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Faculty
Joseph G. Morello (Ph.D.,
University of Missouri, 1968)
is Professor of French and Chair of the department of Modern and
Classical Languages and Literatures at the University of Rhode
Island.
Office: 112A Independence
Hall
Hours
(Fall 2008):
Phone:
401-874-4699
Email: morello@uri.edu
Courses
typically taught by Dr. Morello:
FRN 204 French
Composition 1
FRN 204 is a
continuation of the coursework you have already
taken in French in that it will continue to develop your skills in
speaking,
listening and reading French while stressing development of your
writing ability. Emphasis will be placed
on reading (a novel plus texts from the popular press) as a basis for
the
writing you will do. There will also be some study of relevant grammar
points. The specific functional objectives of the course
are:
•
learn to write "in paragraphs"
•
learn to narrate in past, present and
future time
•
learn to express opinions
FRN 207
French Oral Expression 1
FRN 309 French
Literature and Culture to 1789
FRN 309 is an
introduction to
the literature and culture of "Early Modern" France, a
period of roughly 800 years extending from the 11th century to the
French
revolution in 1789. This period is commonly divided into four major
periods: the Middle Ages (11th through
15th centuries), the Renaissance (16th century), the Age of Classicism
(17th
Century) and the Enlightenment (18th Century).
In this course, you will study the development of French culture,
literature
and thought and gain an appreciation for the importance of these
periods in the
creation of modern France. To the extent that all French
courses are
also language courses, you will have the opportunity to continue to
work on the
development of your language skills through your readings and through
written
and oral reports.
Texts:
Stelle and Ross,
La
civilisation française en évolution, I
Molière, L'Ecole
des femmes
Voltaire,
Candide
FRN 412
Molière
FRN 412 Paris, City
of Lights
Paris
is one of the world's oldest and most important cities. It began over
2000
years ago as a settlement established by a tribe called the Parisii,
hence its
name. Since that time, the city and its residents have played a major
role in
the development of France
and, in a very real way, the development of western civilization as
well. It is, of course, a physical place which grew
out of that village on the island in the Seine
to become arguably the most beautiful city in the world. But Paris
is also a notion, an idea; it represents many things to many people,
both in
France in and the rest of the world. It
is called "The City of Light" or sometimes, the "City of Lights" and the
change from the singular to the plural of "light" is significant, if
not intentional. It is the "City of Lights" in a
real sense: Paris at night, with its many monuments
illuminated, is a physical place of unsurpassed beauty. It is the
former, the "City of Light", in the ideal
sense: a place of high civilization, culture and freedom, aspired to
over the
centuries by both the French and by others from all over the globe.
In
this course, we will study both the real and
the ideal Paris. The basis for the course is chronological in
that we will follow the development of the city as an urban space from
its
inception to the modern times. We will focus particularly on the
"modern" era, starting roughly in the 17th century and emphasizing
the re-shaping of Paris
from the mid-nineteenth century to today.
The
other Paris
we will seek in literature and film. Here, we will follow two paths: Paris in France and Paris in the
world. Why
did Molière say that "Hors de Paris il n'y a pas de salut pour les
honnêtes gens."? Why have non-Parisians aspired forever to
"monter à Paris"? Why did expatriate American writers, artists
and intellectuals, the "Lost Generation" as Gertrude Stein called
them, go to Paris to live and write in the post World War I era? Why did black musicians from the US flock to Paris
in the 20's and 30's, creating "le jazz hot" and turning Paris into the
hotbed of jazz
which it remains today? Why did
Friedrich Nietzsche, the German philosopher, say in 1909:
"…as an artist, a man has no home in
Europe save Paris" or Oliver Wendell
Holmes
say in 1904, "Good Americans, when they die, go to Paris." [both cited in Noir and
White, Paris
(p. 1)]
These
are the themes and questions we will study in both
literature and film. I'm still working
on the definitive list of books and films for the course. Here are a few possibilities:
Literary
texts:
Molière, Les Précieuses ridicules
Voltaire, a
brief extract from Candide
Balzac, Le Père Goriot
Duteurtre, Le Voyage en France
Delmas, Paris: la première fois
Films:
The Hunchback of
Notre
Dame
Ridicule
Paris brule-t-il?
Paris Blues
La Haine
The requirements for the course will
include two exams
which will test your knowledge of the "real" Paris, a few short papers and a term paper.
Since "Paris"
is such a vast subject, you should be able to find some aspect of it
which will
coincide with your non-French interest for the papers. For
example, an art history student might
want to study the architecture of the city; a civil engineer in the IEP
program
could work on the sewer system, the bridges, etc. of Paris;
those interested in film have many films made in or about Paris to study; an English major could study
the Lost Generation, etc.
THE
BA IN FRENCH,
DON'T LEAVE URI WITHOUT IT!
To become a French major,
no paperwork, no
office visits, no hassle, just write to adurand@uri.edu and that's it!
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