic groups. Students should consult the department's course bulletin well before the beginning of the semester for details.
The Cultures of Franco-America: Read More [+]

FRENCH 145 History of the French Language 4 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2017 Second 6 Week Session, Fall 2005, Fall 2003
Mainly devoted to "external" history of French, tracing spread of Latin to what is now France, its break-up into different languages and dialects, emergence of Parisian French as standard. Influence of other languages on French vocabulary. Study of brief texts from different periods to illustrate evolution of pronunciation and grammar.
History of the French Language: Read More [+]

FRENCH 146A Introduction to French Linguistics 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Fall 2016, Fall 2015
An introduction to the major branches of linguistic analysis (phonology, morphology--including word formation--syntax, and semantics) as applied to the French language.
Introduction to French Linguistics: Read More [+]

FRENCH 147 Special Topics in French Linguistics 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2015, Spring 2010, Spring 2000
Topics vary from year to year.
Special Topics in French Linguistics: Read More [+]

FRENCH 148 Translation Methodology and Practice 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2016, Spring 2015
In-depth knowledge of the French language and accuracy in its use are the goals of this course. A textbook and systematic exercises will be used to assist in the demanding task of translating, both from English to French and from French to English.
Translation Methodology and Practice: Read More [+]

FRENCH 150A Women in French Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2015, Spring 2014, Fall 2011
A study of the portrayal of women in French literature and of the contributions of women to French literature and thought.
Women in French Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 150B Women in French Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2010, Spring 2005, Spring 2004
A study of the portrayal of women in French literature and of the contributions of women to French literature and thought.
Women in French Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 151A Francophone Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2015, Fall 2011, Fall 2009
A study of Francophone literature: traditional and French influences, structure, relationship between language and message.
Francophone Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 151B Francophone Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2017, Fall 2010, Fall 2007
A study of Francophone literature: traditional and French influences, structure, relationship between language and message.
Francophone Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 161A A Year in French History 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2016, Spring 2013, Fall 2010
The study of a year in French history from many points of view--political, sociological, intellectual, and artistic, as well as literary.
A Year in French History: Read More [+]

FRENCH 161B A Year in French History 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2017, Fall 2013, Fall 2011
The study of a year in French history from many points of view--political, sociological, intellectual, and artistic, as well as literary.
A Year in French History: Read More [+]

FRENCH 162A Perspectives on History 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Fall 2014, Spring 2013
This course will study both contemporary and subsequent reactions to historic events or figures. Topics vary from year to year.
Perspectives on History: Read More [+]

FRENCH 162B Perspectives on History 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2015, Spring 2012, Fall 2009
This course will study both contemporary and subsequent reactions to historic events or figures. Topics vary from year to year.
Perspectives on History: Read More [+]

FRENCH 170 French Films 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2016, Spring 2015
Beginning French cinema studies: the language of film.
French Films: Read More [+]

FRENCH 171A A Concept in French Cultural History 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2016, Fall 2014, Fall 2012
An examination of certain large cultural concepts, such as "the Baroque" or "Romanticism," in French cultural history. Topics vary from year to year.
A Concept in French Cultural History: Read More [+]

FRENCH 171B A Concept in French Cultural History 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2017, Fall 2013, Summer 2013 Second 6 Week Session
An examination of certain large cultural concepts, such as "the Baroque" or "Romanticism," in French cultural history. Topics vary from year to year.
A Concept in French Cultural History: Read More [+]

FRENCH 172A Psychoanalytic Theory and Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Fall 2014, Spring 2007
The relevance of psychoanalysis to literary texts. Concepts of fantasy, of the self, and of desire applied to texts by Racine, Balzac, Lautreamont, Rimbaud, and Proust.
Psychoanalytic Theory and Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 173 Linguistics and Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2003, Fall 2000, Spring 1996
The impact of linguistics on the theory of literature and the practice of literary criticism in recent years.
Linguistics and Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 174 Music and Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Summer 2007 10 Week Session, Summer 2007 Second 6 Week Session
A consideration of the ways in which certain writers, as well as some composers, have sought to relate what might be thought of as two manifestations of language: song and poem, or musical score and literary text.
Music and Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 175A Literature and the Visual Arts 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2014, Fall 2012, Spring 2006
Using various works from the arts and the human sciences, this course will investigate the relations between images and written texts.
Literature and the Visual Arts: Read More [+]

