2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog

French

California Lutheran University’s French curriculum offers students many educational opportunities through course work, study abroad and extracurricular activities on and off campus. A solid foundation in French enables the Cal Lutheran graduate to choose from many career alternatives or admission to a graduate school for advanced study of the language.

The technology-enhanced program is designed to provide students with a strong competency in the French language and an understanding of the French cultures throughout the world. Emphasizing an interactive learning environment and maintaining small class sessions, the curriculum includes conversation and composition as well as film, literature, phonetics and linguistics. Audio and videotapes, videodisks and CDs simulate realistic situations, while students and faculty explore French, the second language of the Internet and the second global language.

Both French major and non-major students are encouraged to study abroad in a francophone location. They may choose from partner institutions in Paris, Aix-en-Provence and Avignon, Grenoble, and Cannes for an academic year, a semester or summer.

Students enjoy participating in activities sponsored by the Cal Lutheran Francophone Club and the French national honor society, Pi Delta Phi, which afford opportunities to practice verbal skill and experience French culture outside the academic environment. French majors may be selected as tutors or chosen as departmental assistants. Several scholarships have been awarded to Cal Lutheran French majors through Pi Delta Phi and Rotary International, allowing them to study and visit in such locations as France, Belgium, Canada and Africa.

French majors from Cal Lutheran have entered careers as educators, travel agents, and translators and interpreters for governmental organizations, international businesses, Peace Corps and church missions. Also, the growing field of international management has attracted graduates who have combined their French degree with Business Administration or Global Studies at Cal Lutheran. Graduates in French are able to secure professional employment not only in the United States, but also in Canada, Africa and European Community institutions, all of which employ the French language second only to English.

Bachelor of Arts in French

French Major

32 credits minimum*, 28 credits in upper division

FREN 201Intermediate French (**)4
FREN 301French Conversation and Composition4
6 French elective courses***24
FREN 448Francophone Literature - Capstone4
Total Hours32-36

French Minor

16 credits minimum*, 12 in upper division

*201 or an additional elective

FREN 201Intermediate French4
FREN 301French Conversation and Composition4
2 Elective Courses8
Total Hours16

*FREN 101, 102 are excluded.

**FREN 201 can be fulfilled by proper test score in the French placement test.

***At the discretion of the department, two relevant courses in other disciplines may be substituted for two upper division elective courses in the major. 

 

A study abroad experience in a French-speaking location is highly recommended for the minor or major. The students can choose between a year, a semester, a summer, or a short-term study abroad program in a Francophone country with courses taken primarily in French.  It is recommended that students attain intermediate proficiency before leaving to study abroad.  Students can contact the Office of Education Abroad in the Center for Global Engagement for program options and information.

Courses

Lower Division

FREN 101/102. Elementary French. (4,4).

The beginning study of French, both oral and written, including the fundamentals of grammar, reading and pronunciation through the use of electronic media. Prerequisite: FREN 102: FREN 101 or equivalent.

FREN 201/202. Intermediate French. (4,4).

The continued study of spoken and written French, with a thorough foundation in communication skills and grammatical structures through continued use of electronic media. Prerequisites: FREN-102 or equivalent. This course is normally the prerequisite for any upper division course in French.

FREN 282. Selected Topics. (1-4).

FREN 282C. ST: Select Topic (core). (1-4).

Select Topic approved for core requirement.

FREN 285. Interim Travel Course. (2).

FREN 3ST. Selected Topics. (1-4).

Selected Topic course.

Upper Division

FREN 301. French Conversation and Composition. (4).

Practice to develop fluency in the use of French as a means of both oral and written expression. Prerequisite: FREN 201 or equivalent or satisfactory score on proficiency exam.

FREN 305. French Civilization and Culture. (4).

Study of the development of French civilization, including arts, letters, science and political and social institutions, with an emphasis on contemporary life in France. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. (On demand).

FREN 311/312. Survey of French Literature. (4,4).

A study of the representative masterpieces and significant movements of French literature. FREN 311:From the Middle Ages through the Age of Enlightenment; FREN 312: 19th and 20th centuries.

FREN 385. Travel SeminarýOf a City. (4).

Travel Seminar.

FREN 401. Advanced Grammar and Composition. (4).

A functional review of grammar as used for communication skills. Includes the writing of current idiomatic French, free and oral composition and translation on assigned topics.

FREN 445. Contemporary French Theatre. (4).

A study of representative French playwrights such as Claudel, Pagnol, Romains, Cocteau, Giraudoux, Anouilh, Ionesco, Beckett, Camus, Sartre, Arrabal, Genet and others. Includes general trends of 20th-century French theatre.

FREN 447. French Cinema. (4).

A study of French cinema from its inception through recently produced films. Typical topics covered are French film pioneers, art films, serials, surrealist and New Wave films, musicals, "classics," French cinematographers, directors, actors, etc.

FREN 448. Francophone Literature - Capstone. (4).

An eclectic study of the literatures - poems, lyrics, short stories, film scenarios, plays and novels - and cultures of the francophone world outside of France (e.g., Canada, Africa, Belgium, Haiti, Martinique, etc.).

FREN 453. French Literature of the 19th Century -. (4).

An analysis and discussion of the works of leading authors, with an emphasis on poetry.

FREN 482. Selected Topics. (1-4).

FREN 482C. ST: Select Topic (core). (1-4).

Select Topic approved for core requirement.

FREN 485. Travel. (2).

FREN 490. Independent Study. (1-4).

FREN 492. Internship. (2-4).

For majors only. (graded P/NC only).

FREN 496. Directed Research. (1-3).