N.B. Course descriptions and required texts are subject to change.
Courses
Courses offered in the past four years.
▲ indicates offered in the current term
▹ indicates offered in the upcoming term[s]
FREN 6509 - Applied Stylistics I ▲
FREN 6509 is a refresher course that systematically covers all the basic language structures and various types of discourse : narrative, descriptive, and dialectical. The objective is to encourage students to write clearly and subtly.
The course focuses on the daily practice of exercises.
Required books: 1) a unilingual dictionary; 2) Nouvelle grammaire du français (cours de civilisation de la Sorbonne), par Y. Delatour, D. Jennepin, M. Léon-Dufour et B. Teyssier, Hachette, 2004 (ISBN : 9782011552716).
Language & StylisticsSummer 2009, Summer 2010, Summer 2011, Summer 2012, Summer 2013
FREN 6510 - Applied Stylistics II ▲
This course aims to help students perfect their written French, explore and use argumentative strategies, and develop an authentic style. Identification and resolution of writing problems, stylistic exercises and composition of texts, independently and in workshops.
Required book: Chovelon, Bernadette et Barthe, Marie (2002). Expression et style: Français de perfectionnement. Presses Universitaires de Grenoble ISBN 2 7061 1081 8
Language & StylisticsSummer 2009, Summer 2010, Summer 2011, Summer 2012, Summer 2013
FREN 6514 - Applied Phonetics ▲
This course is for students wishing to develop and perfect their oral production.
The objectives of this course are two-folds:
1. To develop an understanding of the principles that govern French language and:
2. To put these principles into practice in order that students may improve their pronunciation and aural comprehension.
The phonetics courses are adapted to the mother tongue of the students.
Each class will include systematic work on pronunciation, rhythm and intonation through a wide array of oral exercises (discrimination and repetition).
Students will also work individually in a virtual language laboratory.
Required book: L. Charliac, A-C. Moton “Phonétique progressive niveau intermédiaire avec 600 exercices” Clé-international 1998.
N.B.: Initially, first-year graduate students will be placed in this course on the basis of their scores on the oral interview; although any remaining seats will be opened to other interested students, they should normally register in 6612.
Language & StylisticsSummer 2009, Summer 2010, Summer 2011, Summer 2012, Summer 2013
FREN 6515 - French-English Translation I
FREN 6522 - Urban Sociolinguistics
Sociolinguistique du français : vers une sociolinguistique urbaine / Sociolinguistics of the French language : towards urban sociolinguistics
"This course is intended as an introduction to the problematic pertaining language use within a social context from a sociolinguistic standpoint – discipline dedicated to the study of language in its social and cultural manifestations. The issues discussed in class will range from: sociolinguistics as a field of research, social variation in French, verbal interactions, linguistic representations, and the emergence of an urban sociolinguistic domain. No previous knowledge of linguistics is required.
Text: a coursepack will be provided.*
LinguisticsSummer 2010, Summer 2011, Summer 2012
FREN 6524 - Introduction to Linguistics ▲
This course is meant to be a first contact with the principles and methods of linguistic analysis. Involving an introduction to linguistics, this course is appropriate for those begining their French linguistic studies as well as to advanced level students willing to increase and systematize their knowledge by means of a structured reflection on certain fundamental concepts of general linguistics.
An introduction to a complex discipline can be dealt with through different approaches. While proposing a view of the organization and functioning of the human language, presenting the great notions of modern linguistics and the main research fields, we will divide the present course into four broad areas: phonetics and phonology, morphology, lexical semantics, and semantics of the enunciation (enunciative and pragmatic approach).
No previous knowledge of linguistics is required.
LinguisticsSummer 2009, Summer 2012, Summer 2013
FREN 6525 - Intro to Literary Analysis ▲
This course will help social science and literary students master analytical and textual methodologies. These methodologies will allow students to read and comprehend texts in depth while developing their written analytical skills by performing methodological exercises such as summaries, technical explanations, close readings, argumentative dialectical essay, reading analyses or oral thematic presentations. In these exercises, we will study tropes on the Other in literature, anthropology, sociology, and politics. What representation and images of travel, the foreign and the Other, stem from the French reader’s perspective? And who is this Other? Etymologically “the one who is not here”, the Other can be the neighbor, the opposite sex, the foreigner -- whoever is different. And what usage is made of such fluctuating representations? In a quest for travel and alterity through different texts spanning the 16th to the 21st centuries, we will explore the anthropological, sociological, political, stylistical, poetical, critical and ideological renewal of transcribed viewpoints of human identity and French clichés. To this end, we will study textual excerpts from different horizons might they be geographical, political, sociological, anthropological or historical.
Required books :
1) a coursepack comprised of diverse argumentative texts (including Le Passeur, short story by Le Clézio)
2) Le Supplément au Voyage de Bougainville (Diderot) ISBN 2253138099
3) La Théorie du Voyage (Michel Onfray) ISBN 2253084419
4) Le Roi de Kahel (Tierno Monénembo) ISBN 2020851671
Final grade will be determined by five written exercises (60%) and two oral presentations (40%)
Lit Theory/Analysis PedagogySummer 2009, Summer 2010, Summer 2011, Summer 2012, Summer 2013
FREN 6543 - The Post-Molierists
Comment écrire une comédie après Molière ? Les post-moliéresques, de Molière à Marivaux. / Is it possible to pen a comedy after Molière ? The post-Molièrists, from Molière to Marivaux
How is it possible to think about comedy after Molière? What are the necessary methods to represent, conceive, and bring to life a comic play after Molière’s ingenious innovations, after the revival of the farce, after the invention of classical morals in “La Grande Comédie”, after the creation of the ballet comedy, after the victories at the end of so many quarrels, after so much comic and satiric brilliance, after such a supreme theatric genius? This is the challenge which the “post-Molièrists”, Regnard and Lesage, confronted as best they could, before Marivaux reworked the definition of comedy. Their response is simple but efficient as they imagined a theatrical reproduction of a party, a pot-pourri comedy, the elaborate recreation and imitation at the heart of a light-hearted knowledge, bitter, dark, and philosophical.
