Study Abroad in Grenoble: Courses

Language courses

Both the intensive French language courses and seminars in French are open to all students at the CUEF. English seminars are exclusively for AIFS students. A minimum of 10 students is required for all courses other than language. Students enrolled in French 201 may take only 200 level seminars in French, except for Fine Arts 303, Fine Arts 311 and History 311. Students in French 301 may not take 200 and 400 level courses; 400 level students may not take 200 and 300 level courses. Recommended semester credits are in parentheses.

French 201 fall/spring (8)
Travaux Pratiques: Intermédiaire
(French Language: Intermediate)
For students with at least one year of recent college French.Vocabulary, grammar, composition, phonetics and techniques of written expression. Meets 10 hours per week. Admission is by placement test.

French 203 fall/spring (2)
Traduction d’Anglais en Français
(Translation from English to French)
This course complements French 201. It concentrates on English-to-French translation and meets two hours a week.

French 210 fall/spring (2)
Vocabulaire et Langue Française
(French Vocabulary Enrichment)
This course is designed to expand and enrich students’ understanding of the French language through the study of vocabulary: origins of words, metaphors, synonyms and homonyms. Specific themes may also be studied: travel, sounds, slang, etc. In addition to regular class tests and homework, there is a final exam. Class meets two hours per week and complements French 201; offered at the same time as French 203.

French 301 fall/spring (4)
Travaux Pratiques:Avancé
(French Language:Advanced)
This cours pratique supérieur meets six hours weekly. Emphasis is on perfecting techniques already learned and acquiring more sophisticated written and spoken style. Phonetics work included. Admission is by placement test.

French 303 fall/spring (2)
Traduction d’Anglais en Français
(Translation from English to French)
An advanced translation course concentrating on translations from English to French, this class is designed to complement French 301 and meets two hours per week.

French 304 fall/spring (2)
Techniques d’Expression Orale et Ecrite
(Written and Oral Expression)
Techniques of written expression teach the skills needed to write a comprehensive essay in French, while techniques of oral expression allow students to improve their presentation skills in French. Organization of work, vocabulary, style and mastery of tenses. Complements French 301. Meets two hours a week. Separate grades are given for oral and written work on transcript.

French 310 fall/spring (2)
Vocabulaire et Langue Française
(French Vocabulary Enrichment)
This course is designed to expand and enrich students’ understanding of the French language through the study of vocabulary: origins of words, metaphors, synonyms and homonyms. Specific themes may also be studied: travel, sounds, slang, etc. In addition to regular class tests and homework, there is a final exam. Class meets two hours per week and complements French 301 and 304. It is offered at the same time as French 303.

French 401 fall/spring (7)
Travaux Pratiques: Universitaire
(French Language: University Level/Advanced)
For advanced students who have completed at least three years of college French. Meets nine hours per week with the additional possibility of joining the French Translation 303 class. Admission is by placement test only. Each week consists of two hours of advanced grammar, two hours of linguistics, two hours of composition, two hours of practical advanced language work and one hour of phonetics. See French 425 for Phonetics details.

Courses in French

Courses open to all Centre Universitaire students meet one and a half hours a week. A research paper is required (in French); it is graded by the course instructor.Work for the research paper is equivalent to 10 academic hours of class, making regular Centre Universitaire courses recommended for two credits and phonetics, one.

Econ/Pol Sci 201-202 fall/spring (2)
Vie Politique et Economie de la France Contemporaine
(Economic and Social Problems in Modern France)
After surveying the evolution of the French Republic, concentration is on issues pertinent to a sound understanding of contemporary French society. Subjects include institutions of the Fifth Republic, May 1968, the Socialist years and the economy (regional development, state aid and employment).

Econ/Pol Sci 301-302 fall/spring (2)
Le Monde des Affaires et de l’environnement economique (2)
(France : Business and Economic Environment)
This course is designed to show how business and companies function in France from a legal, economic, social, administrativel and political perspective. Intermediate students may ask permission to take the course.

Fine Arts 303-304 fall/spring (3)
Histoire du Cinéma Français
(History of French Cinema)
Introduction to French cinema by concentrating on a chosen theme, director, actor or actress. Students view films showing the range of work of a particular director, actor or actress. It meets approximately three hours a week and requires a research paper.

Fine Arts 311-312 fall/spring (2)
Initiation à l’Art Français
(History of Art in France)
Movements and individual artists tracing the development of painting, French architecture and sculpture. Fall semester covers prehistoric art, the Romans and the Middle Ages; Spring semester covers the academics to cubism.

French 205-206 fall/spring (2)
Littérature Française et Francophone
(French and Francophone Literature)
For students in French 201. Students read and discuss three novels per semester. Students are introduced, via extracts, to the work of writers in other French-speaking countries.

French 215-216 fall/spring (2)
Culture et Société Françaises
(French Culture and Society)
Educational experience, the media, culinary habits, beliefs and superstitions, immigration and its social ramifications, leisure, women’s issues, professional training and differences between Paris and the provinces.

French 305-306 fall/spring (2)
Littérature du 20 éme Siècle
(20th century French Literature)
For students enrolled in French 301, this course covers major developments in 20th century French novels (four per semester). Poetry and drama are also discussed.

French 307-308 fall/spring (2)
Littérature Francophone
(Literature of the French-Speaking World)
For students enrolled in French 301, this course creates awareness of the richness and continuing vitality of the French language throughout the world. Students read works by Tahar Ben Jelloun (Morocco), Ramuz (Switzerland), Anne Hébert (Quebec) and Ahmadou Kourouma (Equatorial Africa). There will also be a selection of poetic texts.

