Overview:

• Faculty
• Courses
• Study abroad

Faculty:

• Zara Bennett , Assistant Professor of French. B.A., Ohio State University; M.A., Université de Lyon II; Ph.D., University of California-Los Angeles.

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• Laine Doggett, Assistant Professor of French (2003), B.A., Wofford College; M.A., Ph. D., The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Before coming to St. Mary's, Dr. Doggett was Assistant Professor of French at Florida Atlantic University and Erskine College, as well as Visiting Professor at North Carolina State University. Dr. Doggett completed her dissertation, looking at the representation of women and their relationship to healing in Old French narratives in 1997. She is currently working on a book-length manuscript on the same subject provsionally titled, Love Cures: Healing and Love Magic in Old French Verse Narrative.

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• Katherine Gantz, Assistant Professor of French (2005). B.A. Wittenburg University; M.A., Ph.D. The University of Michigan. Between 2001-2005, Dr. Gantz served as Assistant Professor of French at Valparaiso University before coming to SMCM in 2005. While originally trained as a specialist of French literature from the early twentieth century, she has recently expanded her research interests to include urbanist criticism, visual studies, and nineteenth-century Decadent fiction. Dr. Gantz has published articles in the areas of French cultural studies and American pop culture, as well as in the newly-nascent field of French queer theory. Her current project is a discussion of present-day uses of public space in Paris originally designed during the Second Empire.

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• Femi Ojo-Ade, Professor Emeritus of French (1990). B.A., McMaster University; M.A., Queen's University at Kingston; Ph.D., University of Toronto. Born and raised in Nigeria, Femi Ojo-Ade began his travels abroad immediately after high school. He studied in Sénégal, Canada, Spain, and France. He obtained his Ph.D. in French and Francophone literature at the University of Toronto in 1975. Before then, he had worked as a diplomat in Nigeria, and as university lecturer. He became a full Professor at the University of Ife , Nigeria, in 1980. He has taught at colleges in Canada, Brazil, and the United States. Ojo-Ade has contributed many chapters to books of criticism, written many journal articles, and published over a dozen books of criticism, poetry, and fiction. His latest books include: Death of a Myth: critical Essays on Nigeria (Africa World Press), and the novel, The Almond Tree (Amoge Press). His works have been translated into Portuguese in Brazil. His novel, One Little Girl's Dreams, won the 1999 Association of Nigerian Authors' Prize for Children's Literature. In 1996, he was honored as a Leader of Black Consciousness by the Rio de Janeiro Legislative Assembly. He is currently coordinator of the African and African Diaspora Studies Program. On leave academic year 2006-2007.

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• Jacqueline M. Paskow, Professor Emerita of Language and Literature (1981). B.A., Skidmore College; M.A. Middlebury College; M.A., Ph.D., Yale University. Dr. Jacqueline Merriam Paskow was born during World War II in Fort Benning, Georgia and raised on army bases in the United States and in England. She received a B.A. in French from Skidmore College, after spending her junior year in France, and a Ph.D. in French from Yale University, after teaching at a French lycée on a student Fulbright grant. She later received an M. A. in German from Middlebury College. She has taught at Deep Springs College (California), Haverford College (Pennsylvania) and at the University of Constance in Germany on a senior Fulbright grant. She wrote her dissertation on the representation of suicide in romanticist texts. Her abiding research interest are: 19th and 20th century French and German-language and literature in relationship to philosophy and social change; Italian; creative nonfiction.

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Course catalog: FRENCH COURSES (ILCF)

• ILCF 101. Elementary French I (4E)
  An introduction to the basic structures of spoken and written French, and an introduction to French culture through language. This course is for students beginning the study of French.

• ILCF 102. Elementary French II (4E)
  A continuation of the study of basic grammar. Increased attention is given to conversation skills and short creative writing assignments. This course satisfies the general education requirement in foreign language. Prerequisite: ILCF 101 or equivalent as determined by the Foreign Language Proficiency Test.

• ILCF 201. Intermediate French I (4E)
  This course will review grammatical structures studied in the first year of French and introduce new ones. It will build vocabulary through short readings and exercises. Students will integrate the formal aspect of language with personal content through the discussion of texts and issues and through the composing of short essays. Energetic student participation in class is assumed throughout the course. Prerequisite: ILCF 102 or equivalent as determined by the Foreign Language Proficiency Test.

• ILCF 202. Intermediate French II (4E)
  This course will continue and complete the review begun in ILCF 201 of all the basic structures of the French language. Students should be able, by the end of the course, to express themselves and their ideas indicatively, imperatively, hypothetically, in the subjunctive mood, and in all time-frames. Reading and writing skills will be further developed through the introduction of increasingly challenging reading materials and more elaborate writing assignments. Steady and vigorous student participation in class will continue to be assumed. This course replaces ILCF 205. Not open for students who have previously taken ILCF 205. Prerequisite: ILCF 201 or equivalent as determined by the Foreign Language Proficiency Test.

• ILCF 206. Introduction to Literature in French (4S)
  Students will study short literary texts representing several periods and genres. Particular attention will be paid to the social and historical context of the literature. Grammar will be reviewed only as needed. Written assignments will be based primarily on the readings. This course satisfies the general education requirement in literature. Prerequisite: ILCF 202 or equivalent as determined by the Foreign Language Proficiency Test.

