Course content and class availability are subject to change. Please check updated course list for the specific semester. Most courses are 4 points. Intensive language courses are normally 6 points. We encourage you consult our Undergraduate Course Policy as you begin the process of selecting your courses.
Class times and days are subject to change and will be confirmed upon your arrival in Paris. To the extent that is possible, classes within a program (Program I/Program II) do not overlap, but scheduling limitations may make it necessary for you to alter your class selection upon arrival.
All students meet individually with academic advisors during the orientation period to discuss course selections. Course offerings and availabilty at the French universities are not available until arrival. Students interested in this option attend special orientation meetings and register with the help of an academic advisor once they arrive in Paris.
You should consult the NYU Registrar's web site for the scheduled class times and days.
Program I
Language courses are offered every semester. For a complete description of a specific course, click on course number. For the most updated times and course listings go to the NYU Registrar's web site.
Prof. Michelle Boularès
This course is mandatory for all students in Program I. An intensive workshop that quickly immerses students in the basic tenets of French grammar and pronunciation, this course also provides students a historical and cultural framework to help them understand French society. Conducted in French.
Prof. Michelle Boularès
Presentation and systematic practice of basic structures and vocabulary of oral French through dialogues, pattern drills, exercises. Correct pronunciation, sound placement, and intonation are stressed. For students with little or no command of French. Completes the equivalent of one year's elementary course. Textbook: Libre Echange. Conducted in French.
Prof. Nadine Airut
Prerequisite: V45.0010 or V45.0001-0002. Open to students who have completed the equivalent of a year's elementary level and to others on assignment by placement test. Completes the equivalent of a year's intermediate level in one semester.
Acquisition and practice of more sophisticated structures of French. Development of fundamental oral and written skills, vocabulary enrichment, conversational ability. Short reading texts; guided compositions. Completes the equivalent of one year's intermediate course. Textbook: Libre Echange. Conducted in French.
Prof. Isabelle Coydon
Prerequisite: V45.0011-0012 or V45.0020. Open to students who have completed the equivalent of a year's intermediate level and to others who have passed the proficiency examination but who wish to review their French in order to take advanced courses in language, literature, and civilization.
Systematizes and reinforces the language skills presented in earlier level courses through an intensive review of grammar, written exercises, an introduction to composition, lexical enrichment, and spoken skills. Conducted in French.
Prof. Barbara Shapiro-Comte
Open to all NYU-France students. This course counts for Art History Elective credit.
Mounting poverty in the countryside, mechanization of labour, and massive migration into Paris (provoking flagrant disparities between the peasant, artisan and urban working classes and the rising bourgeoisie) culminated in the 1848 Revolution. This course investigates the manner and methods by which the Paris-based avant-garde appropriated these socio-political conditions to challenge the myths of modernity and give experimental artistic forms to a new modernity, from Realism, Impressionism, Symbolism to Fauvism and Cubism. Major retrospectives, permanent collections and a restaged Ballets Russes performance in original Picasso décors enhance our study of this explosive half-century. Conducted in English.
Prof. Beth Epstein
France and the U.S. have a habit of looking at one another as anti-models when it comes to discussions of assimilation and difference, “race,” identity, community and diversity. In this course, we explore this comparison as a productive means for re-considering these terms. Why is the notion of “ethnic community” so problematic in France? And why do Americans insist on the “homogeneity” of the French nation, even as, at various points throughout modern French history, France has received more immigrants to its shores than the United States? Through readings, film screenings, and site visits we explore the movements and encounters that have made Paris a rich, and sometimes controversial, site of cultural exchange. Topics include contemporary polemics on questions such as headscarves, the banlieue, the new Paris museums of immigration and “primitive” art, affirmative action and discrimination positive, historic expressions of exoticism, négritude, and anti-colonialism. Occasional case studies drawn from the American context help provide a comparative framework for these ideas. Conducted in English.
Prof. Mariam Habibi
This class journeys through the long and lively history of protest movements that has marked the trajectory of modern France. Beginning with the 19th century, we will consider the Revolution of 1848 and the Paris Commune of 1871 when youth manned the barricades and paid with their lives for their ideals. In the 20th century we will focus on 1968, when the streets of Paris and other major cities witnessed an unprecedented level of contestation challenging the all powerful government of Général de Gaulle. We will end with the twenty-first century when young people’s refusal to accept employment reform forced the government to withdraw its proposals, and the youth in the banlieues (outer cities) revolted against social injustice. Conducted in English.
