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Additional Information
Nancy C. Mellerski, Professor of French and Film Studies, Chair Sylvie G. Davidson, Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures, John J. Curley '60 and Ann Conser Curley '63 Faculty Chair in Global Education (Director of the Dickinson College Center in Toulouse, Spring 2009))Catherine A. Beaudry, Associate Professor of French Dominique A. Laurent, Associate Professor of FrenchTullio Pagano, Associate Professor of Italian (On leave Fall 2008)Lucile Duperron, Assistant Professor of French Ian Andrew MacDonald, Assistant Professor of French (Director of the Dickinson College Center in Toulouse, Fall 2008)Nicoletta Marini-Maio, Assistant Professor of ItalianBenjamin Ngong, Assistant Professor of French and Francophone StudiesAlexandra Coller, Visiting Assistant Professor of ItalianPaola Bonifazio, Visiting Assistant Professor of ItalianAnna E. Hudson, Visiting Instructor in FrenchSylvie Toux, Resident Director of the Dickinson Toulouse Center and Program (On leave 2008-09)French
A minimum of eleven courses beyond the 100-level, including 236, one course in Francophone studies, and two 300-level courses taken on the Carlisle campus during the senior year, one of which must be a senior seminar. One of the 11 courses may take the following form: (1) an internship completed in Toulouse; or (2) a course taken in France or in Cameroon in which more than 50% of course content is related to either French or Francophone area or issues; or (3) For students who do not study abroad, one course in another department on the Carlisle campus in which a substantial portion of the content is related to French or Francophone areas or issues. If this course is available as a FLIC in French, students are required to do the reading and written assignments in French. Students will consult with the department chair regarding the suitability of the course to meet the French or Francophone studies requirement.
Five courses beyond the 100-level, including 236.
First Year: 116, 230; or 230, 236; or 236 followed by 240, or 245, or 246
NOTE: Entrance level dependent on the results of a placement examination
Second Year: 230, 236; or 236, followed by 240, 245, or 246
Third Year: Study in Toulouse, France and/or Yaoundé, Cameroon, 255, 256; or two 300-level courses
Fourth Year: Two 300-level courses including one Senior Seminar, plus related electives (e.g. language and literary studies, international studies, History of Modern France, Medieval History, Art History)
NOTE: Normally French majors may not take 200-level courses their senior year.
Students seeking Pennsylvania teacher certification must fulfill requirements for the major, including areas mandated by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, and must take a series of courses in the Education Department. They should identify themselves as early as possible as teacher certification candidates to their advisor and to the director of Teacher Education in the Education Department. For additional information, visit the
Education Department web site.
Students interested in Independent Study or Independent Research in French should consult with the faculty member with whom they hope to work. Independent Study may not duplicate a class already being offered in a particular semester. Independent Research is usually reserved for the senior year and may be carried out over one or two semesters for one or more credits. An independent research project comprises a substantial paper written in French, with an oral defense at its completion. The project is supervised by two members in the department. When independent research is interdisciplinary in nature, a third faculty member from outside the department is invited to participate.
Departmental honors in French are normally granted to students who have completed independent research projects and, after an oral defense, receive an A or A-.
Internships may be available for interested students. The Department chairperson or the Coordinator in Toulouse should be consulted for information. Some students have served as interns in Carlisle with the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages and at the French Embassy in Washington, DC. Students on the Dickinson in France program have interned in Business and Marketing, Public Administration, Applied Sciences and Medicine, The Arts, The Media, and Education.
Junior Year: All students intending to major in French are strongly urged to plan their program of studies to allow for study abroad during the junior year at Dickinson's Study Center in Toulouse, France and/or in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The coordinators for Dickinson programs in these countries should be consulted with any questions.
Summer Immersion Program: The French Department occasionally offers a five-week student immersion program in Toulouse, depending upon student interest. This program, which has a prerequisite of 116 (Intermediate French), is of particular interest to French minors. The Department chairperson should be contacted for additional information.
*101, 104 Elementary French Complete first-year course. Intensive study of the fundamentals of French grammar, with special attention given to pronunciation and oral expression. Cultural readings in the context of language acquisition.