FRENCH 176 Philosophy and Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017
Through engagement with the works of the French “philosophes”, a study of fundamental problems arising from the interplay of philosophy and literature.
Philosophy and Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 177A History and Criticism of Film 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2012, Spring 2009, Spring 2008
The development of French cinema. Discussions, oral and written reports will be based on the viewing of films from the work of major French film directors.
History and Criticism of Film: Read More [+]

FRENCH 177B History and Criticism of Film 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Spring 2014, Spring 2010
The development of French cinema. Discussions, oral and written reports will be based on the viewing of films from the work of major French film directors.
History and Criticism of Film: Read More [+]

FRENCH 178A Studies in French Film 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Summer 2005 10 Week Session, Fall 2001
Topics vary from year to year.
Studies in French Film: Read More [+]

FRENCH 178B Studies in French Film 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2017
Topics vary from year to year.
Studies in French Film: Read More [+]

FRENCH 180A French Civilization 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2013
Survey of French civilization: history, arts, and society, through the interpretation of literary texts. 180A: The Middle Ages; 180B: The Ancien Regime; 180C: The 19th Century; 180D: The 20th Century.
French Civilization: Read More [+]

FRENCH 180B French Civilization 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Spring 2015, Spring 2011
Survey of French civilization: history, arts, and society, through the interpretation of literary texts. 180A: The Middle Ages; 180B: The Ancien Regime; 180C: The 19th Century; 180D: The 20th Century.
French Civilization: Read More [+]

FRENCH 180C French Civilization 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Fall 2013, Spring 2012
Survey of French civilization: history, arts, and society, through the interpretation of literary texts. 180A: The Middle Ages; 180B: The Ancien Regime; 180C: The 19th Century; 180D: The 20th Century.
French Civilization: Read More [+]

FRENCH 180D French Civilization 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2017, Spring 2014, Fall 2008
Survey of French civilization: history, arts, and society, through the interpretation of literary texts. 180A: The Middle Ages; 180B: The Ancien Regime; 180C: The 19th Century; 180D: The 20th Century.
French Civilization: Read More [+]

FRENCH 183A Configurations of Crisis 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2016, Spring 2015
A study of the pressures on artistic, political, and economic structures at moments of crisis in French history. Problems of continuity and discontinuity in esthetic and social history.
Configurations of Crisis: Read More [+]

FRENCH 183B Configurations of Crisis 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2014
A study of the pressures on artistic, political, and economic structures at moments of crisis in French history. Problems of continuity and discontinuity in esthetic and social history.
Configurations of Crisis: Read More [+]

FRENCH 185 Literature and Colonialism 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2016, Fall 2013, Spring 2010
Studies in the literature developed in France at the height of the colonial era. The themes of travel, exotisme, neo-civilisation, the reaction of European countries to the discovery of Africa.
Literature and Colonialism: Read More [+]

FRENCH H195A Honors Sequence 2 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
Students will write an essay on a topic relating to French literature or culture under the supervision of a member of the faculty during two semesters of their senior year.
Honors Sequence: Read More [+]

FRENCH H195B Honors Sequence 2 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017
Students will write an essay on a topic relating to French literature or culture under the supervision of a member of the faculty during two semesters of their senior year.
Honors Sequence: Read More [+]

FRENCH 197 Field Studies 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Summer 2017 10 Week Session, Summer 2017 First 6 Week Session
Supervised field programs involving experiences in schools and school-related activities. Regular individual meetings with faculty sponsor and written reports required.
Field Studies: Read More [+]

FRENCH 199 Supervised Independent Study and Research for Advanced Undergraduates 2 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017
Enrollment restricted according to College regulations. Individual instruction only in areas not covered by courses.
Supervised Independent Study and Research for Advanced Undergraduates: Read More [+]

FRENCH 200 Proseminar 1 Unit

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Fall 2016, Fall 2015
This course is designed to give all new graduate students a broad view of the department's faculty, the courses they teach, and their fields of research. In addition, it will introduce students to some practical aspects of the graduate career, issues that pertain to specific fields of research, and questions currently being debated across the profession.
Proseminar: Read More [+]

