Course Catalog

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Course Catalog

FRENCH FILM & FICTION NOW (FR3011)

The course aims to introduce students to up-to-date literary and cinematic developments in France, and Francophonie, give students the opportunity to learn about the recent issues in French culture and society and develop their skills in oral and written French. Taught in French (presentations and papers may be written in English).

FRENCH FOR INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS (FR3028)

The French for International Affairs course is specifically designed for students willing to improve, reinforce and develop their communication skills in French - vocabulary, structures, debate skills and argumentation techniques - focusing on the field of International Relations. The main objectives of this French language course are to offer students the opportunity to:
• increase their knowledge and information,
• compare different points of view on the same past or current topic,
• express and share their point of view in a structured and convincing way,
• develop their analytical and synthesis skills as well as to reinforce their autonomy in expression.
Students with a special interest in international politics, in international relations, in European, African, Middle Eastern Studies and in environmental issues will benefit greatly from this course.
Prerequisites: FR 2100 or equivalent

DISSIDENT HISTORIES FROM THE FRANCOPHONE WORLD (FR3029)

Martinique-born poet Edouard Glissant claims that "History [with a capital H] ends where the histories of those peoples once reputed to be without history come together". Students will explore the creative works of dissident voices from Francophone Africa, the Indian Ocean, the Caribbean, and Europe. Students will develop critical insights into the ongoing dialogue about how who writes History.

THE MONSTROUS AND FABULOUS RENAISSANCE (FR3032)

This course is bilingual in nature and outlines the historical and literary contexts of the Renaissance from a Franco-centric perspective. Students will study texts by a range of Renaissance authors (including Erasmus, Rabelais, Marguerite de Navarre, Louise Labé, Montaigne, Marlowe and Shakespeare) while learning about earlymodern book culture, medicine, cartography, religion, colonization, magic, monsters, witchcraft and plagues. They shall also seek to comprehend how France became dominant in language and literature throughout Europe for centuries to follow.

TWO FRENCH CLASSICS (FR3046)

By promoting careful analysis of two landmarks of French literature while building skills in language and cultural semantics, oral and written communications, this course aims at helping students weave together literary meaning and cross-cultural belonging. By becoming more familiar with French literary language and mindscapes, students will further their understanding of L’Esprit français, the special relationship between literature and culture, writers and intellectual history in France.
The choice of works and pairings will differ every year according to the instructor’s interests.

(DE)COLONIAL NARRATIVES IN FRENCH (FR3052)

Embark on a journey through the French-speaking world, exploring diverse literary and cultural expressions from Africa, the Indian Ocean, the Caribbean, and Europe. This course surveys multigeneric colonial and postcolonial narratives, spanning continents and mediums-poems, novels, graphic novels, and films-dating from 1661 to today. We analyze how authors and directors (de)construct(neo-)colonial archives, ideologies, and stereotypes. Prerequisite: FR2100.

POLITICS IN FRANCE (FR3053)

Studies France's development from a provincial peasant society, hampered by weak governments and enduring colonial wars, to a technologically sophisticated industrial democracy and a major international power. Studies France's cultural, social, and economic contexts, evolving party system, and institutions and policy-making processes to better understand this phenomenal change and its consequences for France's role in the world. The ability to read in French will facilitate research, but is not required.

ROMANTIC LIT AND ITS DISCONTENTS: FLAUBERT, SAND, BAUDELAIRE (FR3059)

Studies in the literary works, poetic aspirations and legal trials of Flaubert, Sand, and Baudelaire, while tracing their tremendous influence on the 19th-century French literature and their contribution to the emergence of modernity. Readings include Indiana, Madame Bovary, Trois contes, Bouvard et Pecuchet, and Baudelaire's Les Fleurs du Mal among other works, as well as a range of critical and philosophical commentaries.

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND COMMUNITY SERVICE IN FRANCE (FR3083)

This course offers global explorers with a strong desire to engage in local Parisian communitites, not only to deepen their understanding of French society's make-up and current social issues, but also to experience suring (at least) one semester what volunteer work in a Parisian advocacy or charity organization feels like.

FRENCH CINEMA: LA NOUVELLE VAGUE (FR3086)

Shows the evolution of modern French culture in its relationship to cinema. Examines the early influence of literature and theater on cinema and its subsequent detachment, to be recognized as an art in itself with its own particular form. Emphasizes the viewing and discussing of one film each week: two class meetings plus one film per week. One or two off campus visits organized per semester.Taught in French.