Therese Banks
Self&Society Writing in French
FREN 0209Self 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.
0 reviewsS25Gender & Sex in French Past
FREN 0302Gender & 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.
0 reviewsS25Gender & Sex in French Past
GSFS 0302Gender & 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.
0 reviewsS25Beginning French Part One
FREN 0101Intensive 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.
4 reviewsF24French Violence & Resistance
FREN 0227Violence, 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.
4 reviewsF24Toward Liberated Expression
FREN 0205Toward 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.
2 reviewsS24Rebirth & French Renaissance
FREN 0310Rebirth 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.
0 reviewsS24Intermediate French I
FREN 0201Intermediate 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.
1 reviewF23Self&Society Writing in French
FREN 0209Self 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.
2 reviewsF23(I actually took the course on Spring 2025 with Prof. Banks) The most valuable part of this course is perhaps the speaking environment it sets you into, which is usually more directed and level-specific than other speaking opportunities at Middlebury. Grammar points are progressed at a fair speed as well based on the textbook, which may seem rather slow-paced if compared with other B1 textbooks such as Alter Ego but nonetheless very appropriate for the class pace I observed. Tests are fine but there are writing questions and they are not curved, so it is important to try to grasp on every possible point to achieve a higher final grade. That being said, they only constitute around 25% the total grade.
(I actually took the course on Spring 2025 with Prof. Banks) The most valuable part of this course is perhaps the speaking environment it sets you into, which is usually more directed and level-specific than other speaking opportunities at Middlebury. Grammar points are progressed at a fair speed as well based on the textbook, which …Read more
The course was just not for me but it is not a bad course. The texts are very difficult to read because they are old, historical French texts, and in my opinion not very interesting. The essays are difficult but if you try your best and ask for help when needed you should be able to succeed in the class.
Papers and readings were hard, I won't lie. I really liked professor banks, she is really funny and accommodating, but she took forever to get papers back to us. Discussions were interesting for the most part. The class is what you make of it, and rewrites are offered for all papers but the final.