Course Options for Spring Semester in Tours, France

SPRING PROGRAM COURSES
During the Spring Program, students may earn four course credits.  At the end of formal course work, students are free to travel independently for approximately two weeks.  The spring semester program in 2007 concludes with a cultural trip.

Courses all students take:

French 281, 282   French Language Study
Upon their arrival in Tours, most students will be placed in one of six levels at the Institut de Touraine.  The language courses, which meet every day, promote further acquisition of conversational and written skills, increased refinement of French pronunciation and vocabulary, and the mastery of fundamental grammatical structures.  (Advanced students may bypass enrollment at the Institut de Touraine and enroll directly in the Faculté des Lettres at the Université Françoise Rabelais.)

Other Course Options:  Each course yields one course credit or four semester hours.

French 229:   Introduction to French Literature
Taught by the Davidson program director, this course meets three hours a week at the Institut de Touraine.  Content varies from year to year but generally includes the study of several different literary genres featuring works by major French authors.  All class discussions are in French as are the assigned papers and written examinations.

French 285:   Phonetics and Translation Abroad
Offered at the Institut de Touraine, the course combines two 90-minute modules.  A corrective phonetics component involves intensive work in the listening laboratory and is open to Davidson program students only. The translation course enables students to understand more fully the nature of both languages, and helps native English speakers improve their skills in rendering English into French.

French 287-288 (387-388)   Studies in Civilization and Culture Abroad
At the Institut de Touraine, students combine two 90-minute modules chosen from the following subjects:  French civilization, history, and art history.  Advanced students may receive history credit by completing two modules in history, or credit in art history by taking an upper-level art history module in addition to the standard civilization module.  At the Faculté des Lettres, ad- vanced students may take courses on topics related to francophone culture, history, and politics.

French 384-386   Studies in Literature Abroad

At the Faculté des Lettres, advanced students may take courses in francophone literature.

French 387:  The History of Modern France
A course taught for Davidson students on the history of the French republics since the Revolution.

French 388:  Studies in Art History
A course taught for advanced Davidson students on the history of art and architecture in France.

French 389:   International Relations
A course taught for Davidson students on the history and organization of the League of Nations, the United Nations, and the European Union.  Students may receive credit either in French or in Political Science. (Not offered if there is insufficient enrollment.)