FREN 102 Accelerated Elementary French
3 Sections. MTWRF 8:10a – 9:00a; 9:10a – 10:00a; and 1:10p – 2:00p in Buttrick Hall 309. This course is not open to students who have completed French 101A-101B. A communicative approach to reading, writing, listening, and speaking for students who have studied one to three years of French. No credit for students who have completed French 101a-101b. Instructors: Caroline Boone, Rachel Early, and Daniel Ridge

FREN 103 Intermediate French
3 Sections. MTWRF 9:10a – 10:00 in Buttrick Hall 301; 10:05a – 10:55a in Buttrick Hall 309; and 11:10a – 12:00p in Memorial Hall 117.  Review of French grammar with emphasis on composition, reading, and conversation. Multicultural materials for the French-speaking world. Instructors:Julian Ledford, Rebecca Peterson, and April Stevens

FREN 115F First-Year Writing Seminar – FYS: French Exper Americas
1 Section. MWF 1:10p – 2:00p in Furman 132. This first-year seminar looks at independent learning and inquiry in an environment in which students can express knowledge and defend opinions through intensive class discussion, oral presentations, and written expression. May be repeated for credit once if there is no duplication of topic, but students may earn only up to 3 credits in any 115F course per semester of enrollment. Professor: Susan Kevra

FREN 201W. French Composition and Grammar
4 sections. TR 11:00a-12:15p in Calhoun Hall 219; MWF 11:10a-12:00p in Rand Hall 308; 12:10p-1:00p in Furman 217; and 12:10p-1:00p in Gillette Hall 103. In this course students prepare themselves for advanced-level work in French. To develop proficiency in reading and writing, students will study grammar and analyze how it is used to create meaning in a variety of texts. Prerequisite: 103 or the equivalent. No graduate credit.  Professors: Patricia Armstrong, Susan Kevra, Daniel Ridge, and Holly Tucker.

FREN 205. Medical French in Intercultural Contexts
1 Section. Lecture. MWF 11:10p – 12:00p in Calhoun Hall 203. Ce cours vous donnera les outils afin de pouvoir travailler en entreprise dans le monde francophone. En suivant des étapes bien définies allant de l’ˆétude de marché jusqu’à la publicité, vous créerez votre propre entreprise virtuelle francophone. Les journaux écrits et télévisés économiques seront également analysés.La traduction écrite et simultanée sera un autre support qui vous aidera à d’acquérir les connaissances nécessaires afin de vous donner l’opportunité de passer en fin de semestre le “Dîplome du Français Professionnel des Affaires” délivré par le gouvernement français et reconnu au niveau international.La notation sera basée sur votre participation active en cours et aux travaux de groupe, sur un examen partiel et un examen final ainsi que sur base d’ interrogations ponctuelles. This course may count for the French major either as Communications or Intersections. Professor: Nathalie Dieu-Porter

FREN 211. Texts and Contexts: Middle Ages to the Enlightenment.

2 Sections. TR 9:35a – 10:50a in Calhoun 117 and 1:10p – 2:55p in Buttrick Hall 205. Literature and culture in historical contexts. Offered on a graded basis only. Prerequisite: 201W. Professors: Lynn Ramey and Holly Tucker

FREN 212. Texts and Contexts: Revolution to the Present.
2 Sections. Lecture. TR 1:10p – 2:25p in Furman 311 and MWF 1:10p-2:00p in Furman 217. Literature and culture in historical contexts. Offered on a graded basis only. Prerequisite: 201W. Professors: Marc Froment-Meurice and Anthere Nzabatsinda

FREN 214. Advanced Conversational French.
1 Section. MWF 1:10p – 2:00p, Furman 209. Emphasis on idiomatic usage and strategies for oral communication. Prerequisite: 201W. Professor: Nathalie Dieu-Porter and Anthere Nzabatsinda

FREN 226. Advanced French Grammar
1 Section. MWF 10:10a – 11:00a in Calhoun 203. A systematic review with particular attention to morphology and syntax. Prerequisite: 201W and 211. Professor: Nathalie Dieu-Porter

FREN 239. The African Novel
1 Section. MWF 11:10a – 12:00p in Furman 311. The postcolonial Francophone novel of Subsaharan Africa illustrating topics such as tradition and modernity, the identity of Africa, the representation of women, and the ideology of language. Prerequisite: 201W. Professor: Anthere Nzabatsinda

FREN 252.  Literature and Law
1 Section. W 3:10 – 5:30p in West Hall 107. Confessions, murder, argumentation, interpretation, and the representation of “the criminal” in literary and legal texts from traditional French writings. Offered on a graded basis only. Prerequisite: 201W. Professor: Robert Barsky