This in-depth study of classical theater offers two tracks, one methodological (section A) and the other literary (section B). Section A will help literature and social science students learn to master analytical and textual methodologies that will allow them to read and comprehend a variety of texts in depth while at the same time developing their analytical writing skills by performing methodological exercises such as summaries, syntheses, technical explanations, close readings, argumentative dialectical essays, and thematic oral presentations. Section B presents an academic exploration of the evolution of French comedy during the 17th and 18th centuries, combining the historical, literary, theatrical, cultural, philosophical, and social perspectives. In both cases, the course will be accompanied by the texts as well as different versions of the play represented on the screen.
Texts: 1) Dom Juan (Molière)
2) Les Fourberies de Scapin (Molière)
3) Le Bourgeois gentilhomme (Molière)
4) Le Légataire universel (Regnard)
5) Turcaret (Lesage)
6) L’île des Esclaves (Marivaux)
N.B Students who choose section A can validate their credits in methodology (equivalent to 6525).
Literature PedagogySummer 2009
FREN 6560 - Intro to Science of Language
Introduction to the Science of Language
This introductory course to the science of language is addressed to advanced level students. It will focus on the systematization of their linguistic knowledge by structuring certain fundamental concepts on general linguistics. Moreover, it will be introduced how certain recent linguistic models would allow to formulate working hypothesis applicable to other disciplines, such as Psychology.
Required Text: a coursepack will be provided.
LinguisticsSummer 2011
FREN 6587 - Francophone Lit of Maghreb ▲
(Section A – Methodology ; Section B – Literature)
From its genesis in the nineteenth century, francophone literature of North Africa has not ceased to inspire controversy. Supplanting an existing cultural and linguistic foundation, it found its rightful place through the cultural imagery of the three Maghrebian countries, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. Initially conceived as a form vehiculaire (idiom of communication), over time the written works of the Maghreb evolved into a vernaculaire (idiom of expression). Before constituting a full-fledged literary domain, pedagogical materials written in French by teachers who were natives of the Maghreb appeared in the form of reviews, such as Soleil and Simoun. Unfairly dismissed by critics as “mimetic”, this generation nevertheless would become pioneers in a discourse of protest, paving the way for more substantial works by the writers who would follow.
This course will use a comparative format to address francophone literature in terms of its variety of expression and its diversity of production. We will seek understanding by referring both to French literature and to the theoretical prisms which permit an analytical approach to the texts. The literature of the Maghreb lays claim to its specificity by forming an autonomous domain of creation and study. We will attempt to define the sociological and anthropological stakes which are at play in each text. We will also examine from a literary perspective the significant 'shake-ups' of these societies and their treatment, such as independence, linguistic and democratic questions, and, finally individual liberty, notably that of the woman. We will also examine the panorama of the literature of immigration, also referred to as “Beurre”. Lastly, we will evoke the works of two major writers whose perspectives undoubtedly entail a process which is at once transnational and universal. It consists of moving beyond the close borders of francophonie in order to propose a new method of examining the new horizons of a 'francopolyphonique' style.
Required books: 1) La Statue de sel, Albert Memm ISBN 207036206X; 2) L’Amour la phantasia, Assia Djebar ISBN 2253151270; 3) Le Passé simple, Driss Chraibi ISBN: 2070377288
N.B Students who choose section A can validate their credits in methodology (equivalent to 6525).
(Besides regular credits this course may also count for one unit (i.e. 3 credits) in the M.A. in Mediterranean Studies program)
Literature PedagogySummer 2010, Summer 2011, Summer 2012, Summer 2013
FREN 6589 - Aspects of Maghreb Francophone
Introduction à la littérature maghrébine de langue française / Introduction to Maghrebian Francophone Literature
This course studies the history of French-language Maghrebian literature through works from the colonial and post-colonial periods by prominent authors and within main currents such as the “Algerian novel.” Beginning in the Fifties, this genre has distinguished itself by its literary qualities and discursive ambitions, a critical affirmation aiming to decipher social phenomena and denounce traditionalist practices. In the Seventies, a new generation of novelists came into its own in the three countries of French-speaking North Africa, searching for renewal of the genre (Rachid Boudjedra, Tahar BenJelloun, Mohammed Khaireddine), while the French language became, in the Eighties, a space where permissiveness could thrive (Tahar Djaout, Rachid Mimouni, Boualem Sansal, Assia Djebar). Lastly, we will examine the latest frontiers of this field, the detective novel (Yasmina Khadra) and migrant literature.
Texts: Driss Chraibi, Le Passé simple (Paris, Gallimard Folio, 1986); Albert Memmi, La Statue de sel (Paris, Gallimard Folio, 1972); Assia Djebar, L’Amour, la fantasia (Paris, Albin Michel, coll: Le Livre de Poche, 2001).
This course can also apply toward the M.A. in Mediterranean Studies.
