FREN W3421

Very manageable: midterm, final, and 2 or 3 brief essays (really more like responses).

Standard workload. Weekly readings (which are worth being read).

Ton of reading (~75-200 pages/week), usually super dense but occasionally lighter fiction. 2 or 3 films. 5 600-word responses, pretty difficult midterm and final (multiple choice, short-answer, passage IDs, short essays). Participation/attendance also counts. Option for extra credit by going to Maison Francaise conferences.

2 medium (3-5 pages? I don’t exactly remember) papers about course content w/ opportunity for a second draft, midterm, final (both exams were essay-based) Participation in class discussion/ attendance counts for a lot-- so be ready to say intelligent (and intelligible) things in French multiple times per class. (Class format: sit in a circle and discuss the readings/ topics in French.) Probably not the best class to take the first semester after you've completed the language requirement. If your accent isn't perfect yet, no worries, but make sure that you can really communicate. There is a lot of reading, as in both French and Francophone Studies classes. This could be hard if you're not really used to reading in French. (But, as the semester goes on, you realize that having some sort of thematic comprehension is more important than knowing all the details on every page, so you can skim a bit.) That said, it's a great class.

Lots of reading (usually a 20-40 page essay to read for every class), 1 midterm (essay questions) and 1 final

Professor Dobie was the first French teacher I had at Columbia and from what I have come to understand since then, she is very reflective of the entire department. She is very French and if you don’t quite know what that means, it might be later than sooner that you find out. She’s nice, but more like polite than warmhearted. She’s knowledgeable, but will not exhibit any visible passion for the subject material. She’s easy going, as in she tolerates blatantly bad accents and she’s flexible about dates and assignments. Overall, she’s blasé (...does one add an E in English?) about the class and life in general. She was often late to class yet had that easiness about her attitude and even wardrobe that is just. so. French. The class on the other hand, at least for me, was fascinating. Professor Dobie mainly lectures, so if you’re looking to brush up your speaking and grammar, go elsewhere. It’s basically a history class. Simple as that. You must be able to understand French perfectly and write fast, because she talks for 74 of the 75 minutes. She’s not particularly engaging, but the texts are still worthwhile. Another word of advice: this class deals primarily with France and political, historical and social developments therein. The follow-up course (Francophone Studies Part II) is ENTIRELY about French colonies (read: AFRICA). They do not have to be taken subsequently but it’s…

Emmanuelle Saada's classes are some of the best that I've ever taken at Columbia University. She stands out amongst other professors, because she is so attentive to her students. It's easy to get lost amongst the crowd at such a large university, but Saada is always available to work with undergraduates. Furthermore, she is a historical expert and one of the renowned faculty of the French department. Assigned readings are not only pertinent to the subject, but also connect well with Core Curriculum classes. I didn't find CC particularly useful until I took a class with Saada, who's familiarity with the Core makes for an incredibly enjoyable, engaging and connected class. Her interpretations of difficult readings are inspiring due both to her intellect and diverse background. She exemplifies what Columbia University is about. Run, do not walk to her class. It is an honor for any student to be able to take a class with her. I learned more in one class with Saada then in 2 years at Columbia. Expect fascinating lectures and a reasonable workload.

Great professor. Mack does a really thorough job of explaining the material, which is sometimes very difficult. He's a nice guy and is very available to read papers or explain the materials. The discussion in class is good, not intimidating, sometimes pretty laid-back. That said, the reading for the class is ridiculous. Two huge course packets plus additional essays/texts that are almost all very dense. A few readings are in English. You don't necessarily have to read everything, but you need to read a good amount of it to write responses and participate in class, and there are passage IDs and pretty specific open-ended questions on the midterm and final. The syllabus is pretty new so some things might be revised, but there are some absolutely absurd readings that are like 200 pages of French dialectic about philosophy/political policy/post-colonial economics, whatever. Take this class if you're ready to read and want an introduction to French/Francophone thought about race, colonization, modernization, negritude, creolite... It's a solid course and you learn a lot if you have the time to do the reading, go to every class, or both. Mack is definitely a great choice to tackle it.

This professor is awesome! She is very nice and helpful. This was her first semester teaching the course so it was maybe a little disorganized at first, but in the end it was an interesting class and very good overall. I'm sure that the class will only improve from here. Also, I would take a class with Prof. Koffi-Tessio again if she's teaching something else. Read the description/ syllabus on the department website if you don't know what the "French and Francophone Studies" part is. (Overall, a lot of important topics are covered and it's a good way to continue improving your French or to get major credit. You don't have to take them in sequence.)

I had Professor Glover for Intro to French and Francophone Studies II. I absolutely loved her as a teacher. She's energetic and extremely knowledgeable and although she speaks really fast her French is so clear and well articulated that I can understand everything she says. As far as the class went though, I often felt overwhelmed. The reading is a lot and was kind of boring (for me, some people might love it) and after the first few weeks of class I gave up doing it at all. Luckily though, Professor Glover goes over all the important points of the reading so even if you don't read AT ALL, if you come to every class, sit in the front, pay lots of attention and take continuous notes, you should still be able to do pretty well in the class (I got a B on the midterm having read nothing - not too bad). The class is a little hard to keep up with due to the enormous amounts of complicated reading but other than that, there's never any homework to turn in. So it's just reading and then a midterm and final. If you're looking to actually improve your French though, this might not be the class for you. The focus is a lot more on the historical material learned rather than how well you speak, read, and write French. Her grading on the exams focuses solely on your understanding of the subject matter and not at all on your writing abilities. Because the class is mainly a lecture class, you…