FREN 255.  French Feminist Thought: Literary and Critical
1 Section. TR 11:00a – 12:15p in Furman 109. Feminist themes in twentieth-century French literature and criticism. Authors include Beauvoir, Duras, Sarraute, Irigaray, Cixous. Prerequisite: 201W. Professor: Nathalie Debrauwere-Miller

FREN 256.  French Intellectual History
1 Section. TR 2:35 – 3:50p in Furman 311. From Montaigne to Sartre and beyond. Critical discourses and major philosophical texts. Prerequisite: 201W. Professor: Marc Froment-Meurice

FREN 289. Independent Study
Time: TBA, Location: TBA. Content varies according to the needs of the individual student. Primarily designed to cover pertinent material not otherwise available in the regular curriculum Professor: Staff

FREN 299A. Senior Honors Thesis.
Time: TBA, Location: TBA. Professor: Staff

FREN 310. Foreign Language Learning and Teaching
1 Section. M 3:10 – 5:40p in Furman 109. (Also listed as German 310, Portuguese 310, and Spanish 310) Principles and practices of teaching a second language, with concentration on recent interactive and communicative models of foreign language instruction. Goals of the course are 1) to introduce principles of Second Language Acquisition and learning, 2) to critically read relevant literature in the area(s), and 3) to develop FL instructor’s awareness through reflective and critical thinking. Classroom observations, journal writing, development of materials, and a small action-research project are expected. Required of all entering teaching assistants. Professor: Virginia Scott

FREN 318. Applied French Linguistics
1 Section. W 3:10 – 5:30p in Furman 207. Phonetics, morphology, syntax, and semantics, with application to teaching; theories of second language acquisition. Professor: Virginia Scott

FREN 332. Seminar in Medieval French Literature
1 Section. R 3:10 – 5:30p in Furman 207. May be repeated for credit more than once if there is no duplication in topic. Students may enroll in more than one section of this course each semester. Professor: Lynn Ramey

FREN 372. Seminar in Twentieth-Century French Literature.
1 Section. T, 3:10p – 05:00p. Furman 207. May be repeated for credit more than once if there is no duplication in topic. Students may enroll in more than one section of this course each semester. Professor: Nathalie Debrauwere-Miller

FREN 379. Non-candidate Research.
4 Sections. Time: TBA, Location: TBA. Research prior to entry into candidacy (completion of Qualifying Examination) and for special non-degree students. Professors: Robert Barsky, Marc Froment-Meurice, Lynn Ramey, and Virginia Scott

FREN 399. Ph.D. Dissertation Research. 6 Sections. Time: TBA, Location: TBA. Professors: Robert Barsky, Virginia Scott, Nathalie Debrauwere-Miller, Marc Froment-Meurice, Lynn Ramey, and Paul Miller

ITA-115F-01 – First-Year Writing Seminar – MWF 12:10p – 1:10p in Furman 209 Independent learning and inquiry in an environment in which students can express knowledge and defend opinions through intensive class discussion, oral presentations, and written expression.

ITA-200-01 – Italian Journeys – MWF 10:10a – 11:00a in Furman 007 and 11:10a – 12p in Furman 209
Life and art in the diverse regions of Italy through an integrated four-skills approach of reading, writing, listening and speaking.

ITA 231 – Dante’s Divine Comedy – TR 02:35p – 3:50p in Furman 132
Dante’s language and philosophical tenets through the study of style, characters, and themes. Taught in English.

ITALIAN 242 – Contemporary Italian Society and Culture
MWF 11:10p – 12:10p  Buttrick Hall 308 – TAUGHT IN ITALIAN
Capitalism and modernization, immigration, and multiculturalism. Racism, youth culture, gender, sexuality, and feminism. Changing definitions of family. Regionalism, entertainment, and sport. Prerequisite: 200.

ITA 289: Independent Study
A reading course, the content of which varies according to the needs of the individual student. Primarily designed to cover pertinent material not otherwise available in the regular curriculum. May be repeated for a total of 12 credits over a four-semester period, but students may earn only up to 3 credits per semester of enrollment. [1-3; maximum of 12 credits total for four semesters of ITA 289] (No AXLE credit)

Awards, Prizes, and Refreshments!

We will announce the winners of the Lancaster Prize in Italian and the Gardner Prize in French. Amélie de Gaulle, representing the French Consulate, will present the French government prizes.

Any questions regarding this event should be directed to Tamra.m.hicks@vanderbilt.edu or call 615-322-6900

*This is an invite only event, thanks!

