Intensive Beginning French For students who have not previously studied French, an introduction to listening, speaking, reading, and writing in French, providing the syntactic and semantic foundation of the French language in a concentrated program of grammar presentation, drills, laboratory work, and discussion. Primary emphasis will be placed on the student's active use of the language, and weekly attendance at the French language table will be required. This course does not fulfill the foreign language distribution requirement. Students are expected to continue with FREN 0102 in the winter term after successfully completing FREN 0101, and with FREN 0201in the spring.

Gender & Sexuality in Medieval French Literature How did medieval French literature debate issues of gender and sexuality? How do cultural artifacts like books and illuminations shape ideas about “normative” or “non-normative” gender expression and sexual behavior? We will read chivalric romances, songs, and letters that introduce us to the history of gender and sexuality. Seminar discussions will focus on themes like femininity and masculinity; reproduction, same-sex relationships, and marriage; non-binary gender. We will read and respond to modern scholarship on medieval French literature to bring our own voices into past and present conversations. We will be introduced to medieval French literature, learn how to engage with academic scholarship, and frame research questions and projects in French. No prior knowledge of medieval French necessary.

Intermediate French I Emphasis on increased control and proficiency in the language through audiovisual, conversational, and drill methods. Readings and film enlarge the student's view of French life and culture.

Self and Society: Effective Writing in French In this course, students will deepen their knowledge of the French language and French-speaking cultures while developing their reading and writing skills through examination of a variety of texts and media. This course facilitates the transition from language-oriented courses (FREN 0205) to content-oriented courses  (such as FREN 0220 and FREN 0230)  by introducing students to strategies for interpretation and discussion, with a focus on effective writing. Course materials may include essays/articles, theater, fiction, poetry, videos, and films.

Beginning French This course is a continuation of FREN 0101, dealing with more complex French. Oral skills are stressed and students participate in the French language table at lunch. This course does not fulfill the foreign language distribution requirement.

Violence, Tolerance, Resistance: French Literature Around the Age of Enlightenment In this course we will explore how different genres of French & Francophone literature from the 16th-19th centuries debate the sociopolitical contexts of their times: the status of women, religious coexistence, the transatlantic slave trade, the French Revolution, and the French Empire. Through texts like the first French novel, Honoré d’Urfé’s L’Astrée and Haitian General Toussaint L’Ouverture’s Mémoires, we will learn to analyze literary representations of violence, tolerance, and resistance, and to channel our analysis into academic writing. By the end of this course, we will know how to analyze a variety of literary genres, write advanced academic essays in French, and consider different historical approaches to conflict.

Rebirth and Renaissance: Narrating the Past, Present, and Future in 16th- and 17th -Century France What is the French Renaissance? If naissance means “birth,” what (or who) is being (re)born in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century France? Who are its parents or ancestors? Who or what has passed away to make space for this “birth”? In this course we will introduce ourselves to, and critically question, the possible “births” of the French Renaissance through three modules: the rebirth of the classical and medieval pasts; the birth of “the New World” as a European conception of already existing homelands of Indigenous peoples; the birth of France as a (pre)modern nation-state. We will analyze a wide variety of Francophone materials, including poetry, prose, paintings and prints.

Toward Liberated Expression A course designed to increase and perfect the ability to express oneself in spoken and written French. Emphasis on precision, variety, and vocabulary acquisition. Sections limited to 15 students. (FREN 0201, 0203 or placement) This requirement for the major and the minor may be satisfied by placement at a higher level.

Therese Banks

Reviews and ratings for Therese Banks at Middlebury College.Therese Banks teaches Beginning French Part One, Gender & Sex in French Past, Intermediate French I and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Therese Banks good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

This class was pretty chill, fair amount of readings and they were pretty interesting. We also had to do reading responses, and for the midterms we had to write an essay in class and for the final we did a research project.

I really appreciate the professor's enthusiasm for the subject. You truly can tell she is extremely passionate and knowledgable about the content. The class is mostly discussion based and it is important to stay on top of the readings. Most of the readings are understandable but there are some that can be a bit hard to get through since a fair amount of the texts she assigns are pretty old. Every class the professor goes over the reading, explains the context, as well as any confusing parts which helps a lot if you did not understand what you read. We have reading response, a midterm essay exam and final research project. 

The class isn't too bad, but it's not worth it since you have to take French all year to get the language credit. its hard going in as someone who never took french when majority of the people have taken it in highschool