Prof. Rachel Ward
This course examines fashion as a form of communication and culture. Through cultural and media studies theory, we will examine how fashion makes meaning, and how it has been valued through history, popular culture and media institutions, focusing on the relationship between fashion, visual self-presentation, and power. The course will situate fashion both in terms of its production and consumption, addressing its role in relation to identity and body politics (gender, race, sexuality, class), art and status, nationhood and the global economy, celebrity and Hollywood culture, youth cultures and subversive practices. Conducted
in English.
Prof. Nicolas Baudouin
Art History students: This course counts for Art History Elective credit.
This course aims to understand and appreciate the creativity and dynamism of the Parisian art scene today through an exploration of contemporary art in the capital. The course will focus on the diversity of resources provided by the city, with special attention to new artistic practices and loci of production, as well as the multiple actors involved, from artists themselves to private galleries to art critics and museum curators. Reference to major avant-garde art movements of the past such as dada, geometrical abstraction, surrealism and expressionism will also be made in order to better situate today’s artistic concerns. Conducted in English.
Prof. Paul Edwards
This course explores photography from the 1830s to the present day, emphasizing style and subject matter (rather than technical processes) in the work of the major photographers. We will consider how photography has enlarged and affected our vision and knowledge of the world and how photography and modern art have influenced each other. Conducted in English.
Prof. Stephen Monteiro
This course provides an introduction to some of the major movements and filmmakers in European cinema since the close of World War II. Drawing on films from a range of European countries, we trace some of the major themes and events that have shaped post-war Europe and examine the ways these events have been represented on film. Keeping a focus on questions of representation, we consider how the films reflect the social and cultural realities of their time. Conducted in English.
Prof. Christina von Koehler
An introduction to classic texts of French political and social philosophy.
Consideration of the historical influences upon and the historical impact of
French thinkers. Through close readings and analysis of selected passages from
primary sources (in English translation), and those few seminal non-French works
that inspired new directions in French thought, we will explore the intellectual
framework and historical references that inform French debates on politics and
society to the present day. Philosophers to be considered include St. Thomas
Aquinas, Machiavelli, Montaigne, de la Fontaine, Descartes, Montesquieu,
Rousseau, Napoleon Bonaparte, Saint-Simon, Prudhon, Marx, Jules Ferry, Zola,
Fanon, Camus, and Sartre. Conducted in English.
Prof. Mariam Habibi
An exploration of the historical and on-going contact between France and the Muslim world, including, most notably, the important Muslim population living in France today. The course examines the historical links between France and its colonial possessions in North and West Africa and the Middle East, the place of Islamic religious practice in a traditionally Catholic, and officially secular, France, and the frictions generated by newly politicized forms of Islam. Also considered is the ‘crisis’ of the banlieue, or French suburbs, and the cultural, generational, and religious tensions in evidence there. Conducted in English.
Prof. Shapiro Comte
The course explores the evolution of French painting in Paris, from its classical origins during Louis’ XIV’s Old Regime, through its radical transformations across the decades of the Enlightenment and Revolution, to its Neoclassical and Romantic reconstruction during Napoleon I's era. Through analysis of the reciprocity between artists and the political and cultural institutions of Paris, we examine the reasons and manner by which art operated as a potent discursive program within French society. The role of painting as a dense symbolic language of communication and persuasion, and/or as a critique of social and moral values dominates our investigation of this tumultuous epoch. It serves also as a model to investigate the present-day role of contemporary media and its influence on our perceptions of society and politics. Conducted in English.
Prof. Nadine Airut
Open to students in both Program I & II
This workshop allows students the opportunity to sing their way to a discovery of French language and culture. Students expand their vocabulary and improve their pronunciation through performance while learning about the history and context of this popular art form. The workshop culminates in a performance at the end of the semester. Conducted in French.
Prof. Marie LePetit
Open to students in both Program I & II
Working in collaboration with the Theatre Workshop and Acting French courses, this course provides a coherent framework for students to produce and present a sustained body of visual work that will constitute an integrated part of the end of semester theatre performances. In Spring 2009, we will focus on the life and works of Eugène Ionesco. Students will have an opportunity to enter into the wonderful and absurdist world of this great 20th century playwrite (and sometimes painter), in order to imagine and create props, masks, and/or backdrops for the theatre productions. Students may work in a variety of media, e.g. drawing, electronic arts, installation, painting, photography, sculpture, sound and video, and will have the opportunity to create in the professor’s studio. The course includes visits to museum and galleries to explore the wide range of subjects and materiality available to contemporary artists, and culminates with the exhibition/ theatre performances in a prestigious Parisian venue at the end of the semester. Conducted in French.
