AIX-EN-PROVENCE, FRANCE: Summer 2010 Course Offerings

Click here for the Summer 2010 class timetable - use this to plan your schedule!

Course offerings and timetable are subject to change.

During the summer session, it is not mandatory to take a French class. All classes are worth 3 credits each, unless otherwise noted. Please note: FRE205S (Intensive Intermediate French) is worth 6 credits. Students who take FRE 205S may not take an additional class.

All courses with a course number that begins with FRE are taught in French. All other courses are taught in English, unless otherwise noted.

ELECTIVES TAUGHT IN ENGLISH:

BUS 301: Introduction to International Business - 3 credits
The basic principles of international business and management. Emphasis on foreign exchange, risk analysis, comparative management techniques in different countries, interaction between host societies and multinational corporations, and changing government policies affecting business.

COM312S : Speaking of Provence: from Myth to Media - 3 credits
The course introduces students to representations of Provence, from the Troubadours to Ridley Scott, in history, literature, media, and song. The goal is to make students aware of Provence's unique cultural identity and to sharpen their ability to interpret culture in general, through reading, viewing of media, and conducting comparative analysis. Students will read texts including selected troubadour songs, short stories and essays, and will experience two media production (film, TV or radio program) in class each week. They will be required to keep a journal of their studies, to write two essays and to sit for a final written exam. There will be one class trip during the course.

LIT 375S: European City in Literature and the Arts - 3 credits
This course will explore the rise and the establishment of the urban setting as the nexus of contemporary European culture and civilization. We will focus primarily on the late nineteenth-century up to the contemporary setting, more specifically on Paris, Rome and Prague. Other cities will be taken into account but in complement to the three central urban settings. The main genres will be cinema and the novel but will not exclude poetry, music or painting.

PHO 242/ART 242: Introduction to Photographic Concepts - 3 credits
Introduction to photographic history and processes: aesthetics, theory and criticism. This is a non-darkroom photography course that utilizes digital media capture and 21st century web-based presentation methods. This course will include a field excursion to the Niepce Museum in nearby Chalon-sur-Saone. Students must bring a digital camera.

FRENCH LANGUAGE CLASSES:

FRE 101S: Beginning French I - 3 credits
An intensive practical introduction to French for those who have little or no previous training. Students acquire a real understanding of oral French through the use of video segments and cassettes. They learn the basic structures and vocabulary of French through a variety of exercises and communicative situations. In real-life acts of communication, students are able to interact within the classroom and then in their daily lives. This course will be co-convened with FRE102S.

FRE 102S: Beginning French II - 3 credits
An intensive practical study of more advanced components of the French language for those who have the equivalent of one semester of college French. They learn more advanced structures and vocabulary of French through a variety of exercises and communicative situations. In real-life acts of communication, students are able to interact within the classroom and then in their daily lives. This course will be co-convened with FRE101S.

FRE 201S: Intermediate French I - 3 credits
Students in this course will acquire the necessary grammar and sentence structure to improve written and spoken French. Oral skills are developed through games, conversation and vocabulary drills. Writing skills will also be emphasized in weekly assignments. Prior course in French is required. This course will be co-convened with FRE202S.

FRE 202S: Intermediate French II - 3 credits
This course, intended for students who have completed three semesters of college level French, is designed to permit students to continue to develop their competence in more advanced elements of reading, writing, speaking and understanding spoken French. There is a strong emphasis in the course on elements of grammar and sentence structure necessary to improve written and spoken French, as well as on reading comprehension, conversational French and pronunciation. This course will be co-convened with FRE201S.

FRE 205S: Intensive Intermediate French - 6 credits
This intensive course meets five days a week for 3 ½ hours a day providing twice as many hours of instruction for an intensive exposure to French language and culture by broadening knowledge of grammar, structure and vocabulary along with intensive training in oral and written expression through the study of French culture and civilization. Students should have the equivalent of at least 2 semesters of college French. Students who enroll in this 6-credit class may not take an additional class.

FRE 301S: Advanced French I - 3 credits
In this course, students will improve their command of French oral and written expression through the review of fundamental grammatical structures, with special attention to the understanding of verb tenses. Whilst attention is given to the development of writing skills, emphasis is also made on everyday language and linguistic practice in contemporary society.

ELECTIVES TAUGHT IN FRENCH:

FRE 367S: Francophone Literature: Women Challenged by Adversity in Francophone Literature - (Given in French) - 3 credits
Through a selection of short stories and films, we are going to search for the mechanisms which cause problems for women and particularly their alienation ( the absence of liberty in making decisions, etc.) Polygamy, repudiation, heritage and work outside the home are areas that will be studied.

HIS 325: Provencal History and Culture: An analysis of Monuments (Given in French) - 3 crédits
An introduction to the History of Provence and a study of its most exemplary monuments. These historic landmarks, which include the city of Aix-en-Provence, the Popes Palace in Avignon and the Roman Amphitheatre in Arles, will serve as a background to an explanation of the historical, political, economic and social questions from Antiquity to the early 20th century. The modern cultural aspect of Provence will be covered in the second half of the semester with presentations on folk traditions, provencal literature, linguistics, movies, typical provencal sports... Both aspects will allow students to understand those factors which through the centuries have contributed to the creation of a distinct Provencal culture. Site visits on Saturdays, in Marseille, Arles and the archaeological site of Glanum (Saint-Rémy de Provence), are an integral part of the Provencal History course.