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.

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.

Accelerated Beginning French This intensive course is a condensation of FREN 0101 and 0102 for students who have never before studied French. We will focus on the development of all four communicative skills in an immersion-style environment. Primary emphasis will be placed on increased oral proficiency through audiovisual, conversational, and drill methods. Upon successful completion of this course students will be prepared for second-year French in the fall. Weekly attendance at the French language table will be required.

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.

Intermediate French II An active and intensive review of French grammar for students having had good beginning-level training in French. We will work not only to perfect mastery of the structures of the language with practice of writing and reading, but also to develop oral comprehension and production skills.

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.

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.

Criminal Minds in Literature written in French How does one become a criminal? What causes a person to commit a crime? What triggers a criminal act? Which sorts of thought-processes lead to crime? These questions will be central to this course in which we will analyze the writing techniques that various Francophone authors have used to explore and portray criminals, both male and female.  We will read literary texts—short stories and novels— from the Francophone world, including France, and watch some film adaptations.  We will investigate the connections between realism, romanticism, and naturalism; attempt to disentangle reality from the imaginary; and interpret and extract meaning from stream-of-consciousness narratives.

Introduction to Francophone Literature This course was formerly offered as FREN 0231 and therefore students who have taken that course are not able to register for FREN 0223. In this course we will study significant literary and socio-political movements that took place in the Francophone world during the twentieth century. Through the critical study and textual analysis of poetry, fiction, and essays, we will explore movements such as Négritude (Sub-Saharan Africa, Antilles and French Guiana), Antillanité and Créolité (Antilles), Indigénisme and Spiralisme (Haiti), as well as “colonial” and “post-independence” literatures from the Maghreb and Sub-Saharan Africa. The goal is to familiarize students with the critical role African and Diasporic writers played in the history of colonization and decolonization of the French empire. (FREN 0209, 0210 or placement)

Travelers and Migrants in French and Francophone Literature Multiple forms of traveling emerged with the expansion of the French empire, from colonial ventures to forced migration. In this course we will study how writers represent such experiences. We will discuss fictions that focus on mobility, passages, and border-crossing, and question what these fictions reveal about the cultures in contact. How do travel and migration narratives reconfigure the relation between here and there, self and other, the individual and the community?  Studying literary texts in their historical contexts will allow us to discuss varied topics, such as nationhood, slavery, exoticism, identity, and difference, as well as to explore several artistic movements that have shaped French and Francophone culture. Writers will include Montesquieu, Balzac, Baudelaire, Madame de Staël, Gide, Césaire, Glissant, and Sinha.

Dystopian Visions in French and Francophone Culture Contemporary popular culture is captivated by dystopian imagery. From post-apocalyptic worlds and environmental disaster to totalitarian regimes and the rise of malevolent artificial intelligence, dystopian tropes are ubiquitous in many forms of media. In this course, we will explore representations of dystopia in French and Francophone cultures through the study of a diverse archive of film, fiction, video games and visual art. After a brief overview of utopian thought originating in the Renaissance and the Enlightenment period, students will learn about the historical and sociopolitical context of dystopian representation in French from the end of the nineteenth century to the present. In addition, the course will emphasize the development of written and oral expression in French to facilitate the transition between introductory and advanced-level classes.

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.

Power (Race) and Space in French and Francophone Narratives How do French-speaking poets, writers, artists, and filmmakers engage with the notion of power and race in public and private spaces? What tools enable us to unpack, understand, and even theorize their reflections on relations in the societies and cultures they depict?  In this bridge course between the language program and advanced classes, we will refine our written and spoken French as we learn to interpret diverse texts and cultural artifacts from the Francophone world with texts from the 19th to the 21st centuries. Classes will be discussion-based to allow students to share their impressions, and  will expand their thinking through writing and reflection-based assignments. Writers will include Léopold Sedar Senghor, Guy Tirolien, Maryse Condé, Charles Baudelaire and Mariama Bâ. (FREN 0209 or placement).