LiteratureSummer 2009
FREN 6591 - Mediterranean Hist Art & Civ
La Méditerranée, une lumière jamais éteinte : Histoire, arts et civilisations des Cyclades aux temps modernes. / Mediterranean History, Arts, and Civilization from the Cyclades to Modernity
This course will begin with the study of the mysterious civilization on the Cyclades Islands 2,000 years before Christ and will cover the classical period of ancient Greece, Imperial Rome, the fall of the Roman Empire, the birth of Christianity, the Middle ages in Europe, Byzantine art in Venice and in Ravenna, the religious schism between the Western and the Eastern churches, the Venetian Empire, the Renaissance in Europe, Luther’s Reformation and the crisis of the arts in Northern Europe. Texts: Jean Carpentier et François Lebrun, Histoire de la Méditerranée, éd du Seuil, Paris 1998. ISBN 2-02-03062-0; Gilles Sauron , La grande Fresque de la Villa des Mystères à Pompéi, éd Picard, Paris, 1998. ISBN 2-7084-0545-4.
(Besides the regular credits, this course may also count for one unit of credit (i.e. 3 semester hours) in the M.A. in Mediterranean Studies program).
Civ Cul & SocSummer 2009, Summer 2010
FREN 6602 - Ennuciative & Prag Linguistics
Énonciation et pragmatique / Enunciative Linguistics and Pragmatics Linguistics*
In this course, students will be introduced to the analytical tools of enunciative and pragmatic linguistics. These tools will be useful in interpreting texts, whether literary, political, advertising, or journalistic in nature. The objective of the course is twofold: it necessarily demands a critical attitude and thinking on the part of students, guided by the professor, about the concepts and theories associated with these two linguistic approaches. The chief goal, though, is to apply and check these against a varied corpus, from the contextualized statement to the text fragment. More specifically, students will develop scientific rigour in their thinking about linguistics. By the end of the course, students should be able to answer the question: “What can I do, faced with any language-related item, using the tools at my disposition?” The content of the course will be organized into two main blocks: enunciative linguistics and pragmatic linguistics.
Text: Maingueneau, D.: L’énonciation en linguistique française, Hachette, 1999.
LinguisticsSummer 2009
FREN 6603 - Teaching FSL Writing Comp ▲
Teaching Written Comprehension and Production in French as a Second Language (FSL)
The aim of this course is to introduce students to the principles and techniques of teaching written comprehension and production in the FSL classroom. Topics to be covered include models and characteristics of written comprehension and production, methods of teaching written comprehension and production, text types, preparing texts for use with FSL learners of different ages and abilities, editing student production, the evaluation of written comprehension and production, and the use of technological resources.
No Text Required
PedagogySummer 2013
FREN 6604 - Historical Phonetics of French ▲
This course aims to provide an overview of the history of the phonetic system of the French language and the evolution of its spelling. More precisely, the laws that governed on the phonetic transformations from Latin to contemporary French and the impact they have had on the morphology. To do this, we will discuss the basics of general phonetics and articulatory phonetics of contemporary French so that we can then focus our attention on the study of different phonetic changes which are subject, among other vowels and consonants.
No prior training in linguistics is required.
LinguisticsSummer 2013
FREN 6605 - Roman Linguistics Studies
Le français et les langues de la Méditerranée: études de linguistique romane / French and Mediterranean Languages: Romance Linguistics Studies
The purpose of this course is to present a general overview of Romance linguistics. We will cover the main so-called neo-Latin languages (among them: Romanian, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and French) from both a diachronic and a synchronic perspective. Our approach will highlight, on the one hand, the evolution of Romance languages in their socio-historical contexts and, on the other hand, a general reflection on the language, the different linguistic varieties, and the problems raised in a given society. No previous knowledge of Latin or the other, non-French Romance languages is required.
* (Besides regular credits this course may also cont for one unit (i.e. 3 credits) in the M.A. in Mediterranean Studies program)
Linguistics Language & StylisticsSummer 2010
FREN 6606 - Politics in a United Europe
Les politiques d’une Europe unie / Politics in a United Europe
More than fifty years after the treaty of Rome, Europe has become a major power of more than 400 millions of people. Based on the friendship between France and Germany, it has been a factor of peace and prosperity. However, since the end of the Cold War and the Treaty of Maastricht, Europe has been more and more criticized. The “no” to the constitutional treaty in France in 2005 has been a major setback. The economical crisis also puts a lot of strain on the European Union. Our aims are to explain:
1- How Europe has become what it is: its institutions and its different stages.
2- How France has had to adapt its institutions to the European construction. How France had to give up large fields of its sovereignty, especially since the Euro. In other words, how Europe has influenced French politics and policies
3- And finally how Europe can find its place in a globalized world.
No previous knowledge is required.
Required Texts:
Bino Olivi et Alessandro Giacone, L’Europe difficile: Histoire politique de la construction européenne, Folio Histoire Gallimard 2007
“L’Europe Difficile: Historie politique de la construction européenne”, Bino Olivi et Allessandro Giacone, Filio Histoire Gallimard 2007
(Besides regular credits this course may also count for one unit (i.e. 3 credits) in the M.A. in Mediterranean Studies program)
N.B. Students who choose section A can validate their credits in methodology (equivalent to 6525) or they can choose standard evaluation without validating the methodology unit.
Civ Cul & Soc PedagogySummer 2009, Summer 2010
FREN 6607 - 5C BC Greco-Roman Culture
5th Century BC Greco-Roman Culture and its Influences until the Renaissance
This class will be developing the influence of Greek art on Roman Empire and Renaissance period. Then we will concentrate on the female nude evolution, its despairing during middle age and reemerging during Renaissance (Botticelli, Raphaël, etc.). Giotto masterpiece, starting point of the Humanism Cultural Revolution, will be subject of this study. Finally we shall spend time on 15th and 16th century painters such as Masaccio, Piero della Francesca, Mantegna and Michel-Angelo.
