Idaho State University Undergraduate Catalog 2001-2002


Department of Foreign Languages

Chair and Professor: Dolsen

Professors: Nickisch, Park

Associate Professors: Hunt, Sieber

Assistant Professor: Carter-Cram

Instructor: Stewart

Adjunct Faculty: Anderson, Heath, Johnsen, Peterson, Zaltzman

The Foreign Language Department offers courses in French, German, Latin, Russian, Shoshoni, Spanish, and other foreign languages taught on demand. Students may study several other languages on a self-paced basis (see LANG 120). The courses serve several purposes: (1) to contribute to the general education of students by imparting an awareness of foreign languages, literatures and civilizations; (2) to meet the needs of language majors and minors; (3) to prepare future teachers of French, German, Russian and Spanish; and (4) to provide language training for students whose subsequent careers require the knowledge of a foreign language.

Two years (or equivalent) of a foreign language are prerequisites to all upper-division courses in French, German, Russian and Spanish. However, the department reserves the right to place students at a level commensurate with their knowledge of a specific language.

Foreign Language Placement Testing

Students who have any experience with French, German, or Spanish must take the foreign language placement examination offered in Counseling and Testing (Third Floor South) in Gravely Hall prior to registering. Following completion of the exam, students must contact the Department of Foreign Languages to determine the appropriate course. Students who have no experience in Foreign Languages should register for the first course (i.e. French 101).

Admission to Major Status

To secure a major in French, German or Spanish, the student is required to complete at least 27 hours of courses numbered 300 or above, most of which are given in the respective language.

Prospective high school teachers may obtain teaching majors or minors in foreign languages. They should consult the Teacher Education Program in the College of Education concerning the requirements for certification. Foreign language majors and minors are expected to include in their programs the designated required courses and to attain a reasonable degree of fluency in the languages they have selected.

The department maintains a modern language laboratory, which includes tapes, a record library, computers and video equipment. Its facilities are available to all language students.

General Education Requirements

Please note the following goal requirements:

  1. LANG 207, Contemporary European Culture, 3 credits, which is taught in English, fulfills Goal 10A.
  2. One year of French, German, Latin, Russian or Spanish at the elementary or intermediate level fulfills Goal 10B.

For a major or minor in a foreign language, the student must fulfill both Goals 10A AND 10B. Non-native speakers of English, i.e. students who grew up in a non-English speaking country and learned English as their second language, fulfill both Goal 1 and Goal 10B by passing ENGL 101 and 102 with at least a C- average.

U.S. students who grew up in a Spanish or other foreign language speaking home may fulfill Goal 10B by passing the 301-302 Foreign Language Conversation and Composition classes with a C or better.

Students who have studied French, German or Spanish or lived temporarily in a foreign country and spoken the language can receive credit by CLEP examination to be applied to their transcripts with an "S" grade (16 credits maximum). These credits can be used toward fulfilling Goal 10B of the General Education Requirements if the student achieves a minimum of 8 credits. Students must take one additional course at an appropriate level to finish Goal 10B. If students fall into this category, they should contact the department secretary for further information. See also "Credit by Examination" under the heading "Expenses" in the Registration section of this catalog, and a description of the College Level Examination Program in the Academic Information section.

Students who have studied languages other than French, German, or Spanish and have lived in a foreign country and spoken the language may take a proficiency exam developed by Brigham Young University for a number of rarely taught languages to satisfy Goal 10B. Applications for this exam may be obtained from the Department secretary.

Bachelor of Arts in French, German or Spanish

Degree Requirements for French, German and Spanish Majors: LANG 207 Contemporary European Culture 3 cr A two-semester (6 credit) course sequence 6 cr

These courses must be supportive of the student's educational goals within the major in French, German or Spanish. Sequences which may well fulfill this requirement are ENGL 267-268 English Literature, HIST g325-HIST g326 or HIST 251-HIST g360-HIST g451. Other sequences may be selected. All sequences must be approved by the student's advisor in the Department of Foreign Languages.

