French and Italian

Program Offerings

Offering type
A.B.

The Department of French and Italian offers a liberal arts major designed to give students a thorough grounding in the language, literature and culture of one or more of the subjects it teaches, seen as independent disciplines or in combination with other languages and cognate subjects. Its courses provide practical instruction in the French and Italian languages; the literatures and cultures of France and Italy in all periods, from medieval to contemporary; and literature in French written in other parts of Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas.

Students are encouraged to complement their courses in French and/or Italian with related and varied courses in other literatures, art history, history, political science, sociology, comparative literature or other humanities subjects.

In addition to serving as the focus for an education in liberal arts, the French and Italian majors can be the basis for graduate or professional study. In mostly small classes and seminars, allowing extensive student/teacher interaction, students also become equipped to pursue careers in such areas as journalism, business, law, government service and international affairs. For nonmajors, the department offers a rich set of language courses, from introductory to very advanced. It also offers a popular certificate program, allowing the study of French and Italian to be combined with majors in history, architecture, English, politics or any other subject available at Princeton.

The French Language Program

All students who wish to continue a language begun in secondary school must have their proficiency assessed by a departmental placement test administered prior to course registration. Since 2020, all students who received a 5 on the AP exam, a 760 on the SAT subject test or a 7 on the higher-level IB test must take the departmental placement test in order to confirm their advanced placement. Students will only be awarded credit for the AP exam, SAT and higher IB if they pass the departmental placement test, which must also be confirmed through an interview with the placement officer, Dr. Murielle Perrier. Students who pass the language placement test have fulfilled the University's language requirement for general education and are eligible for a FRE 200+ class.

The normal program for beginners seeking a basic mastery of French is the sequence 101, 102 and 107, which satisfies the University's language requirement.

Students who demonstrate particular gifts in 101 may be admitted to the accelerated, double-credit spring course, 102-7, which also satisfies the University's language requirement.

Students with advanced placement in French will be placed in either 103 or 105 and will proceed to either 107 or 108 to satisfy the University language requirement. They also may be placed directly into 108. Students who have successfully completed 107 cannot take 108.

Course credit in 107 or 108 is also available through approved summer courses abroad (see Study and Work Abroad below). Funding may be available for selected and committed students. Students must pass a placement test upon their return to satisfy the language requirement.

The Italian Language Program

All students who wish to continue a language begun in secondary school must have their proficiency assessed by a departmental placement test administered prior to course registration. Since 2020, all students who received a 5 on the AP exam, a 760 on the SAT subject test or a 7 on the higher-level IB test must take the departmental placement test in order to confirm their advanced placement. Students will only be awarded credit for the AP exam, SAT and higher IB if they pass the departmental placement test, which must also be confirmed through an interview with the placement officer, Dr. Daniele De Feo. Students who pass the language placement test have fulfilled the University's language requirement for general education and are eligible for an ITA 200+ class.

The normal program for beginners seeking a basic mastery of Italian is the sequence 101, 102 and 107, which satisfies the University's language requirement.

Students who demonstrate particular gifts in 101 may be admitted to the accelerated, double-credit spring course, 102-7, which also satisfies the University's language requirement.

Students with advanced placement in Italian will be placed in 105 and will proceed to 108 to satisfy the University language requirement. They may also be placed directly into 107 or 108. Students who have successfully completed 107 cannot take 108.

Course credit in 107 is also available through approved summer courses abroad (see Study and Work Abroad below). Funding may be available for selected and committed students. Students must pass a placement test upon their return to satisfy the language requirement.

All questions concerning placement and summer study are handled by the director of the relevant language program.

Goals for Student Learning

Majors in French or Italian master a number of vital skills in the process of studying the literature, culture, art, society and history of French and Italian speakers around the world. Beyond acquiring a solid command of the language — written and spoken — and the coveted ability to function flawlessly in the target language — in professional as well as personal contexts — students also gain deep insights into the making of a rich, unique and complex cultural tradition that continues to impact the modern world. Courses counting toward the major provide practical instruction in the French and Italian languages; the literatures and cultures of France and Italy in all periods, from medieval to contemporary; and literature in French written in other parts of Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas.

Students majoring in our department will acquire the fundamental skills of interdisciplinary humanistic inquiry. By the time they have concluded their required work, students will thus be able to: analyze texts, images and other cultural artifacts with nuance and rigor; express themselves clearly in both spoken and written form; reflect critically and carefully on a broad range of cultural and historical issues; develop an original topic of inquiry and conduct independent research; effectively utilize scholarly resources, methods and tools, including, but not limited to, close reading, archival research and digital humanities.

Students majoring in French and Italian will also develop specific skills and habits of mind that emerge from sustained engagement with foreign languages and cultures. They will be able to express themselves effectively in at least two languages; they will be able to communicate with others from around the globe in an informed and sensitive manner; they will be conversant in contemporary methodologies employed in the fields of French and Italian studies, including critical race theory, environmental humanities, film and media studies, psychoanalysis, gender and sexuality studies, poetics and postcolonial studies; they will demonstrate familiarity, appreciation and respect for diverse perspectives; they will be able to evaluate their own language, culture and values through a comparative and critical lens; they will be able to articulate the underlying premises of their own beliefs and the beliefs of others; they will be able to situate themselves within an international and global context.

Advanced Placement

For information about advanced placement, see the French and Italian language programs.

Prerequisites

The minimum requirement for admission to the department is successful completion of the language sequence (FRE 107 or 108; ITA 107 or 108), or equivalent qualification. Students are encouraged to complete at least one advanced language course (FRE 207, 207F or 208; ITA 207I, 208) prior to admission, or shortly thereafter, and may also count one such course toward the major. It is further recommended that students complete at least one more 200-level course (such as FRE 211, 215, 217, 221, 222, 224, 225 or ITA 208, 209, 220, 224, 225) before enrolling in a 300-level. Majors who plan to participate in one of the certificate programs, such as African studies, African American studies, European cultural studies, Latin American studies, or gender and sexuality studies, must also satisfy the prerequisites of that program.