Prof. Isabelle Coydon
In this workshop students have the opportunity to deepen their understanding of phonetics and improve their pronunciation and comprehension of spoken French. Through listening exercises, poetry, and role-plays, students will work on articulation, rhythm and intonation. Conducted in French.
Prof. Sarah Riggs
This class looks closely at affinities between pairs of artists — a writer and a painter, a sculptor and a poet, two filmmakers, a novelist and a prose writer — who have frequented Paris cafés and ateliers together from the modern period up to the present day. We explore cross-pollination between artists, as well as notable points of difference, in examining books and artworks in the context of each other as well as of the artistic circles and city sites from which they emerged. Students keep a journal of their travels within the city to pertinent neighbourhoods, parks, and museums. Our focus will be on six dynamic pairs: Mallarmé & Manet, Hemingway & Stein, Colette & Proust, Rilke & Rodin, Demy & Varda, R. Waldrop & Roubaud. Conducted in English.
Prof. Francesca Trabacca
Cross listed with V45.9091 (French) and V53.9591 (Politics)
This course surveys the development of democracy in Europe, from 5th century BC Athens to the present day. The first part of the course focuses on the origins of democracy and dictatorship in the major nation-states of Europe, from the early modern period to the early 20th century. In particular, we ask why England and France were able to consolidate their democracies by the end of the 19th century, whereas Germany took an authoritarian route which culminated in fascism. The second part of the course focuses primarily on the post-World War II period: on the consolidation of democracy after the war, the development of social democracy, challenges to democracy from the political left and right, transitions to democracy in southern Europe in the 1970s, and problems of democratic consolidation in Eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Though most of the countries of Europe will be discussed, particular attention is given to France. Conducted in English.
Prof. TBA
By Permission of the director. Conducted in English.
Prof. Carol Martin
This course counts as "Theater Studies B" for Tisch Drama majors.
An examination of contemporary theatre of the real, and the historical and theoretical discourses in which it is embedded. A rendezvous with many forms of actual personal, historical, and virtual events, theatre of the real pushes us to reflect on questions pertaining to the blurring of art and life, to the adequacy of fiction and nonfiction forms to express the multi-layered complexities of contemporary life. How do we consider the idea of truth in documentary theatre? How is this form of theatre to be considered in relation to the contemporary collapse of the distinction between the real, the simulated, and the virtual? French theatre and performance art as it occurs in Paris will be an intricate part of our discussion and observation, as well as texts that touch on a range of contemporary issues from the U.S., the U.K., Lebanon, South Africa, Germany, Israel, Holland and Turkey. Conducted in English.
Program II (Intermediate and Advanced French)
All courses are conducted in French. Language courses are offered every semester.
Prof. Michelle Boularès
This course is mandatory for all students in Program II.
An intensive workshop that quickly immerses students in the basic tenets of French grammar and pronunciation, this course also provides students a historical and cultural framework to help them understand French society. (Credit for French Major at NYU only given for groups of 5 to 8.) Conducted in French.
Prof. Patrick Guédon
Prerequisite: V45.0030, or assignment by placement test, or approval of the director.
Assumes a mastery of the fundamental structures of French. May be taken concurrently with V45.9105. Helps the student to develop vocabulary, to improve pronunciation, and to learn new idiomatic expressions. Introduction to corrective phonetics and emphasis on understanding contemporary French through a study of authentic documents; radio and television interviews, advertisements, spontaneous oral productions, etc. Conducted in French.
Prof. Elizabeth Molkou
Prerequisite: V45.0030, assignment by placement test, or approval of the director.
Designed to improve the student's written French and to provide advanced training in French and in comparative grammar. Students are trained to express themselves in a variety of writing situations (diaries, transcriptions, narration, letters, etc.). Focuses on the distinction between spoken and written styles and the problem of contrastive grammar. Emphasis is on accuracy and fluency of usage in the written language. Conducted in French.
Prof. Patrick Guédon
Prerequisite: V45.0101, or assignment by placement test.
