Courses
The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular term. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the MyBU Student Portal for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.
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CAS LF 212: Fourth-Semester French
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLF211) or placement test results. - Advances proficiency in French in a communicative setting through thematic discussions on diverse, contemporary topics and media, short readings, and written tasks. Fulfills CAS second language requirement, prepares for Level 1 Advanced Courses (CAS LF 307 -- LF 311). Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. -
CAS LF 307: French Arts and Society
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLF212) or equivalent; or placement test results. - Advanced study of French language through the analysis of a topic or theme in the arts and society. Students advance in speaking, reading, writing, and listening through the analysis of literary, historical, and cultural texts. Specific themes vary by semester. Topic for Spring 2025: Food and Culture in France. Study of French through essays, podcasts, films, and literary excerpts that focus on food and cooking. Topics include taste, hunger, memory, and desire. Group projects to consist of planning and preparing two meals together Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation. -
CAS LF 308: French through Film and Media
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLF212) or equivalent; or placement test results. - With the goal of better understanding French and Francophone culture and society, students study various media forms that can include film, written and broadcast press, television, podcasts, blogs, and social media. Topic for Fall 2024: France on the Small Screen. This course focuses on recent TV shows and films made for television that explore issues of race, gender, and sexuality in French society. TV shows to be studied include Mixte (2021) and Miskina la pauvre (2022). Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication. -
CAS LF 309: French in the World
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLF212) or equivalent; or placement test results. - Advanced study of French through the analysis of images, short stories, excerpts of novels and films that explore topics pertaining to the Francophone World. Specific regions vary by semester, but can include Africa, the Caribbean or North America. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication (OSC), Historical Consciousness. -
CAS LF 310: French for the Professions
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLF212) or equivalent; or placement test results. - Advanced study of French as used in the professions in the francophone world. Readings, discussions, and assignments develop linguistic skills and cultural competence: current political and economic issues, familiarity with major French-language newspapers, creation of French CV and cover letter. Topic for Spring 20232024: French for International Relations. This professionalizing course serves as an introduction to the specialized language employed in the fields of international relations and diplomacy. It provides students with the language tools and communication skills to perform common professional tasks in highly contextualized activities. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfill a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Digital/Multimedia Expression. -
CAS LF 312: French Language and Identity
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLF212) or equivalent, or placement test results. - This advanced French language course focuses on social debates and sociolinguistic issues on language and identity in the French-speaking world. Themes such as language policy, gender representation, and regional languages, are explored through analysis and discussion of authentic cultural materials. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Social Inquiry I. -
CAS LF 313: French Through Translation
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLF212) and placement test results, one other LF course at the 300-level, or c onsent of instructor. - Graduate Prerequisites: for GRS LF 613 only: advanced proficiency in French. - Students develop language skills and cultural awareness by exploring literary, technical, legal, and audiovisual texts. Students translate from different genres with special emphasis on prose, analyze essays on translation, and prepare a substantial translation from French into English, learning how to develop their own voice. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. -
CAS LF 323: Creative Writing in French
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one CAS LF 307-311 course, or equivalent or placement test results. Fi rst Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Intensive study of the art of writing through the development of individual style through readings, analysis of genre, free composition, translation exercises and class discussion. Formerly LF305. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course, Oral and/or Signed Communication. -
CAS LF 324: Advanced Spoken French
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one CAS LF 307-311 course, or equivalent or placement test results. - Advanced training in rapid and idiomatic French speech. Oral reports. Role playing; vocabulary building; targeted work on pronunciation, intonation, and aural comprehension. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and Signed Communication, Teamwork/Collaboration. -
CAS LF 341: French Trends
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one CAS LF 307 - 311 course, or equivalent or placement test results. - Through current articles and headlines, films and songs, this advanced French course explores the meaning and preservation of French "Culture" while investigating areas of social debate from a French perspective. Designed for but not limited to students returning from abroad. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, The Individual in Community. -
CAS LF 350: Reading the French Way
Undergraduate Prerequisites: At least one Level 1 Advanced Course (CAS LF 303, 307, 308, 309, 310,3 11) or equivalent; or placement test results. First Year Writing Semin ar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - Development of techniques for reading and interpreting French literary texts. Special attention to the study of lyric poetry, drama, and short narrative. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course. -
CAS LF 351: Introduction to the French Novel
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLF350) First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - Close readings in the French novel from 19th century to contemporary times. Attention to narration, themes, symbols, and schools. Investigation of the roman d'analyse, realist fiction, anti-colonialist, and other types of narrative. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course. -
CAS LF 441: Topics in Urban Imgainaries in Literature and Film
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLF350 OR CASLF351) or consent of instructor. - Students examine the filmic and literary representations of urban environments in France and the francophone world; the phenomenon of urbanization, the historical development, cultural and artistic context of its attractive power; fluxes of migration of the city; streets and monuments as characters. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation. -
CAS LF 442: Geographies of the Imagination: Writing (beyond) the Island
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLF350 OR CASLF351) or consent of instructor. - Approaches to real and imagined spaces in their literary representations. Emphasis on relation between cultural and political heritage and aesthetic forms. Discussion of themes such as exile, displacement, mobility, and empire in critical discourse. French, Francophone, and related traditions. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy. -
CAS LF 448: Topics in Text/Image/Spectacle
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLF350 OR CASLF351) or consent of instructor. - Explores literary texts and their relation to works of visual and performance art. Uses critical and historical study in combination with creative practices to explore the creative dynamics of influence, appropriation, and transformation across axes of time and space. Readings and works selected may vary by instructor. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation. -
CAS LF 455: Studies in Nineteenth-Century French Literature
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLF350) First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Examines major themes and works in the literature of nineteenth-century France. Attention to cultural context and dialogue between the arts, literature, politics, and popular culture. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration. -
CAS LF 456: The Postcolonial Novel
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LF 350 - An examination of postcolonial novels by contemporary writers. Discussion of linguistic and literary issues related to the process of decolonization, the usage of the French language today, and the renewal of aesthetics. -
CAS LF 462: Cinema-Monde: Mapping French Film
Spanning from the silent era to the present-day, this course reframes the key movements of French cinema through the lens of the global. Directors include Georges Melies, Jean Renoir, Jean-Luc Godard, Chantal Ackerman, Agnes Varda, and the Dardenne brothers. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation. -
CAS LF 464: Author/Auteur
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - In-depth study of a single author or film maker. Attention to critical/theoretical debates about the author's work(s); their relation to aesthetic, political, and/or historical debates of the time; and questions about relation to tradition and/or legacy and ongoing influence. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration. -
CAS LF 478: Topics in The Voice in the Text: Gender and Authorship
Explores how French and Francophone women writers and theorists engage with cultural, social, and political issues. Draws on works such as novels, autobiographies, plays, and essays, situating these writings at the intersection of gender, language, nationality, and collective memory. Topic for Spring 2024: Traces how French women writers explore key questions about identity by engaging with contemporary literary and social movements. Novels from the eighteenth to twentieth century exploring love, marriage, betrayal, and work-life balance, with readings from newspapers and women’s magazines. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