FRENCH 201 History of the French Language 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Fall 2015, Fall 2013
A history of the French language from its Latin origins through the modern period. Emphasis on "external history" (development of the language in relation to other social and cultural phenomena) with some historical grammar (phonology, morphology, syntax, orthography) introduced through textual readings from the various historical periods. Sociolinguistic emphasis, focusing on the emergence of a standard language and its relationship to other varieties of French.
History of the French Language: Read More [+]

FRENCH C202 Linguistic History of the Romance Language 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2015, Fall 2014, Fall 2011, Fall 2009
Linguistic development of the major Romance languages (French, Italian, and Spanish) from the common Latin origin. Comparative perspective, combining historical grammar and external history.
Linguistic History of the Romance Language: Read More [+]

FRENCH C203 Comparative Studies in Romance Literatures and Cultures 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Spring 2015, Spring 2014, Fall 2012
Topics will vary. Comparative studies in literary, cultural, or historical issues that cut across the literatures of the Romance languages.
Comparative Studies in Romance Literatures and Cultures: Read More [+]

FRENCH 205 Translation Theory and Practice 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2012
Exploration of theory and practice of translation, with particular emphasis on French.
Translation Theory and Practice: Read More [+]

FRENCH 206 Special Topics in French Linguistics 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2014, Spring 2010
Topics may vary from semester to semester.
Special Topics in French Linguistics: Read More [+]

FRENCH 210A Studies in Medieval Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Spring 2014, Spring 2013
Offerings vary from year to year. Students should consult the Department's for current topics.
Studies in Medieval Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 211A Reading and Interpretation of Old French Texts 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2016, Fall 2015, Fall 2014
Offerings vary from year to year. Current topics may be found in the Department's Course Description.
Reading and Interpretation of Old French Texts: Read More [+]

FRENCH 220A Studies in 16th-Century Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Fall 2013, Fall 2010
Offerings vary from year to year. See the Department's Course Description for current topics.
Studies in 16th-Century Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 220B Studies in 16th-Century Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2011, Fall 2009, Spring 2003
Offerings vary from year to year. See the Department's Course Description for current topics.
Studies in 16th-Century Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 230A Studies in 17th-Century Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Spring 2013, Fall 2009
Offerings vary from year to year. See the Department's Course Description for current topic.
Studies in 17th-Century Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 230B Studies in 17th-Century Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2013, Spring 2003
Offerings vary from year to year. See the Department's Course Description for current topic.
Studies in 17th-Century Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 240A Studies in 18th-Century Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Spring 2012, Spring 2008
Offerings vary from year to year. See the Department's Course Description for current topic.
Studies in 18th-Century Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 240B Studies in 18th-Century Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2012, Spring 2003
Offerings vary from year to year. See the Department's Course Description for current topic.
Studies in 18th-Century Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 245A Early Modern Studies 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2016, Spring 2015
Offerings vary from year to year. See the department's course description for current topic.
Early Modern Studies: Read More [+]

FRENCH 245B Early Modern Studies 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2017, Fall 2015, Spring 2013
Offerings vary from year to year. See the department's course description for current topic.
Early Modern Studies: Read More [+]

FRENCH 250A Studies in 19th-Century Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2016, Fall 2014, Spring 2013
Offerings vary from year to year. See the Department's Course Description for current topic.
Studies in 19th-Century Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 250B Studies in 19th-Century Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2015, Spring 2014, Fall 2008
Offerings vary from year to year. See the Department's for current topic.
Studies in 19th-Century Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 251 Francophone Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2017, Spring 2017
Focuses upon the relationship between oral and written cultures in Francophone Africa and/or the Caribbean: lyric and narrative poetry, drama and novels; the presence of oral tradition in written forms, narrative techniques borrowed from storytelling tradition, the definition of traditional metaphors and imagery; idealization of lost worlds; the conflict of traditional culture and modernism; the search for political identity and independence.
Francophone Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 260A Studies in 20th-Century Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2016, Fall 2014, Fall 2012
Offerings vary from year to year. See the Department's for current topics.
Studies in 20th-Century Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 260B Studies in 20th-Century Literature 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Spring 2016, Fall 2010
Offerings vary from year to year. See the Department's Course Description for current topics.
Studies in 20th-Century Literature: Read More [+]

FRENCH 265A Modern Studies 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Spring 2015, Spring 2011
Offerings vary from year to year. See the department's course description for current topic.
Modern Studies: Read More [+]