116 Intermediate French Intensive second-year study of French, with attention to grammar review, conversation, reading in a cultural context and some writing.
Prerequisite: 104 or the equivalent.104/116 Accelerated French An intensive, ten hour per week intermediate French course designed for first year students who place into 104 on the departmental placement examination and who wish to complete the language requirement in one semester. Especially helpful for those contemplating study abroad, this course makes extensive use of multi-media and interactive computer strategies in the development of conversational and cultural skills.
Two Courses. Prerequisite: 101 or the equivalent.230 Communication in French and Francophone Contexts Intensive oral and written practice of French in the context of issues and themes such as a sense of place, the lessons of time, the social contract, and intellectual and artistic life. This course makes use of texts, films, multi media and interactive computer strategies in the development of conversational and writing skills. Intended as the gateway to the major or minor in French and Francophone Studies.
NOTE: This is a Writing Intensive Course. Prerequisite: 116 or the equivalent.236 Introduction to Cultural Analysis An introduction to the practice of reading and writing about French and francophone themes in an analytical and contextualized way. This course considers how cultural production conveys ideologies, values and norms expressed in both historical and contemporary contexts. Normally offered as writing-intensive.
Prerequisite: 230.240 French Identity This course examines the representation of French identity from its origins in the Ancien Régime to its present forms. Examples are drawn from history and human geography, politics, economics, aesthetics, religion, and philosophy. Depending on the instructor, these may include, for example, the representation of the State, the tension between Paris and the provinces, the semiotics of social rituals, and other subjects of cultural study.
Prerequisite: 236 or permission of instructor.245 Contemporary Issues in French Society Designed to give students an understanding of the main tensions and controversies of contemporary French culture. Focusing on political, social, and economic topics such as Americanization, regionalism, immigration, France's place in the European Union, the course should facilitate acculturation in France or provide an academic substitute for that experience.
Prerequisite: 230.246 Introduction to Francophone Cultures This course explores the relationship between literature and Francophone cultures (Vietnam, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, and Africa). Topics include: "Négritude," the negro-African identity, "cultural métissage," the status of women, the dialogue between tradition and modernity, independence, and post-colonial disillusionment. Historical overview of the international context of Francophonie will be examined through short stories, novels, poems, critical essays, feature and documentary films.
Prerequisite: 236.352 Classical Theatre and Social Myth This course studies the theatre as an ideological instrument, asking how the plays of 17th century France reinforce, modify, or undermine the ways in which society sees itself. Myths addressed include those concerning gender, monarchy, class structure, and the power of language. The ideological work of the stage is related to such historical developments as the rise of absolutism and attempts to stimulate the French economy. Plays by Corneille, Racine, and Moliere and the principal texts, along with selections from the major moralists.
Prerequisite: 255, or the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Offered every other year. 354 Reason and Revolution The Enlightenment: a century of intellectual ferment which challenged the values of the establishment and swept them away in a revolution. Montesquieu, Voltaire, Diderot, Rousseau. Offered on occasion as a bilingual course in French and English.
Prerequisite: 255, or the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Offered every other year. 357 Romantics, Realists, and Rebels: 19th-century French Novel and Poetry An investigation of the major literary movements and authors of the century, to include the theory and practice of romanticism and realism in French letters; reaction to society by authors in revolt against bourgeois standards, and in pursuit of new modes of literary expression.
Prerequisite: 256, or the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Offered every other year.358 Contemporary Fiction and Film Studies in the theory and evolution of narrative in the 20th century, with particular attention to issues of language, identity, difference and power. This course looks at a selection of novels and films as scenes for the practice of writing as cultural resistance.
Prerequisite: 256, or the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Offered every other year.361 French Literature in the Renaissance Major works from prose, poetry, and theatre, with particular emphasis on Rabelais and the development of humanism, the theory and practice of the Pléiade, and Montaigne.
Prerequisite: 255, or the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Offered every other year.362 Seminar in French and Francophone Literatures A thorough investigation of a major figure or important literary trend (chosen at the discretion of the instructor and in consultation with the majors) in French or Francophone literature with emphasis on seminar reports and discussion. Recent themes have been What is Literature?; Femmes, Film, Fiction; Love or Marriage in 17th and 18th century literature; Relations Between the Sexes.