A two-day international conference will be held in the W. T. Bandy Center (in the Central Library). Guests from Québec and Canada will be speaking in French and English about the emergence of modernity in Québec and the ways in which this process was influenced by French modernism. Several speakers will be discussing the particular influence of Baudelaire in Québec, while others will be treating poetry and literature of the 19th and 20th century.

Program

Thursday April 18^th

Session I (9am-10:30)

Opening Remarks: Robert Barsky

1)     Daniel Ridge (Vanderbilt University), Paul Bourget and La Nouvelle France (English)

2)     Robert Barsky (Vanderbilt University), Dirt, Filth and Matter Out of Place: Baudelaire’s Legacy in the Trial of the Québécois artist Remy Couture (English)

3)     Gary Wihl (Washington University in St. Louis), The Modern Definition of National Literature (English)

Coffee Pause (10:30-11)

Session II (11am-12:30)

1)     Nelson Charest (The University of Ottawa), L’“américanisme” de Baudelaire chez les poètes québécois au tournant du XXe siècle (French, will use power point)

2)     Cynthia Harvey (L’Université du Québec), Le récit des Fleurs du Mal ou la métamorphose du vampire (French)

3)     Benoît Houzé (Paris VIII University), Moderne par tradition: Nelligan et les synesthésies (French)

Lunch (12:30-2pm)

Session III (2pm-3:30pm)

1)     Michel Pierssens (Université de Montréal), L’Écho des jeunes et la première modernité québecoise (French)

2)     Nathalie Watteyne (Université de Sherbrooke), Saint-Denys Garneau, Anne Hébert et Jacques Brault: trois grands poètes québecois lecteurs de Baudelaire (French)

3)     Antoine Boisclair (Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf), Héritages de Mallarmé. Modernité de Paul Morin et de René Chopin (French)

Closing Discussion (3:30-4pm)

Evening Events

5:30 Senior Graduation Event, French Department, hors d’œuvres, drinks

7pm Dinner at West House, in the Commons

Friday 19 April

Coffee/Drinks 10am-10:15

Round Table Discussion, Recorded Response (10:15-12:30)

Lunch (12:30-2pm)

Round Table Discussion, Recorded Responses (2pm-4pm)

Evening Events

Free for dinner

7:30 Company Rose dance performance, Neuhoff Center, Germantown

Printable Program

The Department of French and Italian welcomes Dr. Seth Whidden of Villanova University. Dr. Whidden will be a Pascal Pia fellow at the W.T. Bandy Center for Baudelaire and Modern French studies from April 8th through April 12th.

Dr. Whidden will speak on his experiences as an American academic who has successfully negotiated a career in the U.S. and France.

Title: Terrains minés; or, How to Find Success on Two Continents

Place: W.T. Bandy Center, Central Library

Time: 3:10, Tuesday April 9th

“If old mantras from the past (“publish or perish”) no longer apply to the ever-shifting world of the American academy, neither are they particularly helpful in figuring out how to create a career that spans time zones, continents, and intellectual traditions. The U.S. and France are separated by more than the Atlantic, to be sure, and Skype can only bridge some of that gap. How are these two versions of academia different, and is it possible to succeed in two places at once? Seth Whidden will discuss some of his successes and failures on both continents.”

Seth Whidden is associate professor of French at Villanova University. His research focuses primarily on nineteenth-century French literature. He is Associate Editor of Nineteenth-Century French Studies and coeditor-in-chief of Parade sauvage and Revue Verlaine.

Dr. Whidden has published a monograph, edited volumes of essays, critical editions, articles, and translations on issues related to literary collaboration and the crisis of the lyric subject in nineteenth-century French poetry, as well as articles on hip-hop culture and baseball.

His current research, on issues of authority and authorship in nineteenth-century French literature, includes a monograph on literary authority during Second Empire France.

For information on other events relating to the study of French and Italian, please see our Events page!

Congratulazioni, professoressa Filosa!

“In four years of highlights at Vanderbilt, the biggest was my time in Aix-en-Provence with the Vanderbilt-in-France program. The French language took me that semester to corners of Europe I never thought I’d see — corners to which I’ve returned many times since. Plus, you never know when you’re going to have to drop a little French in an interview on the Today show.”

–Willie Geist, A&S ‘97
Host, NBC’s “TODAY” and MSNBC’s“Morning Joe”

Christopher Owen Anderson, who graduated in 2012 as a French major, has been applying to start his Master of Music Performance at the National Superior Conservatory in Paris. As a part of the audition process, he recently passed a French language examination and will go to Paris the first week in March to audition live for a jury.