This course may be applied toward the MA in Mediterranean Studies
Civ Cul & SocSummer 2011, Summer 2012
FREN 6609 - Comparative Stylistics ▲
Learning a foreign language, contrary to what happens for a mother tongue, usually does not occur in a vacuum. Any foreign language student quickly becomes aware of the fact that interferences do exist between the native language and the studied language; these may take the names of false-friends, anglicisms , gallicisms, literal translations etc. The objective of this course will be to become aware of the processes which may be at play when going from one language to the other, a field of study which is called comparative stylistics or science of translating. The aim will therefore be to identify, understand and master the mechanisms at stake in order to improve one’s competence in the French language, while being aware of the “juncture points” between English and French. The course is primarily intended for 2nd, 3rd or 4th year students, or students not having to take 509 or 510. There will be no compulsory text book, documents will be posted from week to week on the course site; however it might be advisable to have a good unilingual French dictionary (for example: Lexis Larousse de la langue française) and a good bilingual dictionary (for example: Le Robert & Collins français-anglais et anglais-français)
Linguistics Language & StylisticsSummer 2011, Summer 2012, Summer 2013
FREN 6611P - Literature and Form
FREN 6612 - Language & Theater
Théâtre et langue / Theater and Language
N.B. This course meets 2 hours per day
This course aims at developing ease and fluidity of oral communication in French. With support of contemporary Francophone's plays, students will discover the French languages diversity by working on pronunciation, quality of their voice, gesture, breathing... A short production composed of different parts of the plays studied during the course will be performed in public toward the end of the summer session.
Required texts: 1) Conte à Mourir Debout de Frantz Succab (caraïbes) Edition Lansman collection « théâtre à vif »
2) Grammaire en Fête par Andrée Chédid (origine Egyptienne) édition Folle Avoine « les jeux du savoir »
3) Cannibales de José Pliya (origine africaine) édition quatre-vents L’avant-scène théâtre
Summer 2009, Summer 2010, Summer 2011, Summer 2012
FREN 6615P - Surrealism is Humanism
THIS COURSE IS TAUGHT AT THE POITIERS SITE
Poésie et civilisation: Le surréalisme est un humanisme / Poetry and Civilization: Surrealism is Humanism
Suite à la Première Guerre mondiale, les milieux littéraires français manifestent un désir de rupture et de révolte qui trouve l’une de ses plus considérables affirmations, en 1920, dans Les Champs magnétiques : André Breton et Philippe Soupault y éprouvent une écriture libérée de tout carcan et préparent un tournant esthétique et philosophique majeur du XXe siècle : le surréalisme. Si le mouvement s’est répandu, après l’éclat destructeur et éphémère de Dada à Paris, dans presque tous les arts (peinture, théâtre, cinéma), la poésie reste l’expérience surréaliste privilégiée. Elle est comprise comme une libération par le langage, permettant d’accéder au dévoilement des êtres et du monde, à travers l’exploration de domaines refoulés par la raison et la logique : le merveilleux, le rêve et l’inconscient. Mais le projet surréaliste dépasse la seule question de la création poétique : il représente une crise profonde de la conscience européenne, qui implique la contestation des valeurs établies (famille, patrie et religion) et l’intégration des discours intellectuels de son temps (marxisme et psychanalyse). Il s’agit, fondamentalement, de proposer une nouvelle morale, conciliant l’amour et la liberté, et de modifier ainsi radicalement la condition humaine — ou, pour le dire autrement, de faire déborder le mystère poétique dans la vie quotidienne.
Summer 2011
FREN 6616 - Exoticism in 17-19C Theater
(Section A – Methodology ; Section B – Literature)
The theatrical genre, characterized by a self-contained scene, traditionally ruled by unity of place, time and action, does not seem to lend itself to bigger spaces and location changes. However, since the beginning of the 17th century, some French playwrights have opened the scene to the representation of other parts of the world. Du Hamel was the first to set his action in Canada. The great playwrights Molière and Racine were interested in the Orient. Marivaux chose to set his plays in idealistic versions of the real world, creating the genre of utopian theater which challenges the traditional unity of place, time and action. Jules Verne adapted his fictional series of travel novels, Voyages Extraordinaires, to be played on stage. It’s theater inspired by world exploration, plays enacted on a stage yet depicting a larger world, that students in this literature class will explore, reading plays written from the 17th century to the 19th century.
Students can choose to take either a methodological section (6616A) or a literary section (6616B) of this course. The first option, section A, offers literary and social science students an opportunity to master analytical methods and textual commentaries that will allow them to read and understand a variety of theatrical texts, all while enhancing their analytical writing skills through various methodological exercises. These include summaries, literary comparisons, technical explanations, textual commentaries, argumentative dialectical essays, reading analyses and oral presentations. The second option, section B, offers students the opportunity to study the historic, literary, dramatic, cultural, philosophical and social evolution of the theatrical genre in France from the 17th to the 19th centuries in great depth. In both sections, students will read the plays and watch different film productions of each work as well.
Works to be studied:
Le Bourgeois gentilhomme by Molière
Bajazet by Racine
N.B Students who choose section A can validate their credits in methodology (equivalent to 6525).
Literature PedagogySummer 2010
FREN 6617 - Reading Laughter ▲
Section A - Methodology; Section B - Literature
"Laughter is a power God gave to men to make up for their intelligence" according to Marcel Pagnol. This power has been attested to for two thousand years in collections of humorous tales and methods of which Greeks and Romans were already masters. But are we allowed to laugh at anything ? Democritus whose disillusioned humor was amazingly modern, says yes. Ciceron does too, and cataloged a thousand ways to elicit laughter. On the contrary, say the fathers of the Church, for whom laughter is a diabolical phenomen, an insult to divine creation, proof of man’s arrogance. Their arguments carry little weight in the Middle Ages : kings surround themselves with jesters and their subjects love skillful mockery during processions on feast days.