Introduction to Contemporary France In this interdisciplinary course we will examine the evolving social and political landscape of France in the 21st century. How is French society reconciling contemporary challenges with deeply entrenched institutions and values?  How does everyday life reflect the evolution of long-term trends?  How are immigration, growing inequalities, and membership in the European Union challenging French identity and the notion of “Frenchness”?  We will focus our attention on demography and the family, the educational system, politics, and the French social model or welfare state. Emphasis will be on oral expression and the acquisition of specialized vocabulary.  Sources will include articles from the French and American press, documents, and film. This course is recommended for all students planning to study in France. (FREN 0209, 0210 or placement); open to first-semester first-year students with permission.)

Introduction to Francophone Literature In this course we will study significant literary and socio-political movements that took place in the Francophone world during the twentieth century. Through the critical study and textual analysis of poetry, fiction, and essays, we will explore movements such as Négritude (Sub-Saharan Africa, Antilles and French Guiana), Antillanité and Créolité (Antilles), Indigénisme and Spiralisme (Haiti), as well as “colonial” and “post-independence” literatures from the Maghreb and Sub-Saharan Africa. The goal is to familiarize students with the critical role African and Diasporic writers played in the history of colonization and decolonization of the French empire.

French in North America In this course we will focus on French varieties in North America, including those found in Québec, historic Acadia, New England, Louisiana, and the Caribbean. We will survey the impact of French colonialism on the linguistic landscape of North America and the sociolinguistic dynamics of French-speaking communities. We will study language revitalization and maintenance in local newspapers, social media, literature, and film. This course is intended to facilitate the transition between introductory and advanced-level classes with an emphasis on developing written and oral expression in French.

History of the French Language In this course we will study how French has evolved into a global language. We will survey its development from a Latin dialect spoken in ancient Gaul to its present-day diversity in the French-speaking world, with a focus on comparative analysis. Specific topics may include linguistic variation over time, gender and language change, phonological history, spelling reforms, and language use on social media. Students will engage with historical and contemporary texts, art, and audiovisual sources.

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.

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.

New France: From First Contacts to First Nations When the first French explorers arrived in what would become known as “la Nouvelle France” over the 16th century, they found several distinct communities of indigenous peoples. In this course, we will explore “first  contacts” among these two groups, using a variety of resources, from travel writings and other written  manuscripts to archeological and ethnographic findings. How did these contacts change as the French “colons”  began to consider themselves the legitimate “habitants” of the land? In the second half, we will concentrate on  the history of the Abenaki First Nation and how this once nomadic people sedentarized in Québec, following  contacts with both French and English colonialists.

Animal Encounters in French Literature In this course we will explore representations of animals in French literature. Animals have played an important role in literature, yet, in post-Darwinian modernity their depiction became increasingly tied to a questioning of the human/animal divide. What are the recurrent motifs and concerns that shape depictions of animals in 19th and 20th century French literature?  What ethical and social questions do they raise?  We will study fictional works of animal metamorphosis, and literary accounts of zoos and animal spectacles, as well as ways in which animals have been used as a rhetorical device to de-humanize "Others"—women and foreigners, in particular. We will read texts by Baudelaire, Balzac, Maupassant, Flaubert, Colette, Vercors, and Darrieussecq. (FREN 0220-0229 or by waiver).

French Ecofictions The climate crisis challenges us to rethink our relation to the environment beyond extractive goals. How can literary arts help us reflect upon traditional perceptions of nature and enable new ways of relating to nonhuman beings?  In this course we will study the role of the environment in French-language fictions from the start of the industrial revolution to the present. We will explore how writers from a variety of geographical and cultural backgrounds (France, the Caribbean, Québec) make us attentive to the multiple ways in which humanity interconnects with the nonhuman world. Different strategies of representation will be discussed from wilderness narratives to activist prose and post-apocalyptic fiction. Writers include: Rousseau, Lamartine, Giono, Saucier, Volodine, Roumain, Chawaf, and Damasio.

African Stories, African Histories: Contemporary Francophone African Literature and Film* In this course students will be introduced to Africa’s complex history through fictional recounts by African creatives. Students will be exposed to African storytelling styles, remarking how African writers transpose traditional oral techniques into written French narratives. Students will hone their literary analytic skills while improving their written and oral skills in the French language. Students will interrogate how we can retrace Africa’s historical trajectory through its literature and film. We will examine themes of oppression and resistance, trauma and healing in contemporary Francophone African literature and films.  Creative works will include: the film Karmen Geï (2001), directed by Joseph Gai Ramaka; the film La nuit des rois (2020), directed by Philippe Lacôte; the novel Notre Dame du Nil (2012) by Scholastique Mukasonga; the novel Les arbres en parlent encore (2002) by Calixthe Beyala.