French 405-406 fall/spring (3)
Panorama de la Littérature Française
(Survey of French Literature)
For students placing into French 401, the first semester emphasizes French poetry from the 16th century to the present; the second introduces the 19th century French novel through works of Balzac, Stendhal, Flaubert and Maupassant.

French 407-408 fall/spring (3)
Introduction à l’Analyse Littéraire
(Introduction to Literary Analysis)
Forms of literary analysis—explication de texte, commentaire composé and dissertation. After an initiation to analytical methods, students put theory into practice by commenting on passages chosen from 19th and 20th century novels.

French 425-426 fall/spring (1)
La Phonétique
(Phonetics)
A general introduction to phonetics as well as a foundation in the phonetics of the French language. The study of different branches of phonetics, physiology of articulation and the phonetic alphabet. Study of vowels and consonants, rules concerning the mute “e,” intonation, elision and accentuation. The course complements French 401.

French 427-428 fall/spring (3)
Langue et Communication
(Language and Communication)
The study of words, their derivation (prefixes and suffixes) and their relationship to one another (synonyms, antonyms and homonyms). Figures of speech and their literary use. The idea of language register is introduced through the study of numerous texts and articles.

History 311 fall only (2)
Histoire de la France de 1789 à 1914
(French History from 1789-1914)
Major social, political and economic developments in France from the French Revolution to the outbreak of World War I. Intermediate students may ask permission to take the course.

History 312 spring only (2)
Histoire de la France de 1914 à nos jours
(French History from 1914 to the Present)
Major historical events from 1914 to the present. Analysis of political, economic, social forces and institutions and their development. Intermediate students may ask permission to take the course.

Courses in English

Courses taught by the Centre Universitaire exclusively for AIFS students meet two hours a week and require a research paper. Courses are recommended for three credits.

Business Administration 301 spring only (3)
European Business Environment
The impact of the single market on the economic, social, political and legal environment of European business. The role of the European economic community, multinational companies, banking and finance, foreign exchange regulations, European marketing and the European consumer.

Literature 305-306 fall/spring (3)
French Literature in Translation
The class consists of an in-depth analysis of major works of French 19th and 20th century literature: selected poems (Hugo, Baudelaire, Apollinaire), a play, short stories by Mérimée and Maupassant, and a 20th century novel. Lectures are given on the political and cultural history of the period. Class discussion will be emphasized. Students will take a final exam, a mid-term and write a research paper.

Political Science 209 fall only (3)
Comparative European Government
Introduction to modern political systems. Cultural/structural development, characteristics and problems. Three case studies are examined: Great Britain, France and Germany.

Political Science 325 fall only (3)
The European Union
The development of unity within western Europe from 1945 to the present. Topics are: the historical context of union, the organization and functioning of existing institutions, the policy-making process with reference to key areas of commercial and economic cooperation and implications of the 1991 Maastricht Treaty. Questions about the type of unity Europeans want and possibility for further enlargement.

Political Science 330 spring only (3)
International Institutions
Dynamics of leading international organizations—origins, politics, structures and impact—focusing on the United Nations, OPEC, the International Atomic Energy Agency, international human rights and the European communities. Critical analysis of principal problems of public international institutions, reform movements and future directions of international institutions.

Special courses

A special program organized jointly by CUEF and the Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie de Paris is available for students who wish to do advanced studies in French as part of their major. Admission is contingent on a written placement test.

Especially valuable for students specializing in international commerce or economics and who already have a strong background in French, courses lead to the Diplôme de Français des Affaires, 1er degré. Students with particularly strong French can earn the Diplôme de Français des Affaires 2ème degré.

The program combines intensive French language with additional study of business French. Examinations for the Diplômes are given in late December and May by both the CUEF and the Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie de Paris. Both sets of exams must be taken to receive the qualification from both institutions. The Chambre de Commerce charges an exam fee of approximately $120 (at the student’s expense) and issues its certificat. The exam grade is added to the University transcript.

Full year students taking one of these options in the spring semester may apply for an unpaid internship with a local company upon completion of the program.

French 317 fall/spring (4)
Diplôme de Français des Affaires, 1er degré
Practical French language 10 hours a week, French business terminology four hours a week. Includes two or more CUEF seminars. Students must be in advanced French. Meets an average of 18 hours a week. Please note that specific course work, not including language and translation, is worth four credits.

French 418 spring only (4)
Diplôme de Français des Affaires, 2ème degré
Students must be in university level French and pass the written placement exam to take this course. Theory of French economics, commerce and practical applications in the French business world. Study of practical French, phonetics, current economic developments and French business terminology. Meets an average 18 hours a week. Please note that specific course work, not including language and translation, is worth four credits.

Non-credit course

French Cuisine fall/spring (-)
Taught in French for small groups of AIFS students in the home of a local host family. Learn to prepare traditional French dishes as well as local delicacies such as gratin dauphinois or fondue in a relaxed and friendly environment. Each class session costs 15 Euros and concludes with a meal with wine. AIFS pays for the first session and the student pays for the remaining sessions.

Wine Appreciation Class fall/spring (-)
Evening wine appreciation classes taught in French. Students learn specific wine vocabulary, wine making methods and how to taste. Classes, in a local wine shop, last a total of three hours with general, regional and practical information before tasting the wines. Regions covered include Bordeaux, Champagne and the Rhone Valley. From 30 Euros for one class, with reductions available for 3 or more classes.