Tuesday, January 15th is the deadline for submitting abstracts for (Ex)îles, the annual graduate
student conference of the Brown University Department of French Studies.

Îles et exils : ces deux termes évoquent l’un comme l’autre des réalités très concrètes ; mais l’un comme l’autre ouvrent le champ à de nombreuses interprétations moins littérales, qui nous permettent de ré-envisager ces deux termes associés et pourtant distincts. Nous sollicitons les contributions portant sur l’un ou l’autre de ces deux termes, aussi bien que sur leur association, que l’approche privilégiée soit davantage littérale ou conceptuelle.Etant donnée la dimension multidisciplinaire de ce thème, nous accueillerons les propositions provenant de diverses disciplines, parmi lesquelles – mais non limitées à – l’histoire, les études post-coloniales, la littérature comparée, les humanités numériques, l’histoire de l’art, les études des médias et de la culture.(Ex)îles abordera des notions et des sujets tels que : le rapport entre le colon et le colonisé, ou entre l’ancien colon et l’ancien colonisé ; les rapports entre les centres et leurs périphéries ; les déplacements de population ; les diasporas ; les communautés ; les marges ; l’isolement ; la rupture ; le voyage ; les déplacements temporels ; la question de l’indigène et de la rencontre ethnographique ; le mythe du bon sauvage ; la place de l’île dans le domaine du conte et du merveilleux ; les explorations ; les découvertes ; le tourisme ; la cartographie ; les colonies pénitentiaires ; les pirates et le piratage. Les doctorants souhaitant participer à la conférence devront soumettre une proposition d’environ 250 mots.  Celle-ci devra être envoyée en pièce jointe à brown.equinoxes@gmail.com. Dans le courriel figureront le nom, l’université et les coordonnées de l’auteur. Les présentations, en français ou en anglais, n’excèderont pas 20 minutes.This conference will take place on the 12th and 13th of April.

For information on other conferences, please see our Conference Calendar!

“Zooming in on Literature: Computational Thinking and Research Paradigms in the Humanities”

Robin Valenza,
a professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Friday, October 26th at 4pm

Buttrick 101

This lecture will be followed by a reception from 6-7:30 in the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise, and Public Policy at 1801 Edgehill Avenue.

For information on other opportunities relating to our department, please see our Events Calendar!

Professor Gillian Wigglesworth

Professor of Linguistics and Applied Linguistics

Head of the School of Languages and Linguistics

University of Melbourne, Australia

Ecology, Equity, and Ethics in Education

in Aboriginal Australia

Wednesday, October 31, 4:10, 101 Buttrick

Gillian Wigglesworth received her PhD in 1993 from La Trobe University with a thesis entitled “Investigating children’s cognitive and linguistic development through narrative.” From 1992 to 1994 she was in the Department of Applied Linguistics and the Language Testing Research Center at the University of Melbourne, where she focused on the development of oral language assessments. She was a member of the Department of Linguistics at Macquarie University from 1995 to 2001. Wigglesworth returned to the University of Melbourne in 2001 and she has been Head of their School of Languages and Linguistics since 2005. She also currently serves as Associate Dean of Research at the University of Melbourne.

Co-sponsored by

Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities

Center for Second Language Studies

Vanderbilt International Office

For information on other events relating to our department, please see our Events page!

Friday October 26 at 3:10 in Furman 001

DIGITAL STORYTELLING: Engaging students in speaking in the classroom

Presentation by Todd Hughes

For more events related to French and/or Italian, please see our Events page!

We’re delighted to announce our first guest of the 2012-2013 academic year. Our own Andrea Mirabile will present a paper taken from his current book manuscript; there are no preparatory readings for the meeting. All faculty and graduate students are welcome, and lunch will be served.

For information on other events related to French and Italian, please see our Events page!

Vanderbilt University Professor Emerita, Tracy Barrett, joins John Seigenthaler on Nashville Public Television’s “Word on Words” series on Sunday, October 14th at 10:30 a.m. on channel 8.

October 12-14 is the Southern Festival of books and for NPT, the Festival is a golden opportunity to grab numerous nationally recognized authors for the popular show, A Word on Words with John Seigenthaler.

Monday, October 15th, is the deadline for applying to the 2013 Multidisciplinary Graduate Student Conference which will be held on January 24-26, 2013 at the Newberry Center for Renaissance Studies in Chicago. Although a wide range of disciplines will be discussed, abstracts and papers should concern a “medieval, Renaissance, or early modern topic in Europe or the Mediterranean or Atlantic worlds.”

For information on other conference, please see the Conference Calendar.