Major in French

FREN 201-202    Intermediate French                       8 cr

                (or equivalent high school courses or experience)

FREN 301-302    French Conversation and Composition       6 cr

FREN g341-g342  Survey of French Literature

                and Civilization                          6 cr

AND: Upper-division FREN or LANG courses, at least 3 

     of which are conducted in French                    15 cr

Major in German

GERM 201-202    Intermediate German                       8 cr

                (or equivalent high school courses or experience)

GERM 301-302    German Conversation and Composition       6 cr

GERM g341-g342  Survey of German Literature 

                and Civilization                          6 cr

AND: Upper-division GERM or LANG courses, at least 3 

     of which are conducted in German                    15 cr

Major in Spanish

SPAN 201-202    Intermediate Spanish                      8 cr

                (or equivalent high school courses or experience)

SPAN 301-302    Spanish Conversation and Composition      6 cr

SPAN g341-g342  Survey of Spanish and Latin American 

                Literature and Civilization               6 cr

AND: Upper-division SPAN or LANG courses, at least 3 

     of which are conducted in Spanish                   15 cr

Minor in French

A Goal 10A course must also be taken.

FREN 201-202    Intermediate French                       8 cr

                (or equivalent high school courses or experience)

FREN 301-302    French Conversation and Composition       6 cr

AND: Upper-division FREN or LANG courses                  6 cr

Minor in German

A Goal 10A course must also be taken.

GERM 201-202    Intermediate German                       8 cr

                (or equivalent high school courses or experience)

GERM 301-302    German Conversation and Composition       6 cr

AND: Upper-division GERM or LANG courses                  6 cr



Minor in Russian

A Goal 10A course must also be taken.

RUSS 201-202    Intermediate Russian                      8 cr

                (or equivalent high school courses or experience)

RUSS 301-302    Russian Conversation and Composition      6 cr

AND: Upper-division RUSS or LANG courses                  6 cr

Minor in Spanish

A Goal 10A course must also be taken.

SPAN 201-202    Intermediate Spanish                      8 cr

                (or equivalent high school courses or experience)

SPAN 301-302    Spanish Conversation and Composition      6 cr

AND: Upper-division SPAN or LANG courses                  6 cr

Associate of Arts Degree

Students seeking an Associate of Arts degree in French, German, Latin, Russian, Shoshoni or Spanish must complete the following:

All of the General Education Goals (10A and 10B)     37-52* cr 

LANG 107        Nature of Language                        3 cr 

                OR 

LANG 207        Contemporary European Culture             3 cr 

ENGL 110        Introduction to Literature                3 cr 

ENGL 211        Introduction to Literary Analysis         3 cr 



The appropriate set: 

FREN 101102     Elementary French                         8 cr 

FREN 201202     Intermediate French                       8 cr 



GERM 101102     Elementary German                         8 cr 

GERM 201202     Intermediate German                       8 cr 



LATN 101102     Elementary Latin                          8 cr 

LATN 201202     Intermediate Latin                        8 cr 



RUSS 101102     Elementary Russian                        8 cr 

RUSS 201202     Intermediate Russian                      8 cr 



SHOS 101102     Elementary Shoshoni                       8 cr 

SHOS 201202     Intermediate Shoshoni                     8 cr 



SPAN 101102     Elementary Spanish                        8 cr 

SPAN 201202     Intermediate Spanish                      8 cr 

Electives to bring total to 64 cr                     variable

                                                  TOTAL: 64 cr 

* The number of credits required for the General Education 

 requirements varies depending on the student's performance 

 on proficiency or placement tests in English, 

 foreign languages, and mathematics.