Program of Study

All students are expected to include one advanced language course (FRE 207, 307, 407; ITA 207, 307) in their major subject(s). For majors in French in the classes of 2021 and beyond, the junior seminar (FRE 398) is mandatory. Any two of the following courses can count for course credit for the departmental requirement: FRE 207, 208, 211, 215, 217, 221, 222, 224, 225; ITA 207, 208, 209, 220, 224, 225.

Courses taught in the department place varying emphases on language, literary history and interpretation, aesthetics and literary theory, and cultural and intellectual history. Students are therefore able to pursue courses of study that are consistent with their own interests. To complement this individualized approach to students' plans of study, the department offers four distinct tracks within the major in French and/or Italian:

Track 1. MAJOR IN ONE LANGUAGE, LITERATURE, AND CULTURE
Students major in French or Italian. Eight upper-division courses are counted toward the major. At least five of these must be in the language and subject of the major. Up to two of the five departmental courses may be taken at the 200 level (but FRE 207 and 208, or ITA 207 and 208, cannot both be counted). Up to three of the eight may be cognate courses approved by the director of undergraduate studies (DUS) and drawn from other sections of the department or from other humanities and social science subjects.

Track 2. MAJOR IN TWO LANGUAGES, LITERATURES, AND CULTURES
Students intending to combine work in French or Italian with another language, civilization and culture normally take a minimum of eight upper-division courses: five in French or Italian (one of which may be a cognate) and three in the other relevant language. Up to two of the five departmental courses may be taken at the 200 level (but FRE 207 and 208, or ITA 207 and 208, cannot both be counted).

Track 3. MAJOR IN FRENCH OR ITALIAN AND ANOTHER FIELD
Students intending to combine work in French or Italian and another related field normally take a minimum of eight upper-division courses: five in the relevant language and literature (one of which may be a cognate) and three in the other field. For example, students specializing in French or Italian and history, politics, or art and archaeology, might take appropriate 300-level or higher courses in those departments. Students should consult with their director of undergraduate studies before course enrollment. Up to two of the five departmental courses may be taken at the 200 level (but FRE 207 and 208, or ITA 207 and 208, cannot both be counted).

Track 4. MAJOR IN FRENCH OR ITALIAN AND THE CREATIVE ARTS
This track is designed for students who wish to combine work in French or Italian and a creative art, such as theater, music, dance, painting, film, translation and creative writing. Upon approval by the director of undergraduate studies, the student would normally take a minimum of eight upper-division courses: five in the relevant language and literature and three in the field related to the art of interest. Up to two of the five departmental courses may be taken at the 200 level (but FRE 207 and 208, or ITA 207 and 208, cannot both be counted). In some cases, an original work of creation (paintings, prose, or poetry, etc.), or of performance (theater, etc.), may substitute for the senior thesis, but not for one of the two junior papers. In these cases, students will also be required to submit a substantial critical work of at least 6,000 but no more than 10,000 words (25–35 pages), in which they will position and discuss their creative work in relation to the historical and cultural context of the language in question. The creative portion of the thesis must also have an obvious French, Francophone or Italian cultural component, approved in advance by the student's adviser.

Important Note: Any upper-level course taught in English will require all written work to be completed in French or Italian in order to count toward the major or certificate.

Independent Work

Junior Papers

Upon entering the department, and in all cases no later than the spring of sophomore year, students should discuss their likely area of interest with the director of undergraduate studies so that students can be paired with the most compatible adviser. The adviser will be assigned at the beginning of junior year. Students should contact their junior adviser and plan regular meetings. In consultation with their adviser, students will also choose the language in which they will draft their paper. It is the responsibility of the student to make and keep these arrangements.

The first junior paper, written in the fall semester, should be about 4,000 words. The second junior paper, written in the spring semester, should be between 5,000 and 8,000 words. Both junior papers may be written in English, in which case a three-page summary in the relevant language must be provided. If the paper is written in the relevant language, a three-page summary in English is required.

Students following tracks 2 or 3 may write one junior paper in one of their two majors subjects, and one in the other.

In preparing their papers, students should conform to the principles specified in the University's instructions for writing essays. Formatting should consistently follow either the Modern Language Association Handbook or The Chicago Manual of Style.

Senior Thesis

As the culmination of their independent work, senior students write a thesis on an approved topic. Late in their junior year, students will discuss possible areas of interest with the director of undergraduate studies. Topics chosen in the past have ranged across the field of French, Francophone and Italian studies, from linguistic problems and literary techniques to close textual analysis to thematic and cultural study. Students primarily interested in culture and civilization have written on art, on political and economic issues, on education and on a variety of social questions. For students following tracks 2, 3, and 4, joint supervision may be arranged. The senior thesis is a major commitment of a student's time and energy, and the most important yardstick for choosing a topic is willingness to spend many hours immersed in that particular set of texts or problems.

Majors in French and/or Italian who are also earning certificates should consult with their advisers about selecting a suitable thesis topic. The senior thesis may be written in English, in which case a three-page summary in the relevant language must be provided. If the thesis is written in the relevant language, a three-page summary in English is required.

Senior theses should be 15,000–20,000 words in length.

Senior Departmental Examination

The examination, taken in May of senior year, is designed to test aspects of the student's entire program of study in the department. A list of required and recommended readings is provided for each of the languages and literatures taught in the department, and it guides students in preparing for the written examination. The format of the examination is as follows.

  1. Written Component (three hours) in class, including: (a) A sight translation. This exercise will consist of the translation of a short prose text from French or Italian into English. The resulting translation should reflect the linguistic command and stylistic sophistication expected from a reasonably proficient speaker of French or Italian. For majors following Track 2, and combining French and Italian, the original text will be given in the dominant language. (b) An essay written in the language of specialization. Students will choose one topic out of three culture/literature questions. Topics will be based on the reading lists and course offerings.
  2. Oral Presentation (30 minutes). A brief (10–15 minute) oral presentation, in the language of the major (French or Italian), followed by a discussion. The content of the presentation will be determined and prepared by the student in concert with their adviser, and may reflect any aspect of the student's own general intellectual and academic experience in the department. It may therefore stem from the senior thesis, but also largely refer to the overall course of study achieved in the major subject. The examining committee will include at least two permanent faculty of each section.