For students with relative fluency in French who wish to further strengthen their pronunciation and command of spoken French. Develops the skills presented in V45.9101 through an in-depth study of French phonetics (corrective and theoretical), and analysis of the modes of oral discourse in French. Emphasis is on understanding spoken French (modes of argument, persuasion, emotion, etc.) through analysis of authentic documents and development of student discourse in French. Conducted in French.
Prof. Francois van Oosthuyse
Prerequisite: V45.0105 or assignment by placement test.
Aims to refine students' understanding of and ability to manipulate written French. Students practice summarizing and expanding articles from French magazines and papers and learn how to organize reports and reviews in French. Focuses on the distinction between spoken and written styles and the problem of contrastive grammar. Emphasis on accuracy and fluency of usage in the written language. Conducted in French.
Prof. Cécile Cotté
Prerequisite: V45.0030, V45.0101, or permission of Director
Use of dramatic situations and readings to help students overcome inhibitions in their oral use of language. The graduated series of exercises and activities is designed to improve pronunciation, intonation, expression, and body language. The course culminates in a performance created in collaboration with students in Theatre Workshop and Visual Art Workshop of an original work inspired by texts of a major French writer. Students work closely with the professor to define their roles and the mise en scène. In Spring 2009 we will focus on the life and works of Eugène Ionesco, delving into his wonderful and aburdist world, to create an original production with music and artwork (created by NYU in France students) for an end of semester performance in a prestigious Paris venue. Conducted in French.
Prof. Laurent Habert
Prerequisite: V45.0030, V45.0105, or permission of the instructor.
Designed for students who wish to become familiar with the specialized language used in French business. Emphasis is on oral and written communication and the acquisition of a business and commercial vocabulary dealing with the varied activities of a commercial firm: advertising, transportation, banking, etc. Group work in simulated business situations and exposure to "authentic" spoken materials are stressed. Qualified students have the option of taking the Exam of the Chamber of French Commerce at the end of the course. Conducted in French.
Prof. Isabelle de Masion Rouge
Open to all NYU-France students. Art History Students: This course counts for Art History elective credit.
This course studies the rise of modern and contemporary art in Europe in relation to its cultural, historical and social contexts. The works of Matisse, Picasso, Duchamp, Dali, Miro and Magritte, among others, are considered. The course includes both class lectures with slides and museum visits. Conducted in French.
Prof. Catherine Clot
Art History students: This course counts for Art History elective credit.
Paris of the 19th and early 20th centuries developed into a major urban center, in part because of the promise of liberty that drew people there following the upheavals of the Revolution. The urban renewal that occurred under the Second Empire in the mid-19th century in particular transformed the capital into a modern city of innovation and spectacle. While the official arts reflected the tastes and priorities of successive governments and the emergent bourgeoisie, it was the avant-garde that most marked the city as a site of resistance and daring. In this course we study these different art movements as they relate to the city of Paris, studying the sites, movements, and transformations that helped shape the modern arts. Conducted in French.
Prof. TBA
The course considers the concept of “French civilization” in both its mythical and real aspects. The first half of the course focuses on the political, socio-economic, and cultural history of France in the modern period, from roughly 1870 to the 1980. The second half of the course looks more closely at the contemporary period, focusing on the various ‘crises’ and transitions that have marked France during the past 20 years. Topics include the challenges of the post-colonial period (immigration, la francophonie, questions of identity), France in and of the European Union, France and globalization, and social issues in current events (the status of women, la banlieue, social exclusion). Conducted in French.
Prof. Christophe Gauzeran
This course considers theatre as a space from which to challenge convention and generate new ideas. In the 17th century Corneille and Racine placed the power of the monarch in the balance between tyranny and legitimacy, and Molière dared, through his comic vision, to critique the customs of his time. In the 18th and 19th centuries French theatre was both actor and witness to revolution. In the 20th century, Brecht, Giraudoux, Anouilh, Beckett, Ionesco, Sartre and others confront the question of form as they come to terms with the horrors and transformations of the century. Conducted in French.
Prof. Philippe Boyer
Introduction to central works in modern French literature. By analyzing plays, chronicles, poems, and novels, students explore the role and status of literature within the era's larger intellectual, political, and social framework. Critical study of key themes, genres, and styles; focus on analytical writing and literary analysis. Follows but does not require completion of Readings in French Literature I. Authors studied may include Colette, André Malraux, Céline, Simone de Beauvoir, Kateb Yacine, Georges Perec, and Marguerite Yourcenar. Conducted in French.