Foreign Language Courses

LANG 101-102 Elementary Foreign Language 4 credits each. Basic communication skills, grammatical structures, and acquaintance with culture in languages other than those regularly taught. Laboratory is required. Satisfies Goal 10B of the General Education Requirements. F, S

LANG 107 Nature of Language 3 credits. General survey of structure and use of language. Topics include language origins, descriptive and historical linguistics, language and culture, and history of the English language. Cross-listed as ANTH 107 and ENGL 107. S

LANG 120 Autotutorial Beginning Foreign Language 1 credit. Self-paced laboratory course. May be repeated. Available in: Cherokee, Danish, Egyptian Arabic, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Lakhota, Mandarin Chinese, Navajo, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish. Graded S/U. D

LANG 201-202 Intermediate Foreign Language 4 credits each. Extensive grammar review; communication skills in languages other than those regularly taught. Laboratory is required. Satisfies Goal 10B of the General Education Requirements. PREREQ: LANG 102 OR EQUIVALENT. F, S

LANG 207 Contemporary European Culture 3 credits. European culture in French, German and Spanish-speaking countries is examined in terms of its historical bases and its contemporary expressions in customs, institutions, lifestyles, literature, art and music. Taught in English. Satisfies Goal 10A of the General Education Requirements. S

LANG 307 Foreign Language Practicum 3 credits. Students teach fundamental language skills to elementary school children. Materials, methods, and instruction provided by student. Students must spend seventyfive minutes/week with course instructor. PREREQ: INTERMEDIATE LANGUAGE COURSES, PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. F, S

LANG 397 Workshop 1-2 credits. Workshops aimed at the development and improvement of skills. Does not satisfy requirements for a major or a minor. May be repeated. Graded S/U. D

LANG g415 Studies in Major National Literatures 3 credits. Studies in important literatures and cultures not covered by regular course offerings. May include literatures in translation and literature written in English outside of America and the British Isles. Cross-listed as ENGL g455. May be repeated once with different content. D

LANG g437 The Teaching of Foreign Languages 3 credits. Study of the various methods used in teaching foreign languages, the extent and scope of language courses; the selection of suitable text books; audiovisual techniques and their contribution to language instruction. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. S

LANG g455 Introduction to Phonetics 3 credits. Introduction to descriptive linguistics focusing on the phonetics and phonetic phenomena of English and the other languages of the world. Extensive practice in perception and production of such phenomena. Cross-listed as ANTH g455. PREREQ: ANTH/ENGL/LANG 107. D

LANG g456 Introduction to Phonology and Morphology 3 credits. Phonological theory and analysis; current theories in morphology. Phonological rules, representations, underlying forms, derivations, justifications of phonological analyses; morphological structure, derivational and inflectional morphology; relation of morphology to phonology. Cross-listed as ANTH g456. PREREQ: ANTH/ENGL/LANG 107. D

LANG 457 Survey of Indo-European Languages 3 credits. Survey of Indo-European languages from ancient to modern times, their relationships to one another, and chief characteristics. Cross-listed as ANTH 457. PREREQ: completion of Goal 10B. D

LANG g477 Phonology 3 credits. Study of articulatory phonetics and practice in phonetic transcription of a broad survey of languages; phonological analysis and theory. D

LANG 484 Special Topics in Linguistics 3 credits. Rotating topics in different areas of linguistics. Consult current schedule of classes for exact course being taught. Cross-listed as ANTH 484 and ENGL 484. PREREQ: ANTH/LANG/ENGL 107. D

LANG g488 Foreign Language Seminar 3 credits. Advanced studies in selected topics from language, culture, literatures or methods of research. May be conducted in English. May be repeated up to 6 credits with different content. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. D

French Courses

FREN 101-102 Elementary French I, II 4 credits each. Intended to teach students basic communication skills and grammatical structures in French and to acquaint them with the culture of the French-speaking countries. Practice in the language laboratory is required. Satisfies Goal 10B of the General Education Requirements. F, S

FREN 201-202 Intermediate French I, II 4 credits each. Extensive review of grammatical structures and continued emphasis on developing students' communication skills in French. Contrastive study of culture as reflected in the French language. Practice in language laboratory required. PREREQ: FREN 102 OR EQUIVALENT. Satisfies Goal 10B of the General Education Requirements. F, S