Childhood and Education in the Caribbean In this course we will study contemporary Caribbean writers’ unease with, and denunciation of, a European post-colonial school system implanted in the French Caribbean that ignored the socio-economic and linguistic reality of the population, and therefore alienated them. How did the French curriculum shape the identity of Caribbean children? What methods did these writers use to resist assimilation? By focusing on first-person narratives from a variety of French Caribbean countries we will study topics such as colonization, alienation, diversity, inclusion, and equity. Writers will include Chamoiseau, Condé, Pineau, Victor, and Tyrolien. This course is part of the Public Humanities Labs Initiative administered by the Axinn Center for the Humanities.

Language Ideologies in the Francophone World Is French really in danger? Does it need to be defended? Language ideologies have prevailed in France since the foundation of the French Academy in 1635. New waves of language defenders emerged in the 20th century especially against English in the technological and entertainment industry. In this course, we will examine the history of French language ideologies in the Francophone world from the 17th to the 21st century in order to better understand French attitudes toward the “bon usage”. In addition to theoretical works, we will explore language laws, newspaper articles, social media posts, radio news, and documentaries.

Madness in Caribbean Literature How have contemporary French Caribbean writers sought to understand madness and what can we learn from their literary representation of madness? How is madness said to exist in the Caribbean? What is its relationship with science, magico-religious beliefs, power, and community? We will examine these questions in this course through the reading and critical analysis of novels and essays by Carpentier, Chamoiseau, Fanon, Glissant, Pineau and Schwarz-Bart, among others. We will also investigate if, and how, these representations distance themselves from a positivist French conception of sanity and insanity.

French Language and Society In this course we will study the relationship between the French language and French-speaking societies. Sociolinguistic approaches will be used to explore how geography, class, ethnicity, and gender influence dialectal, lexical, and phonological variation. We will examine how language contact with regional and minority languages affects language use and development. Materials will include scholarly publications, speech samples, social media, and films. Students will learn how to build and analyze surveys, and will practice presenting their research at professional venues.

Social Mobility and France's "Transclasses" Traditionally perceived as stable and rigid, France's class stratification has evolved significantly since the 1960s. However, inequalities based on one's socioeconomic origins persist. Accordingly, the transclasses—those individuals having acquired a different class status over their lifetime—have attracted a great deal of recent attention: do they confirm the existence of social mobility or are they the “exception that proves the rule of social reproduction?” Through historical, sociological, and literary analysis we will debate this question. Sections will include: the history of socioeconomic inequality; French sociological theories that explain both continuity and change of class structure; current literary figures who embody the transclasse experience.

France: A Multicultural Society? The debates over "national identity" and the "niqab affair" (2009-2010) demonstrated once again just how controversial the notion of cultural pluralism remains in France. Using an historical and sociological approach, we will examine the sources of French unease over such public displays of "private" difference. We will explore France's colonial past and immigration; different forms of socio-political mobilization around ethnic, religious, and sexual "identities"; measures adopted by the French to combat ethno-racial discrimination. Sources will include sociological texts, articles from French press, websites, and films. (FREN 0221 or FREN 0230 or by waiver).

Francophone Cinema Across the Mediterranean In this course, we will study Francophone film and media in a trans-Mediterranean context from the late colonial period to the postcolonial present. After an overview of key works from canonical Maghrebi Francophone directors hailing from Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria, we will turn our attention to Maghrebi-French diasporic filmmaking, as well as beur and banlieue cinema in an increasingly diverse and multiethnic France. Students will gain a deeper understanding of the aesthetic and political dimensions of Francophone media by examining issues pertaining to colonialism, migration and immigration, exile, multiculturalism, urban space, gender and sexual politics, and the family. Beyond film and television, we will also explore these topics through digital and social media platforms.

The Culture of Everyday Life: A User's manual In this course we will explore works produced in France that focus on the everyday and its growing impact on cultural expression.  Beginning with key theories of the everyday (Debord, Barthes and Certeau), we will then focus on creative texts of the interwar period (reportage, le fait divers, surrealism), before turning to the postwar context and consumer society (Beauvoir, Perec and Ernaux).  We will end with consideration of the everyday and its relation to postcolonialism in a recent novel by Leïla Slimani.  Photography (Brassaï, Man Ray), film (Tati, Varda, Malle), and performance art (Sophie Calle) will also be considered.