Prof. Pascal Morin
This course looks at the world of literary production today in France - its links to economic, social, and political concerns, its literary merits, and its place within an important literary tradition. Students read texts of the some of the major writers working today in France, including Le Clézio, Claude Simon, Amélie Nothomb, Michel Houellebecq, Catherine Millet, among others, and in relation to some of the 'sacred texts' that have shaped the contemporary French literary landscape: Proust, Duras, Sartre, Céline. Conducted in French.
Prof. Christelle Taraud
An introduction to the problems of gender as they have been expressed in France. Beginning with an historical overview, we consider the category of ‘woman’ as it was defined from the Revolution to the founding of French feminism at the end of the 19th century. The second part of the course is devoted to an exploration of gender as a political issue during the past 20 years, through consideration of such topics as parité, prostitution, colonialism, post-colonialism, and queer studies. Conducted in French.
Prof. Isabelle de Maison Rouge
Art History students: This course counts for Art History elective credit.
In this course we explore the contemporary arts in France in their historic and social context. Beginning with current trends, we attempt to situate what’s new within a longer tradition of artistic production. Themes studied include the nature of the object, the monochrome, the body, the idea of nature, personal mythologies, the importance of light. The course includes visits to contemporary galleries and museums. Conducted in French.
Prof. Denis Ferré
We begin with a definition of the term "democracy" as developed by the Athenian City-State in the 5th century before Christ, before moving on to discuss its reappraisal by such theoreticians of the 17th century as Locke, or of the Enlightenment, such as Montesquieu and Rousseau. Their versions, indeed, serve as the basis for the French Revolution of 1789. A long and difficult process, democracy needed nearly a century before establishing itself in France. Drawing on numerous examples from 19th and 20th century history, we will try to understand why the great contributions of democracy, such as universal suffrage and the concept of individual liberty, were so difficult to put into operation. We will also consider why these "givens" are still fragile. Conducted in French.
Prof. Elisabeth Molkou
Given in the form of a workshop, this course will allow students to improve their written expression through the study and practice of a variety of literary registers, mostly drawn from contemporary literature. Beyond the questions of genre that we will address, the workshop will allow students the opportunity to produce their own texts, improve their understanding of literary creation, and hone their writing skills in a creative vein. Conducted in French.
Prof. Nadine Airut
Open to students in both Program I & II
This workshop allows students the opportunity to sing their way to a discovery of French language and culture. Students expand their vocabulary and improve their pronunciation through performance while learning about the history and context of this popular art form. The workshop culminates in a performance at the end of the semester. Conducted in French.
Prof. Marie LePetit
Open to students in both Program I & II
Working in collaboration with the Theatre Workshop and Acting French courses, this course provides a coherent framework for students to produce and present a sustained body of visual work that will constitute an integrated part of the end of semester theatre performances. In Spring 2009, we will focus on the life and works of Eugène Ionesco. Students will have an opportunity to enter into the wonderful and absurdist world of this great 20th century playwrite (and sometimes painter), in order to imagine and create props, masks, and/or backdrops for the theatre productions. Students may work in a variety of media, e.g. drawing, electronic arts, installation, painting, photography, sculpture, sound and video, and will have the opportunity to create in the professor’s studio. The course includes visits to museum and galleries to explore the wide range of subjects and materiality available to contemporary artists, and culminates with the exhibition/ theatre performances in a prestigious Parisian venue at the end of the semester. Conducted in French
Prof. Isabelle Coydon
In this workshop students have the opportunity to deepen their understanding of phonetics and improve their pronunciation and comprehension of spoken French. Through listening exercises, poetry, and role-plays, students will work on articulation, rhythm and intonation. Conducted in French.
Prof. Valerie Berty
An analysis of North and French West African cinema. In this course, we consider the aesthetic and political choices faced by African filmmakers working in the post-Independence period. Questions concerning tradition and modernity, the search for a collective and/or national identity, emigration, exile and return, history and memory, will frame our approach. Conducted in French.
Prof. Catherine Lorente
How does literature function as a player in world affairs? Can a work of
fiction ever change the shape of politics? In this course we examine some major
works of French literature to consider the formal and ideological structures at
work in works of fiction that seek to influence social and political relations.
Works include Cinna, by Corneille, Voltaire’s Candide, Le Dernier Jour d’un
Condamné, by Victor Hugo, and Le Silence de la Mer, by Vercors. Conducted in
French
Prof. TBA
By permission of the director. Conducted in French.
