Therese Banks
Assistant Professor of French & Francophone Studies
- Office
- Le Chateau 115
- thereseb@middlebury.edu
- Office Hours
- Spring 2025: Tue & Wed 3:00-4:00; Fri 8:30-9:30 & by appointment
Therese Banks is Assistant Professor of French and Francophone Studies. She holds a Ph.D. in French from Harvard University, and is excited to join Middlebury College in Fall 2023.
Her research focuses on representations of religious violence in medieval and early modern French Literature, particularly around the Crusades and the French Wars of Religion. She is also interested in questions of early modern race and nation formation.
Courses Taught
FREN 0101
Beginning French Part One
Course Description
Intensive Beginning French
For students who have not previously studied French, an introduction to listening, speaking, reading, and writing in French, providing the syntactic and semantic foundation of the French language in a concentrated program of grammar presentation, drills, laboratory work, and discussion. Primary emphasis will be placed on the student's active use of the language, and weekly attendance at the French language table will be required. This course does not fulfill the foreign language distribution requirement. Students are expected to continue with FREN 0102 in the winter term after successfully completing FREN 0101, and with FREN 0201in the spring. 6 hrs. lect./disc.
Terms Taught
FREN 0201
Current
Intermediate French I
Course Description
Intermediate French I
Emphasis on increased control and proficiency in the language through audiovisual, conversational, and drill methods. Readings and film enlarge the student's view of French life and culture. (FREN 0102 or by placement) 5 hrs. lect./disc.
Terms Taught
Requirements
FREN 0205
Toward Liberated Expression
Course Description
Toward Liberated Expression
A course designed to increase and perfect the ability to express oneself in spoken and written French. Emphasis on precision, variety, and vocabulary acquisition. Sections limited to 15 students. (FREN 0201, 0203 or placement) This requirement for the major and the minor may be satisfied by placement at a higher level. 3 hrs. lect./disc.
Terms Taught
Requirements
FREN 0209
Self&Society Writing in French
Course Description
Self and Society: Effective Writing in French
In this course, students will deepen their knowledge of the French language and French-speaking cultures while developing their reading and writing skills through examination of a variety of texts and media. This course facilitates the transition from language-oriented courses (FREN 0205) to content-oriented courses (such as FREN 0220 and FREN 0230) by introducing students to strategies for interpretation and discussion, with a focus on effective writing. Course materials may include essays/articles, theater, fiction, poetry, videos, and films. (FREN 0205 or by placement) 3 hrs. lect./disc.
Terms Taught
Requirements
FREN 0227
Upcoming
French Violence & Resistance
Course Description
Violence, Tolerance, Resistance: French Literature Around the Age of Enlightenment
In this course we will explore how different genres of French & Francophone literature from the 16th-19th centuries debate the sociopolitical contexts of their times: the status of women, religious coexistence, the transatlantic slave trade, the French Revolution, and the French Empire. Through texts like the first French novel, Honoré d’Urfé’s L’Astrée and Haitian General Toussaint L’Ouverture’s Mémoires, we will learn to analyze literary representations of violence, tolerance, and resistance, and to channel our analysis into academic writing. By the end of this course, we will know how to analyze a variety of literary genres, write advanced academic essays in French, and consider different historical approaches to conflict.
Terms Taught
Requirements
FREN 0302
Current
Gender & Sex in French Past
Course Description
Gender & Sexuality in Medieval French Literature
How did medieval French literature debate issues of gender and sexuality? How do cultural artifacts like books and illuminations shape ideas about “normative” or “non-normative” gender expression and sexual behavior? We will read chivalric romances, songs, and letters that introduce us to the history of gender and sexuality. Seminar discussions will focus on themes like femininity and masculinity; reproduction, same-sex relationships, and marriage; non-binary gender. We will read and respond to modern scholarship on medieval French literature to bring our own voices into past and present conversations. We will be introduced to medieval French literature, learn how to engage with academic scholarship, and frame research questions and projects in French. No prior knowledge of medieval French necessary.
Terms Taught
Requirements
FREN 0310
Upcoming
Rebirth & French Renaissance
Course Description
Rebirth and Renaissance: Narrating the Past, Present, and Future in 16th- and 17th -Century France
What is the French Renaissance? If naissance means “birth,” what (or who) is being (re)born in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century France? Who are its parents or ancestors? Who or what has passed away to make space for this “birth”? In this course we will introduce ourselves to, and critically question, the possible “births” of the French Renaissance through three modules: the rebirth of the classical and medieval pasts; the birth of “the New World” as a European conception of already existing homelands of Indigenous peoples; the birth of France as a (pre)modern nation-state. We will analyze a wide variety of Francophone materials, including poetry, prose, paintings and prints.
Terms Taught
Requirements
FREN 0500
Current
Upcoming
Independent Projects
Course Description
Independent Project
Qualified students may be permitted to undertake a special project in reading and research under the direction of a member of the department. Students should seek an advisor and submit a proposal to the department well in advance of registration for the term in which the work is to be undertaken. (Approval required)
Terms Taught
FREN 0605
Upcoming
Senior Work
Course Description
Senior Work
For this one-semester course, majors are required to complete Senior Work (FREN 0605) consisting of a significant research paper of at least 30-40 pages. Majors should consult about their project with a faculty member before registering for FREN 0605. (Approval required.)
Terms Taught
FREN 0700
Current
Upcoming
Senior Honors Thesis
Course Description
Senior Honors Thesis
Qualified senior majors who wish to be considered for Honors in French must submit a proposal well in advance of registration for the term in which the work is to be undertaken. This project will consist of a significant research paper of at least 50-60 pages to be competed over two consecutive semesters. (Approval required.)
Terms Taught
FREN 0701
Current
Upcoming
Senior Honors Thesis
Course Description
Senior Honors Thesis
Qualified senior majors who wish to be considered for Honors in French must submit a proposal well in advance of registration for the term in which the work is to be undertaken. (Approval required; see requirements above.)
Terms Taught