Prerequisite: 255 or 256, or the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Priority given to senior majors in French. 363 Topics in French and Francophone Cultures In-depth analysis and discussion of selected aspects of French and Francophone cultures not normally covered in other advanced offerings. Recent topics have included Cinema and Society, Introduction to Sociolinguistics, The French Press, Post-War France, Global Sororities.
Prerequisite: 255 or 256, or the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Offered every other year. 364 Topics in French and Francophone Literatures In-depth analysis and discussion of selected areas of French and Francophone literature not normally covered in other advanced offerings. Recent topics have included Literature of Immigration, Love Letters; Hate Mail, French Theater & Society.
Prerequisite: 255 or 256, or the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Offered every other year.365 Seminar in French and Francophone Civilizations Investigation of a broad theme or selected area of French or Francophone civilization through pertinent readings, media forms and research in both literary and non-literary materials. Past topics have included America Through French Eyes, L'Entre-deux-guerres, Francophone Diaspora, Remembering Vichy, Succès de scandale.
Prerequisite: 255 or 256, or the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Priority given to senior majors in French.The following courses are offered in Toulouse, the prerequisite for which is French 236, except for French 220:
220 Language and Civilization Immersion An intensive language and civilization course designed to increase oral proficiency, improve written expression, and develop cross-cultural observation skills through immersion in the Toulouse region. Social and cultural phenomena will be studied through interaction with French families, directed observation at historic sites, participation in class activities and tutorials. The exclusive use of French during the five and one-half week immersion is expected of all students. Evaluation is based on a combination of the following: interviews with the instructor, performance in the class, journal writing, and a final summary of the immersion experience.
Prerequisite: 116 or its equivalent and acceptance into the French Summer Immersion Program. Not intended for students who have completed French 236 or above. Offered only in summer at the Dickinson Study Center in Toulouse.255, 256 French Literature and Society A historically differentiated interpretation of French culture through examination of French literature from the Middle Ages to the present in conjunction with study of political, economic, and social structures of each period. Intellectual and artistic currents that inform and are informed by these structures. Introduction of new critical perspectives such as psychoanalytical and structuralist literary theory.
Offered only at the Dickinson Study Center in Toulouse.260 Writing Workshop Offers a reinforcement of French written skills through practice in lexical expansion, idiomatic expression, and syntactical patterns. Students are given the tools necessary (vocabulary, syntax, grammar) to free and enrich their writing styles, primarily through creative writing. Exposition to various literary forms taken from French art and culture (literature, painting, music, theater, cinema) is an additional component.
One credit. Offered every fall at the Dickinson Study Center in Toulouse. 273 Topics in Applied French Continued study of the French language designed to take advantage of issues of current interest in French society or culture (e.g., electoral seasons, important historical commemorations, current social or cultural controversies). Ample opportunity for written work and discussion of the topic chosen.
One-half course credit. Offered only at the Dickinson Study Center in Toulouse.300 The Toulouse Colloquium An interdisciplinary colloquium focusing on the history and contemporary culture of the city of Toulouse. This course is composed of intensive written and oral language study, an introduction to French university methods of argumentation, visits of local museums and regional cites, and exploration of the various neighborhoods of Toulouse. This course is designed to acquaint students with the city and the region in which they will be spending the academic year.
One-half course credit. Offered every semester at the Dickinson Study Center in Toulouse.320 Topics in Intercultural Communication Contemporary French society examined through theoretical reading and discussion as well as directed experiential observation. Explicit reference to French and American perceptions of cultural concepts so as to provide ideas, insights, and methods by which to understand and analyze the two societies. Readings, reports, discussions, field projects, and use of local resources comprise the work of the course.
Offered only at the Dickinson Study Center in Toulouse.Italian
The minor consists of the following five courses in Italian beyond the 100 level to include: 231, 232 (or 225, Intensive Italian Expression), or 220 (Summer Immersion) in Bologna, 251, 252, and 320.
Note: Students receiving credit for the Italian studies major may not receive credit for the Italian minor. See
Italian Studies.