With Rabelais another way to laugh appears, an ambiguous laugh which perplexes {shakes certainties} and will persist even after the Renaissance, encompassing in turn the picaresque, the grotesque, the burlesque. Absolute monarchy longs to rein in the humorists, deciding in the seventeenth century to expulse the Italian buffoons. Is laughter subject to domestication? Transformed into caustic humor, it corrodes little by little the foundations of power and society. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries it will find fertile grounds in political satire, while the philosophers analyse its powers, at times to deplore them, and Baudelaire searches for the « comic absolute ». Irony becomes a way for man and the world to relate. The nineteenth century « Zutistes », « Fumistes », and even « J’menfoutistes » end the century with the apotheosis of nonsensical humor. The world hereafter will make fun of everything, its gods and its demons.
« Laughter is what defines man ». Is that true throughout history ? And may we laugh at everything ? Thoughtful laughter, contemplative laughter, cathartic laughter, diabolical laughter, laughter of superiority or of connivance, carnivalesque or learned laughter. Socio-cultural conditions and mentalities do indeed prevent the universalisation of the famous expression whose pertinence requires historic context. For that reason we will examine how literature writes laughter, at different periods, through the sociology of « laughters », permissiveness or censorship of the form and content of laughter, as well as the relationship between the style and reception of comic expression and the different genre and type of texts that put it into words, to better examine its literary grounding, in the joyous spirit of a « gay science » renewed.
This literature class proposes two directions, the methodological one (A), and the literary (B). Choice A offers to literature students and social science students the opportunity to master analytical methods and textual commentary which will allow them to construct for themselves a way to read and understand in depth the various texts, along with deepening and exercising written analytical skills, through the use of various methodological exercises, such as the abstract, the synthesis of documents, techniques of critical analysis, written commentary, the dialectical debate essay, index cards, or thematic oral presentations.
Option B offers extended historical literary, cultural, philosophical, and social examination of the literature from the sixteenth through the twentieth century.
N.B. Students who choose section A can validate their credits in methodology (equivalent to 6525) or they can choose standard evaluation without validating the
methodolgy unit.
Required books:
1) Molière, Les Fourberies de Scapin, ISBN-13: 978-2070449996, Folio classique, 2013
2) Feydeau, Tailleurs pour dames, ISBN-13: 978-2734905196 Librairie théâtrale, 2012
3) collectif, Le rire en poésie, ISBN-13: 978-2070515875, Folio Junior Poésie, 1998
4) René de Obaldia,Fantasmes de Demoiselles, femmes faites ou défaites cherchant l'âme sœur, ISBN-13: 978-2246707813, Grasset et Fasquelle, 2006
Coursepacks: 1) A coursepack comprised of diverse theoretical texts : Baudelaire (« De l’essence du rire), Stendhal (Racine et Shakespeare, chap. II « Le rire »), Henri Bergson (Le rire), Beckett (Watt), etc.
2) A coursepack comprised of diverse texts : ( Gargantua (Rabelais), Farces et questions (Tabarin), Le médecin volant (Molière), Candide (Voltaire), L’homme qui rit (Hugo), La Cantatrice chauve (Ionesco), Marius (la partie de cartes, Pagnol), La Télévision (Jean-Philippe Toussaint).
Summer 2013
FREN 6618 - Feminine Political Thought
La pensée politique au féminin / Feminine Political Thought
France is known for its prestigious tradition of critical reflection in politics, but the contribution of women to it is too often neglected. Based on texts analysis, the course will present major feminine figures of philosophers and thinkers from the 18th century to contemporary interventions. It will serve both as an introduction to the intellectual history of France and to its political development from the standpoint of gender studies.
N.B. The course includes a methodological perspective. Students can validate their credits in methodology (equivalent to 6525) by electing specific exercises (French type) for their evaluation or they can choose standard evaluation without validating the methodology unit.
Civ Cul & Soc Lit Theory/AnalysisSummer 2009
FREN 6620P - Texts and Representation ▲
THIS COURSE IS TAUGHT AT THE POITIERS SITE
Ce cours s’intéresse au rapport de l’écriture avec l’image et la scène. Il s’articulera selon deux mouvements :
1. Écriture et image fixe (peinture, photographie) : textes et images du XVIIIe au XXe siècle
2. Texte et représentation : Fin de partie, de Samuel Beckett (1957)
Summer 2012, Summer 2013
FREN 6621 - Hist in Afr & Caribbean Cinema
L'histoire dans le cinéma africain et antillais postcolonial / History in African and Caribbean Postcolonial Cinema
History is one of French contemporary African and Caribbean cinema since his origin. From famous Senegalese creator Ousmane Sembene ( La noire de or Camp de Thiaroye ) to Martinican Euhzan Palcy ( Une saison blanche et sèche ), from another famous Senegalese Djibril Diop Mambety ( Le retour de la vieille dame ) to Camerounian Jean-Pierre Bekolo ( Quartier Mozart ), from Haitian Raoul Peck ( Lumumba ) to Martinicans Guy Deslauriers and Patrick Chamoiseau ( Le passage du milieu ), we will analyse forms of films, discourses and ideologies of creators. We will show particularly how these creators deal with colonialism, postcolonialism, politics history and aesthetics.
Civ Cul & SocSummer 2010
FREN 6622 - Francophone Cinema 1969-2000
Francophone Cinema and the Question of Autonomy (1969-2000)
Since the birth of the Pan-African film festival of Ouagadougou, FESPACO (1969), French African and Caribbean directors or filmmakers have addressed its and their histories, invented their own images, and shown their personal / internal point of view. With the films of Ousmane Sembène (La noire de…), Abderrahmane Sissako (Heremakhono), Med Hondo (Sarraounia), Souleymane Cissé (Finyé), Jean-Pierre Dikongué Pipa (Muna Moto), Euzan Palcy (Une saison blanche et sèche), Guy Deslauriers (Passage du milieu) or Christian Lara (1802 l’épopée guadeloupéenne) – among many others – we will examine the variety approaches and the whole significance of autonomy in the post-colonial era. This will include the invention of black continental history because of colonization or slavery, political reflections because of African conditions of Independence and cultural aesthetics because of conflicts with European civilization.