Note: In order to better prepare for the comprehensive examination, students are strongly encouraged to include either FRE 307 or ITA 307 in their departmental course work.

Study Abroad

The department strongly encourages its majors and certificate students to spend as much time as they can in any country where the language(s) they study is (are) widely spoken. There are several ways of doing this within the four-year undergraduate degree: by study abroad for one or two semesters; by summer study abroad; or by obtaining summer work or an internship abroad.

Junior Semester/Junior Year Abroad. Students planning to spend a semester or their whole junior year abroad should seek advice from the director of undergraduate studies and from relevant faculty in choosing a suitable program of study. Further assistance is available from the Office of International Programs. Departmental and University approvals are required.

Grades awarded by overseas institutions for courses that are recognized in lieu of Princeton courses are not included in the computation of departmental honors. Juniors who are abroad in the fall semester must take the junior seminar FRE 398 in the fall of their senior year.

Students studying abroad for one or two semesters are not exempted from independent work requirements. The responsibility for consulting with advisers, as well as for meeting all normal deadlines, lies with the student. Students who complete a semester abroad may normally count two of the course units completed abroad as departmentals. Students must complete the program abroad to the standard required by the overseas institution.

Summer Language Study. The department has a special relationship with the Institut International de Langue IS Aix-en-Provence, which offers intensive four-week language courses in French at various levels, as well as with the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, where select students of Italian can take a four-week intensive course while living on the SNS campus. The department is able to provide financial support to a small number of students in these programs each year.

See the director of undergraduate studies if you are interested in one of these programs.

Summer Work Abroad. Princeton-in-France is a long-established summer work program that selects students who qualify linguistically to take on the responsibilities of a paying summer job or internship in France. Travel grants and salary supplements are available to students who receive financial aid. Announcements will be made early in the fall concerning a November information meeting about the program. The application deadline is early December.

Information about other placements and internships abroad may also be obtained from the senior associate dean of the Office of International Programs, Rebecca Graves-Bayazitoglu.

Offering type
Minor

Current and future generations of Princeton students are directly facing enormous challenges at the national and global levels. To understand and try to resolve issues as urgent as climate change or socioeconomic inequality, it is indispensable to acquire a solid and widely encompassing body of knowledge. Mastering at least one foreign language and culture is a crucial asset to that end. Specifically, studying French or Italian is a direct pathway to a set of linguistic and analytical skills that empower our students, opening up to unique educational and employment opportunities.

Goals for Student Learning

The minor in French or Italian is structured to reach the following learning goals:

  1. Students gain a solid command of the target language—written and spoken—and the coveted ability to use it fluently in a variety of contexts, professional as well as personal. This allows them to improve their general expression abilities, which always benefit from the mastery of several languages.
  2. Students are equipped with first-hand expertise in key aspects of the contemporary world. Studying the literature, art, society and history of French and Italian speakers around the world allows students to learn directly about two of the richest and most influential cultural traditions in world history (including French literature and Italian art). It also gives students necessary insight into major historical events and processes, such as nation-building, revolution, colonialism, fascism, migration and democratization, which still resonate and continue to shape the modern world.
  3. Students are enabled to pursue an interdisciplinary path of study rigorously structured by the practice and command of a language. Content courses conducted in French or Italian can satisfy several distribution requirements, from literary to social and historical analysis. Students are thus given a broad range of critical tools that complement their major, enabling them to develop their own perspective to engage with social concerns including gender, race, politics, environment, technology, health, urbanism, migration, commerce, religion, education and ethics.
  4. In mostly small and discussion-based classes, students gain a precious ability to interact directly with their peers as well as their instructors in a respectful and constructive manner. They develop the habit of working in teams and adapting to a diversified array of assignments: academic essays, oral presentations but also less traditional formats such as creative writing or photo essays. Practicing these exercises in another language makes them even more formative, honing the skills that are necessary to today’s work environment: critical and analytical thinking, public speaking, creativity and rigor.

Advanced Placement

For information about advanced placement, see the French and Italian language programs.

Prerequisites

To enter the minor in French or Italian, students are required to successfully complete the language sequence in either French or Italian (i.e., FRE 107, 108 or 1027, or ITA 107, 108 or 1027), or to demonstrate the equivalent level of proficiency. To enter the minor, successful completion of the language sequence is required by the fall of junior year, but students are strongly encouraged to do so by the spring of their sophomore year. Applications to the minor program are accepted until the end of spring of junior year.

Admission to the Program

The program is open to undergraduates in all departments. (French or Italian majors who wish to study the other language are required to do so through our dual-language track [track 2] instead of the minor.) Students concentrating in language and literature departments, including comparative literature, as well as those pursuing area studies minors, will be eligible for the minor in French or Italian provided that: (a) the linguistic base for the language and culture minor is different from the linguistic base of the concentration or the Area Studies Program, and (b) the work required for the minor in language and culture does not duplicate the requirements of the major or the Area Studies Program. For example, students majoring in comparative literature with French as their major foreign language cannot obtain a minor in French language and culture, but can do so in Italian. Students are allowed to double-count no more than one course toward the French or Italian minor and their major, whatever this major is.

Interested students are welcome to consult our director of undergraduate studies at any time. To enter the Program in French and/or Italian Languages and Cultures, students must complete an application form and return it to the undergraduate program administrator. A separate application must be completed for each language in which a minor will be pursued.

Program of Study

For greater flexibility, students are encouraged to devise their own pathway in either minor, so that they can fully benefit from the variety of resources available in the department. They must, however, fulfill two basic requirements:

  • Students must successfully take a minimum of five courses in the relevant language, linguistics, literature or culture, excluding courses that do not have a language prerequisite and any 100-level language course. At least three of these courses must be at the 300 level (or higher). Up to two of these courses may be taken at the 200 level, but FRE 207 and 208, or ITA 207 and 208, cannot both be counted. A 200-level course is a prerequisite for taking 300-level courses in French or Italian.
  • At the end of their senior year, students must successfully pass a 10-minute exit interview with a panel of three faculty members. The interview will consist in a conversation reassessing the student’s experience within the department, with the purpose of assessing their proficiency in their target language (French or Italian).