FREN 301-302 French Conversation and Composition I, II 3 credits each. Intensive practice speaking and writing French in forms and styles common to economics, politics, science, society, the arts and creative writing of the French-speaking world. PREREQ: FREN 202 OR EQUIVALENT. F, S

FREN g341-g342 Survey of French Literature and Civilization I, II 3 credits each. Comprehensive overview of the main currents of French cultural history and literature. Conducted in French. PREREQ: FREN 202 OR EQUIVALENT. AF, AS

FREN g381 French Current Affairs 3 credits. Study of contemporary French culture through an examination of current sociocultural issues in French speaking countries. Conducted in French. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. R3

FREN g400 French Advanced Grammar 3 credits. Survey of selected grammar and composition topics on the advanced level. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. D

FREN g410 Seventeenth Century French Literature 3 credits. Study of representative works of the 17th century, with particular emphasis on the works of Corneille, Moliere, and Racine. Conducted in French. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. R3

FREN g420 Eighteenth Century French Literature 3 credits. French thought as reflected in the literature from 1715 to the Revolution. Special emphasis on the works of Montesquieu, Voltaire, Diderot, and Rousseau. Conducted in French. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. R3

FREN g430 French Romanticism 3 credits. Study of the Romantic prose, poetry, and drama of the period: Lamartine, Musset, Vigny, Hugo, and others. Conducted in French. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. R3

FREN g440 French Realism and Naturalism 3 credits. Study of the main currents in French literature, as reflected in the works of Balzac, Flaubert, Zola, Maupassant, and other writers of the latter 19th century. Conducted in French. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. R3

FREN g450 Twentieth Century French Literature 3 credits. Study of the main currents of contemporary French literature including symbolism, surrealism, existentialism, objectivism, etc. Conducted in French. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. R3

FREN g470 Readings in French 2 credits. Reading, discussion, and preparation of reports on selected topics in French literature. May be repeated once with different content. Conducted in French. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. D

FREN g480 Independent Studies in French 3 credits. A directed project, under the guidance of an instructor, emphasizing individual study or research according to the needs of the student. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. D

FREN g490 French Senior Seminar 3 credits. Advanced studies in selected topics from language, culture, literatures or methods of research. May be repeated up to 6 credits with different content. Conducted in French. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. D

German Courses

GERM 101-102 Elementary German I, II 4 credits each. Intended to teach students basic communication skills and grammatical structures in German and to acquaint them with the culture of the German-speaking countries. Practice in the language laboratory is required. Satisfies Goal10B of the General Education Requirements. F,S

GERM 201-202 Intermediate German I, II 4 credits each. Extensive review of grammatical structures and continued emphasis on developing students' communication skills in German. Contrastive study of culture as reflected in the German language. Practice in language laboratory required. PREREQ: GERM 102 OR EQUIVALENT. Satisfies Goal 10B of the General Education Requirements. F, S

GERM 301-302 German Conversation and Composition I, II 3 credits each. Students work toward mastery of German through readings, compositions, discussions and oral presentations. Subject matter centers on business, science, politics, and society. PREREQ: GERM 202 OR EQUIVALENT. F, S

GERM g341-g342 Survey of German Literature and Civilization I, II 3 credits each. Comprehensive overview of the main currents of German cultural history and literature. Conducted in German. PREREQ: GERM 202 OR EQUIVALENT. AF, AS

GERM g381 German Current Affairs 3 credits. Study of contemporary German culture through an examination of current sociocultural issues in the German-speaking world. Conducted in German. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. R3

GERM g400 German Advanced Grammar 3 credits. Survey of selected grammar and composition topics on the advanced level. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. D

GERM g410 Survey of German Poetry 3 credits. Reading, analysis and discussion of representative examples of epic and lyric poetry from the major literary eras, with emphasis on German poetry since Luther. Conducted in German. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. R3