Civ Cul & SocSummer 2011
FREN 6623 - Hist in French Caribbean Lit ▲
This course studies the period of post-colonial literary history of Caribbean and French West Indies literatures through the famous novels of Patrick Chamoiseau (Texaco), Maryse Condé (Moi, Tituba, sorcière noire de Salem), Dany Laferrière (Pays sans chapeau) and Gisèle Pineau (L’exil selon Julia). The narratives of these francophone writers examine the problems of identity of the people born in the Caribbean (Haiti, Guadeloupe or Martinique) trying to deal with ideologies of liberation or progress. We will analyze anti-colonial figures (both men and women) and aspects of the Creole language in these works of art.
Required books: Patrick Chamoiseau, Texaco, ISBN-13 : 9782070727506
Maryse Condé, Moi tituba sorcière, ISBN-13: 978-2070379293; Dany Laferrière, Pays sans chapeau, ISBN-13 : 9782842612696
Gisèle Pineau, Chair Piment, ISBN-13 : 9782070315482
Summer 2013
FREN 6624 - Myth of Paris in French Lit ▲
This course will examine the different aspects and the numerous meanings of the literary image of Paris in French literature from its medieval origins to its contemporary achievement. We will find the first occurrences of this image in François Villon’s poetry at the end of the Middle Ages, and, two and three centuries later, in Boileau’s Satires and Prevost’s and Diderot’s novels. The literary image of Paris reached its full development in the 19th century in the fiction of Balzac, Hugo, Flaubert and Zola and in Baudelaire’s poems: we will analyze the various moral, aesthetic, political, ideological components which make up the complete image. We will follow its evolution, fifty years later, in early 20th century poetry (Apollinaire, the Surréalistes) and then, before World War II, in Celine’s novels. On the way, we will explore other kinds of arts and artists, painters, singers, photographers, filmmakers, who, like writers, contributed to the development of a collective imaginary picture of the city —the myth of Paris.
LiteratureSummer 2013
FREN 6625P - Cinema and Society ▲
THIS COURSE IS TAUGHT AT THE POITIERS SITE
Cinema and society : France in the 60’s and 70’s / Cinéma et Société: La France des années soixante et soixante-dix
Dans le courant des années cinquante, une réaction contre les conventions du cinéma classique apparaît un peu partout dans le monde, mais elle prend une tournure particulièrement remarquable en France, sous le nom de Nouvelle Vague : inspirés par l’élan de la jeunesse, de nouveaux cinéastes entendent aller à la rencontre du monde tel qu’il est, c’est-à-dire du réel. Le mouvement prend toute son ampleur dans les années soixante, à travers des œuvres qui s’inscrivent dans un procès historique en développant une approche « révolutionnaire », tant au plan esthétique qu’au plan idéologique. Ainsi, de la guerre d’Algérie à la guerre du Vietnam, de la société de consommation à la libération sexuelle, de l’évolution de la condition féminine aux transformations des rapports de classe, les faits politiques, économiques et sociaux se trouvent désormais au cœur de la création cinématographique. Mais cette préoccupation par rapport à la réalité la plus immédiate se mêle intimement à l’imaginaire et à la fiction, tandis que les films de la Nouvelle Vague s’enrichissent de la culture cinématographique, littéraire, picturale et musicale de leurs réalisateurs. Le cinéma se fait alors profondément réflexif, proposant, selon une formule de Jean-Luc Godard, l’art en même temps que la critique de l’art. C’est sans doute la raison pour laquelle l’influence de ce mouvement sur les auteurs les plus différents reste, aujourd’hui encore, tout à fait exceptionnelle. Livre: un polycop sera distribué.
Corpus:
Les 400 Coups (1959) de François Truffaut. Hiroshima mon amour (1959) d’Alain Resnais. À bout de souffle (1960) de Jean-Luc Godard. Cléo de 5 à 7 (1962) d’Agnès Varda.
Les DVD de ces quatre films seront distribués aux étudiants lors du premier cours. Ils n’ont donc aucune œuvre à acheter.
Summer 2011, Summer 2012, Summer 2013
FREN 6626 - Teaching Language & Culture ▲
Teaching Language and Culture at the Secondary level in the US
In May 2012, the College Board administered new AP World Language and Culture Examinations in French, German and Italian. Within two years, Spanish will follow the new examination format. This course will thus explore how best (from the early to the higher levels) to prepare a student of French in the 21st Century in regards to interpretive communication, interpersonal writing, presentational writing, interpersonal speaking, and presentational speaking. In addition, within the context of the interdisciplinary topics of Global Challenges, Science and Technology, Contemporary Life, Personal and Public Identities, Families and Communities, and Beauty and Aesthetics, course participants will use multimedia platforms and technologies to expose students to the multiple aspects of today’s rich and varied Francophone world as well as to motivate and prepare their students for the transition from the high school to the college/university French course.
Required Text: AP French Language and Culture Examination All Access –ISBN-13: 978-0-7386-1060-3. Pub: PiscatawayNJ: Research & Education Association, Inc., 2012
PedagogySummer 2013
FREN 6627 - Evaluation & Testing in FSL
Evaluation and Testing in French as a Second Language
"This course focuses on the theories and research underlying testing and evaluation in second language courses. Some of the topics that we will examine are the history of evaluation in the L2, the process of evaluation in the classroom, formative and summative assessment,
authentic assessment, the constructivist approach, skills assessment, criterion-referenced and standards-based assessment, assessment scales, self-assessment, concepts of validity and reliability, and computer-assisted assessment. The goals of the course are both theoretical and practical.