FRENCH 265B Modern Studies 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2017, Spring 2014
Offerings vary from year to year. See the department's course description for current topic.
Modern Studies: Read More [+]

FRENCH 270A Literary Criticism: Recent Work in French 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2015, Spring 2011
A close investigation of a number of important critical works in the field of French, including an examination of the various other texts (literary and critical) with which they engage. Orients students to the varied field of French studies and develops the critical and research skills necessary for advanced work in the field.
Literary Criticism: Recent Work in French: Read More [+]

FRENCH 270B Literary Criticism: Recent Work in French 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2013, Fall 2007, Spring 2005
A close investigation of a number of important critical works in the field of French, including an examination of the various other texts (literary and critical) with which they engage. Orients students to the varied field of French studies and develops the critical and research skills necessary for advanced work in the field.
Literary Criticism: Recent Work in French: Read More [+]

FRENCH 274 Traditions of Critical Thought: French Theory 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2015, Spring 2014, Spring 2012
This course will introduce students to canonical texts and central issues in French theory and to the philosophical texts they presuppose. The goal is to give students the conceptual tools they need to read a range of theoretical texts and to contextualize major works in French theory from the 1960s and 1970s.
Traditions of Critical Thought: French Theory: Read More [+]

FRENCH 275A Problems of Literary Theory 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2017, Fall 2011, Spring 2008
Offerings vary from year to year. See the Department's for current topics.
Problems of Literary Theory: Read More [+]

FRENCH 298 Special Study 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Summer 2016 10 Week Session
Designed for students engaged in exploration of a restricted field, involving the writing of a report. May not be substituted for available graduate courses.
Special Study: Read More [+]

FRENCH 299 Individual Research 4 - 12 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
Reserved for students directly engaged in writing the doctoral thesis.
Individual Research: Read More [+]

FRENCH 301 Teaching French in College: First Year 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Fall 2016, Fall 2015
Bi-weekly lectures on methodology, grading and testing, demonstration class with required attendance five times per week; language laboratory observations; supervised classroom practice. Additional seminars and discussion sections on methodology. Required for all Graduate Student Instructors teaching French 1 for the first time.
Teaching French in College: First Year: Read More [+]

FRENCH 302 Teaching French in College: Advanced First Year 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
Bi-weekly lectures on methodology, grading and testing in French 2. Demonstration class with required attendance five times per week; laboratory observations; supervised classroom practice. Additional seminars and discussion sections on methodology. Required for all Graduate Student Instructors teaching French 2 for the first time.
Teaching French in College: Advanced First Year: Read More [+]

FRENCH 303 Teaching French in College: Second Year 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
Lectures and discussion on the methodologies used in teaching second-year French, grading and testing; occasional attendance at demonstration classes; language laboratory observations; supervised classroom teaching. Required of all instructors teaching French 3 or 4.
Teaching French in College: Second Year: Read More [+]

FRENCH 335 Teaching French in College: Practical Phonetics and Listening Comprehension--Instruction on Creating a Web-Assisted Course 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Spring 2015, Spring 2014
Required of all GSIs teaching French 35 for the first time. Attendance at demonstration class two hours per week. Readings. Journal of observations. Practical training in creating multimedia documents, Web pages, and exercises. Final paper and or/final project.
Teaching French in College: Practical Phonetics and Listening Comprehension--Instruction on Creating a Web-Assisted Course: Read More [+]

FRENCH 601 Special Study for Graduate Students 1 - 12 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
Individual study for the comprehensive exam in consultation with the field adviser.
Special Study for Graduate Students: Read More [+]

FRENCH 602 Individual Study 1 - 12 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
Individual study with an adviser, intended to provide an opportunity for qualified students to prepare for the various examinations required of candidates for the Ph.D.
Individual Study: Read More [+]

FRENCH N602 Individual Study 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2004 10 Week Session
Individual study with an adviser, intended to provide an opportunity for qualified students to prepare for the various examinations required of candidates for the Ph.D.
Individual Study: Read More [+]

Faculty and Instructors

+ Indicates this faculty member is the recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award.