Students interested in Independent Study or Independent Research in Italian should consult with the faculty member with whom they hope to work. In the past, students have researched the following topics: Rome in the Italian Renaissance; Italian Courts and Courtesans in the Renaissance; Futurism in Italy and Russia; Italian Theatre from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment; Italian Cinema; Italian Facism and Modernism; Italian Women Writers.
Internships may be available for interested students. The Department chairperson or the Coordinator in Bologna should be consulted for information. In Bologna, students are currently doing internships in Research and Analysis at the Feminist Bookstore in Bologna, and many other sites.
*101, 104 Elementary Italian Intensive study of the fundamentals of Italian grammar, with a view to developing reading, writing, speaking, and understanding skills. Laboratory and other audiovisual techniques are used. Cultural elements are stressed as a context for the assimilation of the language.
116 Intermediate Italian Intensive introduction to conversation and composition, with special attention to grammar review and refinement. Essays, fiction and theater, as well as Italian television and films, provide opportunities to improve familiarity with contemporary Italian language and civilization.
Prerequisite: 104 or the equivalent.231 Written Expression and Textual Analysis Designed to increase student's awareness of various rhetorical conventions and command of written Italian through analysis and imitation of model texts of a literary and non-literary nature.
Prerequisite: 116 or the equivalent.232 Oral Expression Designed to increase student's comprehension and command of spoken Italian, this course is also an initiation in everyday verbal transactions and cultural communication prevalent in contemporary Italy. Phonetics, oral comprehension, and verbal production are practiced through exposure to authentic documents usually of a non-literary nature, such as television news programs, documentaries, commercial advertisements, and excerpts from films.
Prerequisite: 116 or the equivalent.251 Literature and Society I An interpretation of Italian culture from the 14th through the 17th century by examination of representative literary works. This course will attempt to situate individual authors in the European literary tradition and will examine the interaction between literary production and political, economic, and social trends of the period.
Prerequisite: 231 or the equivalent.252 Literature and Society II Selected readings of literary texts examining the changes in political, economic, and social structures in Italian society from the 18th century to the post-fascist era. Particular emphasis on intellectual trends, artistic currents of the period and their relationship to literature.
Prerequisite: 231 or the equivalent.320 Topics in Italian Studies Study of significant themes and values that inform Italian culture and are informed by it. This course draws on a wide selection of sources including history, sociology, psychology, popular culture. This course is offered in English with a discussion group in Italian for Italian studies majors and Italian minors. Students of Italian will write their papers in Italian.
Prerequisite: 231 or permission of instructor.400 Senior Tutorial in Italian Studies Conceived as an integrative experience, this tutorial provides an opportunity for students to examine a specific theme or author from various perspectives. Independent research, under close supervision of a professor, will be shared with other seniors in regular discussion group meetings and will be articulated in a substantial critical paper at the end of the semester.
Prerequisite: Italian studies major or permission of the director of the Italian studies program.The following courses are offered in Bologna:
220 Italian Immersion A four-week course in Italian language and culture offered in Bologna, Italy. Students speak only Italian while participating in intensive language instruction and other activities planned by the College to deepen students' understanding of contemporary Italian life and culture.
Offered only at the K. Robert Nilsson Center for European Studies in Bologna. Prerequisite: 116 or the equivalent and acceptance into the Italian Summer Immersion Program.225 Intensive Italian Expression An intensive study of Italian which includes grammar review, reading comprehension, and oral expression in the context of daily Italian civilization. Individual attention to structure, vocabulary, and idiomatic usage.
Offered only at the K. Robert Nilsson Center for European Studies in Bologna. Because of the similarity in content, credit will not be given for both 225 and 220 (the immersion course). Prerequisite: 116 and permission of the instructor.270 Italian Language in Context This two-part course explores in theory and in practice the notion that language is a culturally determined phenomenon. Its aim is to increase students' awareness of the various conventions of discourse while reviewing the key elements of Italian grammar and enriching their active lexical and idiomatic register so they can enroll and successfully complete courses at the University of Bologna.
Offered only at the K. Robert Nilsson Center for European Studies in Bologna. Prerequisite: 225.