Please note: 

  • Students pursuing a minor in French and/or Italian may not count pass/D/fail or Audit courses toward the minor. Those courses must be taken for a letter grade.
  • Up to one departmental class taught with an English lecture, and up to one class cross-listed with other departments, may count toward the minor in French or Italian, provided that coursework for the class (all readings and assignments) is completed in the target language.
  • Princeton summer abroad courses offered through the department may also count.
  • Residence in Italy or in a Francophone country is strongly encouraged. Minors will be eligible to apply for funding specific projects to be conducted abroad. However, no more than one study-abroad class may count toward the Princeton minor in French and/or Italian.
  • In the exceptional case that a student is unable to accommodate five upper-level French or Italian classes in their schedule (for instance because of the requirements toward their major), the student may request to substitute one of the five required courses with a reading course conducted with a faculty member from the department, resulting in an independent paper of about 8,000 words. This request has to be articulated in the formal application to the minor and is subject to the approval of the DUS and the relevant faculty member. Work done for this reading class has to be conducted in the target language and cannot be counted for other departments.

Faculty

  • Chair

    • Göran Magnus Blix

  • Associate Chair

    • Pietro Frassica

  • Director of Undergraduate Studies

    • Flora Champy

  • Director of Graduate Studies

    • André Benhaïm

  • Professor

    • David M. Bellos
    • André Benhaïm
    • Göran Magnus Blix
    • Pietro Frassica
    • Simone Marchesi
    • Gaetana Marrone-Puglia
    • F. Nick Nesbitt
    • Efthymia Rentzou
    • Thomas A. Trezise
    • Christy N. Wampole

  • Associate Professor

    • Flora Champy
    • Katie Chenoweth

  • Assistant Professor

    • Julien R. Stout

  • Associated Faculty

    • April Alliston, Comparative Literature
    • Bridget Alsdorf, Art and Archaeology
    • David A. Bell, History
    • M. Christine Boyer, Architecture
    • Jeff Dolven, English
    • Anthony T. Grafton, History
    • Wendy Heller, Music
    • Daniel Heller-Roazen, Comparative Literature
    • Pedro Meira Monteiro, Spanish & Portuguese
    • Teresa Shawcross, History

  • Professor of the Practice

    • Florent Masse

  • University Lecturer

    • Christine M. Sagnier

  • Senior Lecturer

    • Anna Cellinese
    • Daniele De Feo
    • Murielle M. Perrier
    • Sara Teardo

  • Lecturer

    • Sandie P. Blaise
    • Vincent Chanethom
    • Elisa Dossena
    • Nicolas J. Estournel
    • Olivier J. Guez
    • Susan L. Kenney
    • Johnny Laforêt
    • Raphael J. Piguet
    • Carole Marithe Trévise

  • Society of Fellows in the Liberal Arts

    • Andrea Capra

For a full list of faculty members and fellows please visit the department or program website.

Courses

FRE 101 - Beginner's French I Fall

This class develops the basic structures and vocabulary for understanding, speaking, writing, and reading in French. Classroom activities foster communication and cultural competence through comprehension and grammar exercises, skits, conversation and the use of a variety of audio-visual materials. Prerequisites: Princeton French Language Placement test. Staff

FRE 102 - Beginner's French II Spring

The main objective of this course is to enable you to achieve intermediate communication proficiency in French. All four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing will be actively practiced in realistic communicative situations, through a variety of activities designed to help you strengthen newly acquired vocabulary and grammatical structures. You will learn to talk about events and people, construct narratives in French and develop reading and writing skills that will be a foundation for literacy in the target language. There is a wide use of authentic material from France and the Francophone world throughout the course. Staff

FRE 1027 - Intensive Intermediate and Advanced French Spring

FRE 1027 is an intensive double course designed to help students develop an active command of the language. Focus will be on reading and listening comprehension, oral proficiency, grammatical accuracy, and the development of reading and writing skills. A solid grammatical basis and awareness of the idiomatic usage of the language will be emphasized. Students will be introduced to various Francophone cultures through readings, videos, and films. Prerequisite: FRE 101 and permission of instructor. Five 90-minute classes. All classes are conducted in French. Staff

FRE 103 - Intensive Beginner's and Intermediate French Fall/Spring

FRE 103 is an intensive beginning and intermediate language course designed for students who have already studied French (typically no more than 2-3 years). Covering in one semester the material presented in FRE 101 and FRE 102, this course prepares students to take FRE 107 the following semester. FRE 103 is designed to develop the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing in French in a cultural context using authentic materials. Classroom activities include comprehension and grammar exercises, conversation, skits, and working with a variety of audio-visual and online materials. Pre: Appropriate score on PU FRE Lang Placement Test. Staff

FRE 105 - Intermediate French Fall

The main objective of this course is to develop your listening, speaking and writing skills, while allowing you to explore contemporary French-speaking societies. It offers a thorough review of French grammar and a wide range of communicative activities chosen to improve proficiency and give practice of newly acquired linguistic material. The course will build your confidence in French while giving you a foundation for the understanding of French-speaking cultures and exposing you to their rich literary and artistic productions. A wide range of authentic material will be offered, including films. Prerequisite: See Course Offerings Staff

FRE 107 - Intermediate/Advanced French Fall/Spring

The main objective of this course is to examine what it means to communicate in a foreign language while helping students strengthen their linguistic skills and gain transcultural and translingual competence. Students will reflect on differences in meaning through the study of diverse cultural modules, including politics, art, current events, migration, and French and Francophone literary texts and films. FRE 107 is not open to first-year undergraduates in fall only. Prerequisites: FRE 102 or FRE 103, or special permission. Staff

FRE 108 - Advanced French Fall/Spring

FRE 108 is an intermediate to advanced course that will take you on a journey through various periods of French/Francophone history and culture and offer an opportunity to reflect on important questions at the center of contemporary debates. Examples include: the role of the State, urbanism, pandemics and ecology, healthcare, education, race and identity. We have selected a wide variety of materials (films, videos, newspaper articles, literary texts, etc.) so you will develop your ability to communicate and write on a wide range of topics in French and gain understanding of French and Francophone cultures and societies. Staff