Faculty

Deborah Anne Blocker, Associate Professor. Early modern French literature and history.
Research Profile

+ Karl A. Britto, Associate Professor. Africa, cultural studies, the Caribbean, literature, francophone literature, colonial and postcolonial literature, Vietnam, gender and identity.
Research Profile

Eglantine L. Colon, Assistant Professor.

Suzanne Guerlac, Professor. Nationalism, literature, philosophy, 19th- and 20th-century literature, myths of literature and theory, contemporary cultural criticism.
Research Profile

+ Timothy Hampton, Professor. Culture, politics, English, comparative literature, French, renaissance and early modern European culture, the romance languages, the ideology of literary genre, the literary construction of nationhood, the rhetoric of historiography.
Research Profile

David Hult, Professor. Literary theory, medieval French literature, allegory, hermeneutics, text editing, French Studies.
Research Profile

Richard G. Kern, Professor. Literacy, second language acquisition, writing, psycholinguistics, reading, French language, French linguistics, technology and education.
Research Profile

Michael Lucey, Professor. Pragmatics, the novel, sexuality studies, comparative literature, French, French literature, nineteenth and twentieth centuries, British literature and culture, social and literary theory, cultural studies of music, studies of language in use, theories of practice, twentieth-century American literature.
Research Profile

Susan Maslan, Associate Professor. French, early modern French literary, political history, the enlightenment, human rights.
Research Profile

Mairi Mclaughlin, Associate Professor. French linguistics, Italian linguistics, romance linguistics, translation studies, history of French, History of Italian, History of the Romance Languages, language contact, History of the Press, Speech Reporting.
Research Profile

Nicholas Paige, Professor. Cinema (French New Wave), 17th- and 18th-century French literature and culture, history and theory of the novel, quantitative literary history and digital humanities, aesthetics and image theory, subjectivity and autobiography.
Research Profile

+ Debarati Sanyal, Professor. Violence, poetry, the relationship between literary form, politics in 19th-century France, the connection between performance, performativity, ethics in modernist texts.
Research Profile

Soraya Tlatli, Associate Professor. Francophone literature, colonial and postcolonial studies, literature and psychoanalysis, twentieth-century continental philosophy.
Research Profile

Damon R. Young, Assistant Professor.

Lecturers

Maia L. Beyler-Noily, Lecturer.

Daniele Boucher, Lecturer.

+ Seda Chavdarian, Senior Lecturer.

Florence Costa, Lecturer.

Gabriel Flambard, Lecturer.

Michelle Koerner, Lecturer.

Leslie Martin, Lecturer.

Blanca Misse, Lecturer.

Vesna Rodic, Lecturer.

Rachel Shuh, Lecturer.

Nelly A. Timmons, Lecturer.

Emeritus Faculty

Esther Alder, Professor Emeritus.

Leo Bersani, Professor Emeritus.

Ulysse Dutoit, Professor Emeritus.

Basil Guy, Professor Emeritus.

Leonard W. Johnson, Professor Emeritus.

Thomas M. Kavanagh, Professor Emeritus.

Irving Putter, Professor Emeritus.

Walter E. Rex, Professor Emeritus.

Ann Smock, Professor Emeritus. Poetry, French, France during World War II, the Algerian War, 20th-century writing by women, relations between literature and music, Jacques Roubaud, Danielle Collobert.
Research Profile

Contact Information

Department of French

4125 Dwinelle Hall

Phone: 510-642-2712

Fax: 510-642-8852

frendept@berkeley.edu

Visit Department Website

Department Chair

Timothy Hampton, PhD

4123 Dwinelle Hall

Phone: 510-642-2188

thampton@berkeley.edu

Academic Manager

Gail Ganino

4125 Dwinelle Hall

Phone: 510 642-2715

gganino@berkeley.edu

Faculty Undergraduate Adviser

Susan Maslan

4219 Dwinelle Hall

samaslan@berkeley.edu

Undergraduate Student Services Adviser

Carol Dolcini

4209 Dwinelle Hall

Phone: 510 642-2713

frendept@berkeley.edu

Head Graduate Adviser

Debarati Sanyal

4211 Dwinelle Hall

sanyal@berkeley.edu

Graduate Student Services Adviser

Mary Ajideh

4207 Dwinelle Hall

Phone: 510 642-2714

frenchga@berkeley.edu

Back to Top