FREN 565

FREN 565. French Phonetics and Phonology. 3 Credits.

MWF 1:25–2:15 pm, Dey Hall 203, Dr. Laura Demsey

This course introduces students to the French sound system, enabling them to improve their pronunciation skills through guided practice as well as training in the linguistic concepts behind French sounds and intonation. Students will gain the ability to read and write using the International Phonetic Alphabet, theoretical knowledge of French phonology, the ability to distinguish between French sounds in hearing and production, improvement in personal French pronunciation, and familiarity with different accents and dialects in French.

Prerequisites: FREN 255, 260, or 262; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite. Course taught in French.
Grading status: Letter grade
Same as: LING 565

Previously Offered:

Native Caribbean

This course will scrutinize the political, philosophical, aesthetic, and literary movements produced in and about the Francophone Caribbean (Haiti, Guadeloupe, Martinique) and its signature texts. We will examine the origins of Négritude as well as its refractions and leading figures including but not limited to Léopold Sédar Senghor and Aimé Césaire. We will pay particular attention to the discourse, descriptions, and evocations of what constitutes the “indigène des Caraïbes.” Ranging from Senghor’s African “essence,” passing through the Indigéniste movement in Haiti that sought to forge a national identity, Édouard Glissant’s Antillanité, the Créolistes, and all the way to Maryse Condé’s portrayal of a polyvalent, heterogeneous Caribbean subject, this course will both take a panoramic view of what are now canonical texts and propose a reevaluation of how we think the Caribbean native and his environment. What is a native? Can one become a native? How does one become native? This course will be taught in French and is open to both undergraduate and graduate students.