FRE 207 - Francophone Language and Cultures through the Supernatural Fall/Spring LA

This interdisciplinary, discussion-based course takes you on a journey into the supernatural while improving your fluency in French. It provides a broad survey of genres and mediums, including fairy tales, utopias, comics, science fiction, and films. Exploring the boundaries between reality and imagination, we will examine works by authors such as Perrault, Maupassant, Chamoiseau, Hergé, Ibrahima Sall, Voltaire, Chris Marker, and Coline Serreau. Through the study of language and the analysis of cultural material, the course will give you a deeper understanding of Francophone societies and strengthen your oral, writing and analytical skills. Staff

FRE 211 - French Theater Workshop (also THR 211) Fall LA

FRE/THR 211 will offer students the opportunity to put their language skills in motion by exploring French theater and acting in French. The course will introduce students to acting techniques while allowing them to discover the richness of the French dramatic canon. Particular emphasis will be placed on improving students' speaking skills through pronunciation and diction exercises. At the end of the semester, the course will culminate in the presentation of the students' work. Prerequisites: FRE 108 or equivalent. FRE 207 or 208 recommended as a co-requisite. F. Masse

FRE 215 - France Today: Culture, Politics, and Society Fall CD or SA

An intensive discussion-based seminar, designed to integrate linguistic and cultural learning. We will examine contemporary debates on important cultural, social and political issues, allowing you to gain enhanced cultural understanding and knowledge while honing your skills. Topics include the promises of the "Thirty Glorious Years", the social transformations of the sixties and seventies (family life, women's rights, etc.); as well as the challenges brought by the post-colonial period and globalization: immigration, social exclusion and inequalities, rise of the far-right nationalism, problems in the "banlieues" and debates on secularism. C. Sagnier

FRE 217 - Revisiting Paris (also COM 258/ECS 327/URB 258) Fall HA

The City of Light beckons. Beyond the myth, however, this course proposes to look at the real sides and "lives" of Paris. Focusing on the modern and contemporary period, we will study Paris as an urban space, an object of representation, and part of French cultural identity. To do so, we will use an interdisciplinary approach, through literature, history, sociology, art history, architecture, etc. To deepen our understanding, we will actually travel to Paris. Not only will students (re)visit the city, but also meet guest speakers and conduct personal projects they will have designed in Princeton. Prereq: FRE 207 A. Benhaïm

FRE 221 - The Rise of France: French Literature, Culture, and Society from the Beginnings to 1789 HA

Civil war, the rise of a centralized government, colonization, overwhelming public debt and attempts at women's liberation: this class covers the tumultuous history that led to the French Revolution while providing advanced language training. We study period documents as well as literary and artistic material. Topics include: courtly love, Jeanne d'Arc, Versailles, Marie-Antoinette, the Enlightenment, the Revolution and Terror. Prerequisites: FRE 107, FRE 108, or equivalent. F. Champy

FRE 222 - The Making of Modern France: French Literature, Culture, and Society from 1789 to the Present LA

This course examines the major historical and cultural developments that have shaped France since the Revolution. By studying a series of classic texts, important films, paintings, and essays, we will undertake an interdisciplinary tour through two centuries of French cultural history, addressing issues such as nationhood, colonialism, democracy, and consumer society. The focus will be on the relations between artistic renovation, social change, and historical events. Prerequisites: FRE 207 or FRE 208 Staff

FRE 224 - Introduction to Literature LA

This course introduces students to works of literature in French from a range of historical periods and provides them with methods for literary interpretation through close reading. The course syllabus is organized around common themes and genres. This course is invaluable preparation for more advanced and specialized 300-level literature and culture courses. Classroom discussion and free exchange encouraged. Prerequisites: FRE 107 or FRE 108 or permission of instructor. Course conducted entirely in French. E. Rentzou

FRE 307 - Advanced French Language and Style

To improve spoken and written French through attentive study of French grammatical and syntactic structures and rhetorical styles, with a variety of creative, analytical and practical writing exercises, and reading of literary and non-literary texts. Course conducted in French. Prerequisites: A 200-level French course or permission of instructor. Staff

FRE 313 - Contemporary French Civilization LA

This course will examine the cultural and political events knows as May '68, with a focus on the historical and political context that contributed to its development as one of the watershed events of modern French history. We will study May '68 from a range of perspectives, including film and photographic representations, as well as its historical, sociological, artistic, and philosophical dimensions. Special focus in the second half of the course on 1968 is in a global context, addressing this world changing moment in sites such as Prague, Mexico, Brazil, China, Germany, Italy, US, etc. F. Nesbitt

FRE 319 - Language, Power and Identity Spring CD or SA

This course is an intensive discussion-based seminar which offers an introduction to sociolinguistics, or the study of language as a social phenomenon. Through readings, films, and documentaries, we will explore contemporary debates related to language, culture, politics, identity, and ideology in the Francophone world. The course includes a series of guest speakers for the discussion of Francophone case studies. Past speakers were from Morocco, Québec, Louisiana, Republic of Benin, La Réunion, and the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie. C. Sagnier

FRE 327 - Tales of Hospitality: France, North Africa, and the Mediterranean (also COM 357) EM

An exploration of the concept of hospitality, individual and collective, in French, Mediterranean, and Maghrebi (i.e., North African: Arab, Berber, and Jewish) cultures. Draws on materials from literature and the arts, politics and law, philosophy and religion. Issues studied include immigration, citizenship, alienation, and, more generally, the meaning of welcoming a stranger. Prerequisite: a 200-level course in French or instructor's permission. One 90-minute lecture, one 90-minute preceptorial. A. Benhaïm

FRE 330 - Landmarks of French Culture (also AFS 330) LA

An interdisciplinary study of places, periods, persons, or questions that helped define French cultural identity, from its origins to the present. Areas of study could include courtly love; gothic art; the Enyclopedia; the Belle Epoque; the Figure of the Intellectual from Zola to Simone de Beauvoir; the sociocultural revolution of May 1968; colonization, its discontents, and its aftermaths; France in the age of globalization; Franco-American relations; etc. Prerequisite: a 200-level course in French or instructor's permission. Two 90-minute classes. Staff