Required text : Lussier, D., & Turner, C. (1995). Le point sur… L’évaluation en didactique des langues. Montréal, Canada : CEC.
PedagogySummer 2011, Summer 2012
FREN 6627P - Lit & Representations 19 & 20C
Poitiers Site
*Literature and Representations of 19th and 20th Centuries*
Summer 2011
FREN 6628 - Cognition & L2 Teach & Learn
Cognition et enseignement et apprentissage des langues secondes / Cognition and L2 Teaching and Learning
Cognition and the cognitive process of the L2 learner will be the focus of this course. While exploring the different learning theories that have influenced the development of teaching approaches in the 20th and 21st centuries (e.g. direct, audio-oral, SGAV, communicative and task-based approaches) students will develop teaching units relevant to specific audiences and contexts and using appropriate media and teaching aids (texts, audio or visual recordings, websites). These teaching modules will be presented to the rest of the group at the end of the session if possible in the form of a classroom simulation.
Books to consult at the library: La classe de langue, Christine Tagliante, 2008 Clé International; J’apprends donc je suis, Hélène Trocmé Fabre, 1997, Les Editions d'organisation ; Evolution de l’enseignement des langues : 5000 ans d’histoire, Claude Germain, 1993, Clé International
PedagogySummer 2009, Summer 2010
FREN 6636 - Mediterranean Cult & Civ
Histoire de la Méditerraneée / Mediterranean Ancient Culture and Civilization
The purpose of this course is to present a general view of the Mediterranean history from the Antiquity to Modern times. We will put a special emphasis on the Greek and Hellenistic period and on the Roman Empire. The Middle Ages with the rising of Islam, the crusades and the Italian cities will also be studied, as well as the Renaissance and the constitution of the Ottoman Empire.
We will finish our historical journey with the 19th century when Mediterranee was divided by western nations. Beyond the historical point of view, we will study the geographical and cultural aspects of the region. The course will thus have a pluridisciplinary approach.
Required Text: Jean Carpentier, Francois Lebrun, Histoire de la Méditerranée, editions seuil 2006.
N.B Students who choose section A can validate their credits in methodology (equivalent to 6525). (Besides regular credits this course may also count for one unit (i.e. 3 credits) in the M.A. in Mediterranean Studies program)
Civ Cul & SocSummer 2011
FREN 6637 - Francophonie in North America
La fracnophonie nord-américaine / Francophonie in North America
This course will explore the issues that are unique to the diverse francophone cultures throughout North America. Acadia, Quebec, French Ontario, Manitoba, New England and Louisiana were all welcoming grounds to french speaking settlers where their voices are still heard. Each region, however, evolved differently both culturally and linguistically depending primarily on the presence of English, the dominant language of North America. By looking at the socio-linguistic structures and the functioning of each of these communities, the similarities that link these Franco-North American communities will become apparent. Students will see how Quebec has become, through its history, institutions, demography and geography, a major epicentre for North American francophone culture.
Civ Cul & SocSummer 2010, Summer 2012
FREN 6639P - The French & Their Environment ▲
THIS COURSE IS TAUGHT AT THE POITIERS SITE
Action-interaction between human and environment / Action-interaction entre l’homme et son milieu
This course aims to understand how French people act and interact with their environment. We will see that this action/interaction is not only one-way and that the environment may influence human behavior.
The lessons are divided into three parts. Our goal is to gain a macro- and micro- level vision of how the French society functions.
- French environment
- French society
- Identity of the French speaker
Summer 2013
FREN 6640 - Hist France:Metropol to Global ▲
Histoire de France—de l’échelle métropolitaine à l’échelle-monde / History of France—From the Metropolitan to the Global Level
(Section A - Methodology ; Section B - Civilization)
This course offers students a condensed panorama of the principal changes marking the history of France since the Age of Enlightenment. France will be studied from the perspectives of the metropolis and its external relationships and actions (colonies, migrations, exiles, etc.). Two topics receiving particular attention will be the creation of the nation-state confronted with the instability of political regimes, and social, religious, and cultural identities, from the search for unity to recognition of minorities.
Required books: 1) Berstein S. et Winock M. (dir.), L’invention de la démocratie 1789-1914, Seuil, 2002 ISBN 9782757802267; 2) Berstein S. et Winock M. (dir.), La République recommencée, Seuil, 2004 ISBN 9782757802274
N.B. Students who choose section A can validate their credits in methodology (equivalent to 6525) or they can choose standard evaluation without validating the methodology unit.
Summer 2009, Summer 2010, Summer 2011, Summer 2012, Summer 2013
FREN 6642P - France thru Eyes of Poitiers
Le visage de la France dans deux villes de province: Poitiers et Châtellerault / France seen through the eyes of 2 provincial cities: Poitiers & Chatellerault
THIS COURSE IS TAUGHT AT THE POITIERS SITE
Ce cours permettra de réfléchir et connaître la France au travers de ces deux villes de province de moyenne importance (Poitiers - chef-lieu de département et capitale de région et Châtellerault - sous-préfecture de département).
Trois grands thèmes seront abordés :L’urbanisme ;L’aspect social ;La politique de la ville et les quartiers en difficultés.
Les objectifs du cours sont :
Acquisition des connaissances de base sur la France contemporaine en partant de la réalité de villes de province ;Acquisition d’une meilleure compréhension des phénomènes actuels au regard de l’’histoire récente ;Suivi de l’actualité ;
Développement de la compétence interculturelle et linguistique.