GERM g420 The Age of Goethe 3 credits. A survey of the major works and movements of the pre-classical and classical periods in German literature. Conducted in German. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. R3

GERM g430 German Romanticism 3 credits. Selections of prose, verse and drama by leading German-speaking Romantic writers are read and discussed, and the principal literary movements of the period are considered. Conducted in German. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. R3

GERM g440 German Realism and Naturalism 3 credits. A survey of the major works from Buechner to Hauptmann, with emphasis on prose fiction and drama. Conducted in German. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. R3

GERM g450 Modern German Literature 3 credits. Reading and discussion of 20th Century works by the major authors of the German-speaking world, including Kafka, Hesse, Mann, Grass and Boell. Conducted in German. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. R3

GERM g470 Readings in German 2 credits. Reading, discussion, and preparation of reports on selected topics in German literature. May be repeated once with different content. Conducted in German. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. D

GERM g480 Independent Studies in German 3 credits. A directed project, under the guidance of an instructor, emphasizing individual study or research according to the needs of the student. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. D

GERM g490 German Senior Seminar 3 credits. Advanced studies in selected topics from language, culture, literatures or methods of research. May be repeated up to 6 credits with different content. Conducted in German. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. D

Latin Courses

LATN 101-102 Elementary Latin I, II 4 credits each. Intended to teach students basic reading skills and grammatical structures in Latin and to acquaint them with the culture of Ancient Rome. Practice in the language laboratory is required. Satisfies Goal 10B of the General Education Requirements. F, S

LATN 201-202 Intermediate Latin I, II 3 credits each. Review and further study of Latin grammar. Readings from various authors. Study of one book of Virgil's Aeneid. PREREQ: LATN 102 OR EQUIVALENT. D

LATN g470 Readings in Latin 2 credits. Reading, discussion, and preparation of reports on selected topics in Latin literature. May be repeated twice with different content. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. D

Russian Courses

RUSS 101-102 Elementary Russian I, II 4 credits each. Intended to teach students basic communication skills and grammatical structures in Russian and to acquaint them with the culture of Russian speakers. Practice in the language laboratory is required. Satisfies Goal 10B of the General Education Requirements. F, S

RUSS 201-202 Intermediate Russian I, II 4 credits each. Extensive review of grammatical structures and continued emphasis on developing students' communication skills in Russian. Contrastive study of culture as reflected in the Russian language. Practice in language laboratory required. PREREQ: RUSS 102 OR EQUIVALENT. Satisfies GOAL 10B of the General Education Requirements. F, S

RUSS 301-302 Russian Conversation and Composition I, II 3 credits each. Intensive practice speaking and writing Russian in forms and styles common to economics, politics, science, society, the arts and creative writing of the Russian-speaking world. PREREQ: RUSS 202 OR EQUIVALENT. F, S

RUSS g470 Readings in Russian 2 credits. Reading, discussion, and preparation of reports on selected topics in Russian literature. May be repeated twice with different content. Conducted in Russian. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. D

Shoshoni Courses

SHOS 101 Elementary Shoshoni I 4 credits. Basic communication skills and grammar of Shoshoni and introduction to Shoshoni culture. Cross-listed as ANTH 101. Satisfies Goal 10B of the General Education Requirements. F

SHOS 102 Elementary Shoshoni II 4 credits. Furthering basic communication skills and grammar of Shoshoni and introduction to Shoshoni culture. Cross-listed as ANTH 102. Satisfies Goal 10B of the General Education Requirements. S

SHOS 201 Intermediate Shoshoni I 4 credits. Intermediate communication skills and grammar of Shoshoni. Deepens understanding of Shoshoni Culture and builds on skills and knowledge gained in Elementary Shoshoni. Crosslisted as ANTH 201. F