FRE 331 - French Renaissance Literature and Culture LA

Readings from the works of Rabelais, the Pléiade poets, Marguerite de Navarre, Montaigne, and d'Aubigné in the light of contemporary artistic, political, and cultural preoccupations. Themes will include the rhetoric of love, education, humanism, recurrent mythologies, and utopias. Two 90-minute classes. Prerequisite: a 200-level course in French or instructor's permission. Staff

FRE 332 - Topics in the French Middle Ages and Renaissance LA

The continuities of French culture and its preeminence over much of Europe from its 11th-century beginnings through the 16th century. Emphasis on medieval and Renaissance literary works (in modernized versions) in their relationship to topics such as "love'' (fin'amor), saintliness, national identity, humanism, and so on. Prerequisite: a 200-level course in French or permission of the instructor. One three-hour seminar. Staff

FRE 341 - The Classical Age LA

This course proposes a literary exploration of the French 17th century, a period that produced many "classics" of world literature, from the comedies of Molière and the fables of La Fontaine to the tales of Perrault. We will study these works both in their original historical context and through modern adaptations and interpretations, in order to assess the reasons for their survival and continued relevance. Some of the central themes are: love and marriage, passion and duty, self and society, truth and fiction, heroism and beastliness. Prerequisite: A 200-level French course or permission of instructor. V. Schröder

FRE 351 - The Age of Enlightenment LA

What is the Enlightenment? This course investigates the era of change and radical thought that precipitated the French Revolution. Far from stereotypes about "Enlightenment ideology", we will explore how the Enlightenment opened up spaces for critique, generating new ideas and values that challenged the traditional authorities of the Ancien Régime. Our readings will exemplify the richness of the moral, political, and philosophical debates that divided 18th-century France, focusing on the role of the philosopher, the place of science in society, rethinking social education, religion and atheism. Prerequisites: See Course Offerings. F. Champy

FRE 352 - Topics in 17th- and 18th-Century French Literature LA

Topics will range from single authors and major texts (for example, the Encyclopedie) to literary genres and questions of culture (preciosite, comedy and/or tragedy, historiography, epistolary writing, etc.). Prerequisite: FRE 207 or equivalent. Course conducted in French. Two 90-minute classes. Staff

FRE 353 - The Old Regime: Society and Culture in France, 1624-1789 LA

The age of French political and cultural hegemony is characterized by the construction of the modern state, the imposition of strict social discipline, and the rationalization of large areas of human behavior. These processes will be studied in political and philosophical writings, plays, novels, poems, and memoirs. Prerequisite: a 200-level course in French or instructor's permission. Two 90-minute classes. Staff

FRE 357 - Literature, Culture, and Politics (also TRA 357) LA

Literary texts represent and often question relations of power and cultural norms, but as a form of knowledge, literature is itself implicated in power relations. Topics range from the work of a writer or group of writers who composed both fiction and political theory or commentary to the function of censorship and of literary trials. Prerequisite: a 200-level course in French or instructor's permission. One 90-minute lecture, one 90-minute preceptorial. Staff

FRE 362 - The 19th-Century French Novel LA

Close readings of landmark novels from nineteenth-century France by Balzac, Stendhal, Hugo, Flaubert, Zola, Huysmans, Claire de Duras, and Constant. What course did the modern novel chart between realism and naturalism, romantic disenchantment and fin-de-siècle decadence, engaged art and aesthetic detachment, national history and private life? How did the novel reflect, shape, and map this revolutionary period in French history? Topics to be highlighted: formal innovation, realism, social critique, theories of the novel, the reading public, and print culture. Prerequisite: a 200-level French course or instructor's permission. Staff

FRE 363 - The 20th-Century French Novel LA

A study of major themes, forms, and techniques in modern fiction. Close analysis of works by Proust, Gide, Céline, Sartre, Camus, Sarraute, Duras, Robbe-Grillet, and Condé. The nouveau roman and experiments in contemporary fiction will be examined as well as the cultural, moral, and political problems of our times. One 90-minute lecture, one 90-minute preceptorial. Prerequisite: a 200-level French course or instructor Staff

FRE 364 - Modern French Poetry LA

Postromantic poetry, including works by Baudelaire, the symbolists (Verlaine, Rimbaud, Mallarmé), such modernists as Valéry, Apollinaire, and the surrealists. Special emphasis is placed on close textual analysis, as well as on symbolist, surrealist, and contemporary poetics. Two 90-minute seminars. Prerequisite: a 200-level French course or instructor Staff

FRE 365 - French Theater LA

Plays by Molière, Corneille, Racine, Beaumarchais, Marivaux, Hugo, Feydeau, Jarry, Claudel, Giraudoux, Anouilh, Sartre, Genet, Ionesco, and Beckett, along with consideration of mise en scène, techniques of acting, theories of Artaud, and evolution of such traditions as théâtre de moeurs, boulevard comedy, and theater of the absurd. Two 90-minute classes. Prerequisite: a 200-level French course or instructor's permission. Staff

FRE 366 - French Fiction in Translation LA

Innovations in the theory and practice of French narrative from the 1850s to the present, considered in cultural, historical, and intellectual context. Works by Flaubert, Proust, Gide, Céline, Camus, Sarraute, Yourcenar, and others will be read in English translation. Prerequisite: a 200-level literature course or instructor's permission. Two 90-minute classes. T. Trezise

FRE 367 - Topics in 19th- and 20th-Century French Literature and Culture (also ECS 367) LA

Topics will range from the oeuvre and context of a single author (for example, Balzac, Baudelaire, or Beckett) to specific cultural and literary problems (modernism and the avant-garde, history as literature, women's writing). Prerequisite: a 200-level French course or instructor's permission. Staff

FRE 370 - Albert Camus: Between Revolt and Happiness LA

Albert Camus was one of the most acclaimed writers of the 20th century, and one of the most paradoxical. Reading his major narratives, plays, and essays, we will asses how the author found himself often at odds with his own thought and creativity, through his philosophy, politics, or the very act of writing. We will see how Camus, always in between, eternally on the move, can help us face (and revolt against) the nonsense of our world, from pandemics to terrorism, imperialism and totalitarianism, how we can question ourselves and relate to others, while still remembering to seek happiness and beauty. A. Benhaïm