French Feminisms on Screen In this course we will investigate the aesthetics and politics of Francophone feminist media. We will examine critical discourses on women’s oppression, including the ways in which such discourses have shaped gender and sexual politics as well as the frameworks of feminist analysis. After an in-depth exploration of some of the foundational concepts of feminist media studies, we will look at non-normative representations of gender and sexuality in modern Francophone visual culture. In the second half of the semester we will turn our attention to the ways in which Francophone feminist media depicts the intersections of gender with race, migration, social class, and reproductive rights with the aim to problematize liberal feminist articulations of consent, agency, and labor. Training and assessment will focus on visual literacy and media analysis in the form of critical and creative assignments.

New French Identities: Black and Beur Expression This course will focus on second-generation children of immigrants from the Caribbean, North and Sub-Saharan Africa, and will examine the problems of the (re)construction of the self, gender identity, relationship to family and country of origin, the role of the French educational system, and the challenges of social adaptation, stereotypes, and cultural ghettoes. We will analyze the historical, social, and political events that have shaped the identities of this young generation in France, as reflected in literature and film. Readings and films may include works by Allouache, Begag, Beyala, Diome, Dridi, Mabanckou, Pineau, and Sebbar. 3 hrs lect./disc.

(Re)Constructing Identities: Francophone Colonial and Postcolonial Fiction This course will focus on major works written in French by writers from North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Caribbean. We will explore the complex (re)construction of identities through fiction writing as it evolves from traditional folktale to political criticism, and as it shifts from colonial alienation to post-colonial disillusionment. We will also examine the emergence of cultural blending or métissage.

Gender Studies in France: History, Theories, Feminist Performances (In French) This course offers an introductory and multidisciplinary approach to gender studies in the French context. It traces the history of feminist struggles and theories (first, second, third, fourth waves), explains the stakes of the critique of "phallogocentrism" and "male domination", and studies the different points of view. The gender issues raised by recent laws regarding religious demonstrations in the public space, marriage for all, and prostitution are examined. Finally, the analysis of political demands is based on poetic and artistic works which are capable of re-focusing language and perspective, and ultimately subverting gender norms.

Anaïs Frantz de Spot

Armelle Crouzieres-Ingenthron

Charles Nunley

David Paoli

Eva Dessein

Evie Munier

Gyula Zsombok

Julien Weber

Linsey Sainte-Claire

Nnenna Onyima

Peter Tarjanyi

Therese Banks

Thomas Dunn

William Poulin-Deltour

Read 163 reviews for French and Francophone Studies courses at Middlebury College. Find the best French and Francophone Studies professors and courses.  Discover your new major today!

This course was a huge stressor for me throughout the majority of the semester, only because going into finals week, we had one quiz and one paper entered in the grade book. Because of this, I felt that it was very hard to maximize my Middlebury education, specifically in language learning, because I wasn't getting feedback on my papers, and therefore didn't know what I was doing well and what I needed to do better. This was super frustrating. It seems like Prof. Banks ended up giving the entire class A's by the end, and I have no idea how that grade came to be, but I did put a TON of effort into this course with a huge unknown on the other end of things, so I am glad I earned a grade I deserved, but it was super frustrating in the moment, and I think there are better, more interesting French classes offered at Middlebury.

Professor Zsombok is clearly very passionate about the class, and he was a great professor. There was an average/slightly above average amount of homework (grammar/vocab worksheets, reading, comprehension questions), and we would usually talk about and go over the homework assignments for most of class. It's important to talk during class because he will cold-call you if you don't participate enough. There are tests/quizzes every week or two, which weren't too difficult, and he wasn't that tough of a grader. Overall, a really good class where we learned a lot of useful grammar and got better at speaking/writing. 

Professor Zsombok was a great professor and clearly very passionate about each student's progress. The class had a lot of work (reading, discussion posts, worksheets) but was manageable and helpful. It is important to participate a lot in class or he will cold call you. Overall, highly recommend this class and especially take it with Professor Zsombok because he is very kind and interesting.