SHOS 202 Intermediate Shoshoni II 4 credits. Intermediate communication skills and grammar of Shoshoni. Deepens understanding of Shoshoni culture and builds on skills and knowledge gained in Elementary Shoshoni. Crosslisted as ANTH 202. S

Spanish Courses

SPAN 101-102 Elementary Spanish I, II 4 credits each. Intended to teach students basic communication skills and grammatical structures in Spanish and to acquaint them with the culture of the Spanish-speaking countries. Practice in thelanguage laboratory is required. Satisfies Goal 10B of the General Education Requirements. F,S

SPAN 201-202 Intermediate Spanish I, II 4 credits each. Extensive review of grammatical structures and continued emphasis on developing students' communication skills in Spanish. Contrastive study of culture as reflected in the Spanish language. Practice in language laboratory required. PREREQ: SPAN 102 OR EQUIVALENT. Satisfies Goal 10B of the General Education Requirements. F, S

SPAN 301-302 Spanish Conversation and Composition I, II 3 credits each. Intensive practice speaking, reading and writing standard Spanish in the forms and styles common to the media, commerce, research and the arts. Conducted in Spanish. PREREQ: SPAN 202 OR EQUIVALENT. F, S

SPAN g341-g342 Survey of Spanish and Latin American Literature and Civilization 3 credits each. Comprehensive overview of main currents of Peninsular and Latin American cultural history and literature. Conducted in Spanish. PREREQ: SPAN 202 OR EQUIVALENT. AF, AS

SPAN g381 Spanish Current Affairs 3 credits. Study of contemporary Spanish culture through an examination of current sociocultural issues in Spanish speaking countries. Conducted in Spanish. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. R3

SPAN g400 Spanish Advanced Grammar 3 credits. Survey of selected grammar and composition topics on the advanced level. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. D

SPAN g410 Spanish Medieval through Golden Age Literature 3 credits. Examination of Medieval, Renaissance, Golden Age Literature with an emphasis on the major trends that shaped Spanish thought and letters. Conducted in Spanish. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. R3

SPAN g422 Colonial Spanish American Literature 3 credits. Study of major writers and their historical contexts from the conquest to the eve of independence, including indigenous and colonial prose, poetry, and drama. Conducted in Spanish. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. AF

SPAN g425 Nineteenth Century Spanish American Literature 3 credits. Study of major writers and their historical contexts in the nineteenth century, including prose, poetry and drama. Conducted in Spanish. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. AS

SPAN g430 Spanish Enlightenment and Romanticism 3 credits. Consideration of literary currents from the beginning of the Bourbon Monarchy in Spain (1700) until 1868. Conducted in Spanish. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. R3

SPAN g440 Spanish Realism through Generation of '98 3 credits. Examination of major literary works beginning with the realist and naturalist authors and concluding with the Generation of 1898. Conducted in Spanish. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. R3

SPAN g450 Twentieth Century Spanish Literature 3 credits. Examination of modern Peninsular letters as evidenced in poetry, the short story, the novel and the essay. Conducted in Spanish. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. R3

SPAN g462 Early Twentieth Century Spanish American Literature 3 credits. Study of major writers and their historical contexts from "modernismo" to World War II, including prose, poetry and drama. Conducted in Spanish. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. AF

SPAN g465 Contemporary Spanish American Literature 3 credits. Study of major writers and their historical contexts from World War II until the present, including prose, poetry and drama. Conducted in Spanish. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. AS

SPAN g470 Readings in Spanish 2 credits. Reading, discussion, and preparation of reports on selected topics in Spanish literature. May be repeated once with different content. Conducted in Spanish. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. D

SPAN g480 Independent Studies in Spanish 3 credits. A directed project, under the guidance of an instructor, emphasizing individual study or research according to the needs of the student. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. D

SPAN g490 Spanish Senior Seminar 3 credits. Advanced studies in selected topics from language, culture, literatures or methods of research. May be repeated up to 6 credits with different content. Conducted in Spanish. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. D



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Revised: July 2001