FRE 371 - World Literatures in French LA

A survey of the literature of decolonization in the Francophone world. The focus will be on the invention of a critical and militant literature in 1950's and 60's North and West Africa, the Caribbean, and Viet Nam. Texts will include poetry, essays, novels, and films. Prerequisite: 200-level French class or permission of instructor. F. Nesbitt

FRE 391 - Topics in French Cinema (also VIS 347) LA

Major movements and directors in French and French-language cinema. Topics may include: early history of the cinematographe; the Golden Age of French film; Renoir, Bresson, Tati; the "New-Wave"; French women directors of the 1980s; adaptation of literary works. Staff

FRE 401 - Topics in French Literature and Culture LA

Issues pertaining to French literature and/or culture that transcend chronological boundaries. The specific content of the course will change each time it is offered. Possible topics include: French Autobiographical Writings, The Idea of Nationhood in France, The French Intellectual, Satire and Humor in France. Prerequisite: a 200-level course in French or instructor's permission. One three-hour seminar. Staff

FRE 403 - Topics in Francophone Literature, Culture, and History (also LAS 423) Fall LA

This course will study the interrelation of slavery and capitalism in the francophone Caribbean, from the Haitian Revolution to the present. The course will examine a series of classic works that contest French Caribbean colonialism and slavery, from the perspective of the historical transition from late imperialist feudalism to industrial and post-industrial capitalism. Writers addressed will include CLR James, Karl Marx, Aimé Césaire, Suzanne Césaire, Eric Williams, Edouard Glissant, and Maryse Condé. F. Nesbitt

FRE 407 - Prose Translation (also TRA 407) LA

A practical investigation of the issues affecting translation between English and French. Weekly exercises will offer experience of literary, technical, journalistic and other registers of language. Discussion will focus on the linguistic, cultural and intellectual lessons of translation seen as a practical discipline in its own right. Prerequisite: FRE 307 or equivalent level of proficiency in French. D. Bellos

ITA 101 - Beginner's Italian I Fall

To develop the skills of speaking, understanding, reading and writing Italian. The main emphasis is on oral drill and conversation in the classroom. Aspects of Italian culture and civilization are integrated in the course. The Italian Language Program uses a new digital portfolio that serves as students' textbook. Through this medium, students are exposed to a more dynamic mode of language acquisition. Staff

ITA 102 - Beginner's Italian II Spring

Further study of Italian grammar and syntax with increased emphasis on vocabulary, reading, and practice in conversation. Skills in speaking and writing (as well as understanding) modern Italian will also be further developed. Students will deepen the study of grammatical functions through the analysis of Italian culture and civilization. Prerequisite: ITA 101 or permission of instructor. Staff

ITA 1027 - Intensive Intermediate and Advanced Italian Spring

Italian 1027 is an intensive double-credit course designed to help students develop an active command of the language by improving upon the five skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing and cultural competency in the interpretative, interpersonal, and presentational modes. The course emphasizes communication and grammatical structures through use of various forms of texts (literary, artistic, musical, cinematographic, etc.) in order to refine students' literacy. Prerequisite: Successful performance in ITA 101 and permission of instructor. Five 90-minute classes. Staff

ITA 107 - Advanced Italian Fall

This course analyzes Italian culture and cultural changes through products such as newspaper articles, essays, comic books, music, film, food, and visual artifacts in connection with Italian history and society. Italian 107 is intended to provide students with tools for communicating effectively in Italian in an informal and formal context, to move students along the proficiency spectrum toward a more advanced language level, and to promote a global awareness and cross-cultural understanding of contemporary Italian life and culture. Classes are conducted entirely in Italian. Prerequisite: ITA 102 or instructor's permission. Five classes. Staff

ITA 207 - Studies in Italian Language and Style Fall

This course explores crucial topics-such as landscapes, beauty, migration, and travel-that define Italian literature. Through the analysis of materials from different sources and genres (literature, cinema, art, design, journalism) students will acquire a deeper understanding of Italian cultural history, and its present and future trajectory. Particular emphasis will be given to the refinement of the writing process. On the intercultural level, students will conduct task-based activity to compare, contrast and challenge the main ideas acquired in the course vis à vis their own cultural identity. Three 50-minute classes. Staff

ITA 208 - Introduction to Italy Today

This course is designed to familiarize the student with major features of contemporary Italy and its culture. Its purpose is to develop the student's ability to communicate effectively in present-day Italy. The course emphasizes Italian social, political, and economic institutions, doing so through the analysis of cultural and social differences between Italians and Americans in such everyday concerns as money, work and leisure. Prerequisite: ITA 107 or permission of instructor. P. Frassica

ITA 220 - Italian Civilization Through the Centuries Fall LA

This course is designed to give an overview of pivotal moments in Italian culture, such as the relationship between Church and Empire in the Middle Ages, Machiavelli's political theory during the Renaissance, and the rise and fall of Fascism in the 20th century. Through the examination of the most relevant intellectual, historic and artistic movements and their main geographical venues, students will be able to acquire a comprehensive understanding of the development of Italian history and civilization. Prerequisite: Italian 107 or instructor's permission. P. Frassica

ITA 225 - Music and Lyrics: Italy in the Eyes of its Pop Singers LA

Working at the crossroads of American influences and the tradition of political songs, Italian cantautori merge popular appeal and literary sophistication. For at least three generations, their songs have provided an engaged soundtrack to Italy's turbulent social, political and cultural transformations in the post-WWII years. As lyrics on the page, as music to be listened to, and as performances recorded in video, Italian canzoni d'autore are part of Italian history and identity today. Prerequisite: ITA 107 or permission of instructor. This course is taught in Italian. S. Marchesi

ITA 302 - Topics in Medieval Italian Literature and Culture Fall LA

Topics will range from the work of a single author (such as Boccaccio) and certain major texts to specific cultural, literary, and poetic problems (such as the medieval comune). Major figures include Giacomo da Lentini, Guido Guinizelli, Guido, Cavalcanti, Petrarch, and Boccaccio. Alternates with ITA 306. Prerequisite: One 200-level ITA course or permission of instructor. S. Marchesi