• ILCF 355. Culture and Civilization I: Metropolitan France (4AF)
  A study of the structure and historical evolution of contemporary French society and culture. Prerequisite: ILCF 206 or consent of instructor.

• ILCF 356. Culture and Civilization II: The Francophone World (4AF) This course will address the cultural evolution and ethos of French-speaking nations outside of Europe and the unique role of non-European French-speaking societies in the modern world. Prerequisite: ILCF 206 or consent of the instructor. ILCF 360. Advanced Grammar and Translation (4AS) In-depth study of specific grammatical and stylistic structures. Application of grammatical knowledge to the task of translating a variety of texts from French into English and from English into French. Prerequisites: ILCF 206 or consent of the instructor.

• ILCF 360. Advanced Grammar and Translation (4AS)
  In-depth study of specific grammatical and stylistic structures. Application of grammatical knowledge to the task of translating a variety of texts from French into English and from English into French. Prerequisite: ILCF 206 or consent of the instructor.
  
• ILCF 362. Topics in French Literature I: From the Middle Ages to the French Revolution (4AS)
  Close study of selected major literary works from the Middle Ages to the end of the Ancien Régime. The course will normally focus on a theme, movement, or genre which links the selected works in a common or conflicting tradition. Previous topics have included "French Theater in the 17th and 19th Centuries"; "Literature of Social and Political Engagement During the Ancien Régime"; "Literature and Society During the Ancien Régime." Class discussion and short papers will aim at developing the ability to read literature critically. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: ILCF 206 or consent of the instructor.
  
• ILCF 363. Topics in French Literature II : Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries (4AS)
  Close study of selected major literary works from the beginning of the nineteenth century to the present, including those from French-speaking societies outside of France. The course will normally focus on a theme, movement, or genre which links the selected works in a common or conflicting tradition. Previous topics have included “Images of Women in 19th Century Prose”; “Developments of the Novel in the 19th Century”; “Desire in the Contemporary Novel”; “Travel in Literature”; ”Revolution and Romanticism”; and “The Role of Reading in 19th Century Coming-of- Age Novels.” Class discussion and short papers will aim at developing the ability to read literature critically. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: ILCF 206 or consent of the instructor.
  
• ILCF 364. Topics in Francophone Literature (4AF)
  Close study of selected major literary works from French-speaking societies outside France. This course will normally focus on a theme, movement, or genre which links the selected works in a common or conflicting tradition. Previous topics have included “Francophone Literatures of the Americas: From Quebec to the Antilles” and "Césaire, Damas and Senghor:Fathers of Négritude." Class discussion and short papers will aim at developing the ability to read literature critically. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: ILCF 206 or consent of the instructor.
  
• ILCF 440. Special Topics in French or Francophone Studies in French (4AS) Advanced study of a topic, theme, problem, or major figure in French or Francophone literature and culture. Previous topics have included “The French Novel of the 18th Century”; “Sense and Sensitivity in the French Novel of the 19th Century”; Aimé Césaire"; "Francophone Women Writers: A Comparative Study"; and, "French and Francophone Film and the Human Condition." May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: two 300-level French courses or consent of the instructor.
  
• ILCF 493/494. St. Mary's Project (8E)
  A student-initiated and student-executed project of eight semester-hours is the senior capstone experience, to be carried out in the language of study (with the exception of Chinese). The project may be a research project in literary or cultural studies, a creative-expressive project involving the arts, or a pedagogical project involving teaching applications. Also, depending on the focus of the student's course work and interests, the project can be single or multi-disciplinary based. Whatever the nature of the project, students must demonstrate in it: 1) linguistic competence equal to the task, 2) a method of approach and execution appropriate to the task, 3) adequate knowledge of the particular area of research or endeavor, 4) an ability to analyze and reflect upon this knowledge in order to integrate it with knowledge in other areas of inquiry or performance, and 5) the readiness to critically discuss and publicly share the results of the project. Prerequisites: ILCT 393; approval of a faculty project mentor; approval of the department chair of the student's major(s). NOTE: Students whose projects are to be based on material collected "in the field" while studying abroad during their junior year or while engaged in off-campus apprenticeships or internships should discuss their plans with a faculty adviser as early as the second semester of their sophomore year. This course is repeatable for up to a total of eight semester-hours.
  
• ILCF 199, 299, 399, 499. Independent Study (1-4E)
  This course consists of an independent creative or research project designed by the student and supervised by a foreign language faculty member. The nature of the project, the schedule for accomplishment, and the means of evaluation must be formalized in a learning contract prior to registration. (See "Independent Study" under "Academic Policies" section.)
  
• ILCT 301. French and Francophone Studies in Translation (4AF)
  The study of major works in the French-speaking literary traditions of Europe, Africa, or the Americas; or the study of basic philosophical, moral, social, and political dilemmas of French-speaking societies. May be repeated for credit.

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Study abroad:

For students of French and history or one of the social sciences, St. Mary's offers an on-going exchange program with the Institut des Etudes Politques ("Sciences Po") in Paris (see Dr. Jacqueline Paskow). For more details concerning study abroad options, click here.

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