ITA 303 - Dante's 'Inferno' (also MED 303) LA

Intensive study of the Inferno, with major attention paid to poetic elements such as structure, allegory, narrative technique, and relation to earlier literature, principally the Latin classics. Course conducted in English in a highly interactive format. S. Marchesi

ITA 306 - The Italian Renaissance: Literature and Society LA

This course will introduce students to the basic trends and problems of Renaissance literature as the main source of our civilization. The major literary figures of the 16th-century Italian revival (such as Machiavelli, Leonardo, Galileo, Castiglione, Michelangelo, etc.) will be studied in relation to their time, the courts or the cities where they lived, and their seminal contributions to modern Europe culture including works of visual art, theater, and good living. Prerequisite: a 200-level Italian course or instructor's permission. P. Frassica

ITA 307 - Advanced Language and Style LA

Intensive practice of written and spoken Italian through close analysis of grammatical and syntactic structures, literary translation, and the stylistic study of representative literary works from the Middle Ages to the present. Focus on rhetorical structures and on Italian linguistic change. Prerequisite: a 200-level course in Italian or instructor's permission. Two 90-minute classes. Staff

ITA 308 - Topics in 20th-Century Italian Literature Fall LA

Topics will range from the study of a single author (such as Pirandello, Montale, Pavese, D'Annunzio) to the investigation of specific literary and poetic problems. One three-hour seminar. Prerequisite: ITA 107, ITA 207I, ITA 208 or permission of instructor. P. Frassica

ITA 309 - Topics in Contemporary Italian Civilization (also AFS 309/ECS 310) CD or LA

The evolution of Italian contemporary civilization through the study of historical, sociopolitical, and cultural topics. The approach will be interdisciplinary; each year a different topic will be selected and studied as portrayed in representative samples of slides, films, and pertinent reading material. One-hour lecture, two-hour precept. Prerequisite: a 200-level Italian course or instructor's permission. Offered in alternate years. Staff

ITA 310 - Topics in Modern Italian Cinema (also VIS 443) HA

An introduction to Italian cinema from 1945 to the present. Through an interdisciplinary approach, the course will focus on sociopolitical and cultural issues as well as on basic concepts of film style and technique. Specific topics will change from year to year, and prerequisites will vary. No knowledge of Italian is required to enroll. One 90-minute lecture, one 90-minute precept, and one film showing. G. Marrone-Puglia

ITA 311 - Topics in 19th-Century Italian Literature (also COM 379) LA

Topics will range from the study of a single author (such as Leopardi, Manzoni, Verga) to the thematic, artistic, and cultural analysis of either a genre or a literary movement (such as Romanticism, Verismo). One three-hour seminar. Prerequisite: a 200-level Italian course or instructor's permission. G. Marrone-Puglia

ITA 312 - Fascism in Italian Cinema (also VIS 445) HA

This course, conducted in English, is a study of Fascism through selected films from World War II to the present. Topics include: the concept of Fascist normality; Racial Laws; the role of women and homosexuals; colonialism; and the opposition of the intellectual left. Films include: Bertolucci's The Conformist, Fellini's Amarcord, Rossellini's Rome Open City, and Wertmüller's Seven Beauties. The approach is interdisciplinary and combines the analysis of historical themes with an in-depth cinematic reading of the films. G. Marrone-Puglia

ITA 313 - Marxism in Italian Cinema (also VIS 446) LA

A study of the influence of Marxist ideology on major Italian directors from the Cold War to the present. Representative films include: Bertolucci's The Last Emperor, Visconti's The Leopard, Pasolini's Teorema, Wertmuller's Seven Beauties, Pontecorvo's The Battle of Algiers. The approach will be interdisciplinary and will combine the analysis of historical and political themes with a cinematic reading of the films. One lecture, one two-hour preceptorial, one film screening. G. Marrone-Puglia

ITA 314 - Risorgimento, Opera, Film (also COM 387) HA or LA

This course will explore the ways in which national identity was imagined and implemented within Italian literature, culture, and cinema before, during, and after the period of Italian Unification in the mid-XIX century. Examples are drawn from a wide range of literary, artistic, and cultural media. Prerequisite: 200-level Italian course or instructor's permission. One three-hour seminar. G. Marrone-Puglia

ITA 319 - The Literature of Gastronomy LA

What we do or do not eat and where we eat, are questions linked to anthropological and cultural matters. In a socio-political context, food, or the lack thereof, defines a society and its inadequacies. It becomes an agent of power, a metaphor for sex and gender, as well as a means of community. Whether as desire or transgression, whether corporal or spiritual, the representation of food is the depiction of Italian life. This course will examine translated Italian texts, along with visual art and film, in order to explore the function of eating, both as biological necessity as well as metaphor, within Italian society. P. Frassica

ITA 401 - Seminar in Italian Literature and Culture (also COM 469/THR 408) Fall LA or SA

Investigation of a major theme or author, with special attention to formal structures and intellectual context. Topics may range from the medieval chivalric tradition in such Renaissance masterpieces as Ariosto's Orlando Furioso to a reading of the writings of Primo Levi as these examine the issue of the annihilation of the personality. Prerequisite: a 200-level course in Italian or instructor's permission. G. Marrone-Puglia

ART 450 - Seminar. 19th-Century European Art (also FRE 408) Fall LA

This seminar will focus in depth on a specific aspect of art, history, theory, and criticism in Europe between 1789 and 1914. Possible topics include French painting and its critics, portraiture and sociability, shifting conceptions of realism and naturalism, the onset of modernism, and representations of interior space. Prerequisites: a course in the art of this period or permission of the instructor. Visits to area museums. For department majors, this course satisfies the Group 3 distribution requirement. One three-hour seminar. B. Alsdorf

ART 458 - Seminar. Modern Architecture (also ARC 458/ECS 458/FRE 458) Not offered this year LA

A study of some of the major themes and movements of modern architecture from the late 19th century to the present day. Students will be encouraged to examine the social and political context, to probe the architects' intellectual background, and consider issues of class and gender in their relation to architectural and urban form. For department majors, this course satisfies the Group 3 distribution requirement. One three-hour seminar. Staff