Required texts: - « Les Nouveaux Principes de l’urbanisme » de François ASHER publié en 2001 - Editions de l’Aube
-« Un panorama de l’art urbain de 1975 à nos jours » de Stéphanie LEMOINE et Julien TERRAL publié en 2005 - Editions Alternatives
-« Un philosophe dans la ville » de Thierry PAQUOT publié en janvier 2012 - Editions InFolio
Livre:
La professeure fournira ses propres documents au fur et à mesure des sujets abordés.
Summer 2011, Summer 2012
FREN 6643 - Lit of the French Caribbean
Histoire de la littérature deas Caraïbes (Martinique, Guadeloupe et Haïti) / Historical Perspective on the LIterature of the French Caribbean (Martinitque, Guadeloupe and Haiti)
LiteratureSummer 2009
FREN 6644 - The History of Québec
L'histoire du québec / The History of Québec
Quebec is a unique society which was born and has evolved at the crossroads of two Occidental empires, France and Great-Britain. This course will cover the major periods in Quebec’s history from its origins as New France (1680-1760), to British North America (1763-1867), the Dominion of Canada (1867-1959), and modern Québec (1960-present). Since the French settlements along the banks of the Saint Lawrence River, Canadians of French origin had to defend their heritage in skirmishes and wars against various First Nation Peoples, British and English-Canadians. Because of this situation, they developed a unique culture, historically founded on the Catholic religion, the French language, and family values. It is interesting to note that Québec presently has health and educational systems unlike any other in North America as well as an unparalleled legal system for the protection of the French language. This course will also cover the critical moments in Québec’s quest for political independence which occurred during the past few decades (in the form of referendums). After nearly 400 years of existence in North America, Québec has become a modern society facing contemporary issues such as the environment, globalization, and a the transformation of social identity.
Required Text: John A. Dickinson et Brian Young, Brève histoire socio-économique du Québec, 4e édition, Québec, Éditions du Septentrion, 2009, 458 p. ISBN: 978-2-89448-602-3
Civ Cul & SocSummer 2011
FREN 6645 - Quebec's Cinema & Culture
Le Québec en images: cinéma québécois / Cinéma québécois
Quebec films offer a rich and diverse repertoire of works which delve primarily into the social identity of the largest French speaking culture in North America. Other predominate themes to be discussed focus more on the social and historical particularities of Quebec. These include: British colonization, Catholicism, winter, large families, the north, etc. This course will follow the evolution of film making in Quebec since its conception in the beginning of the 20th century and focus primarily on two defining decades. The first, known as the Quiet Revolution (1960-1980), is considered as the starting point of contemporary Quebecois cinema. From this period emerged the National Film Board of Canada, several of the Quebec’s most influential film producers: Jutra, Brault, Perreault, Carle, Arcand, etc., as well as various styles of cinematography, most notably, “cinema direct” or candid eye.
The second part, the New Generation (1990-2000) will show how a group of young filmmakers provided a second wind to an ailing industry. Through the use of more modern filming techniques, and a post-modern approach to script writing which focused less on social and political themes, they were instrumental in gaining international recognition for Quebecois cinema. For each period, we will discuss and analyze several film makers and their selected works.
Required Text : Marcel Jean, Le cinéma québécois, Montréal, Boréal, 2005, 128p.
Civ Cul & SocSummer 2011
FREN 6646 - Youth in Contemp Caribbean Lit
Childood and Youth in Contemporary Caribbean literature in French
LiteratureSummer 2012
FREN 6647 - Oral Tradition in African Lit
Initiation à la tradition orale africaine / Introduction to African Traditional Oral Literature
This course is intended for students who wish to explore the fundamentals of the African oral tradition. Indeed it is impossible to understand the African Francophone literature if you ignore the traditional patrimony kept alive by the storytellers and the griots.
The course is divided in three parts:
1) The fundamental myths among the Dogons, the Fulanis, the Bambaras, the Bantus. Who has created the World, and what are the links which binds Mankind to Nature and the Gods?
2) The different forms of speech: the epics, the tales, the proverbs, and the riddles
3) The influence of the oral tradition on the novel and African Francophone cinema
Required Texts:
Les Contes initiatiques peuls, Ba, Stock
Maxi Proverbes Africains, Cabakulu, Marabou
Les Contes d’Amadou Koumba, Diop, 61
Soundjata or L’Epopee Mandingue, Niane, 60
La Belle Historie de Leuk-le-Lièvre, Senghor/ Sadji, FR Poc
Summer 2009, Summer 2010, Summer 2011
FREN 6648 - French Quebecois
Le français québécois (linguistique culturelle) / French Quebecois (cultural linguistics)
The goal of this course is to demonstrate how the French of Quebec constitutes not only the language of art and literature but an integral part of Quebecers’ identity. By reading and discussing critical essays and diverse forms of literature such as folktales and legends, songs and novels, students will be exposed to the linguistic particularities of Quebec French, known as québécismes. They will also understand how the language evolved throughout its history in a North America environment. In the 1960’s, literature proved to be the perfect setting for this creative and original form of French language in both the cultural and political arenas of Quebec. Since this decade, several of these significant Quebecois texts, which will be discussed in this course, have transcended the borders of Quebec where they have enriched francophone literature globally.
Required text: Langue et politique au Canada et au Québec. Une synthèse historique, Marcel MARTEL et Martin PÂQUET, Montréal, Boréal Éditeur, 2010.
ISBN 978-7646-2040-3.
Summer 2012
FREN 6649 - 20C Fr Caribbean Geog & Lit
Geography and Literature in the Twentieth Century French Caribbean
Since the birth of the Afro-Caribbean French literature (novel and poetry specifically), authors always considered geography and/or topography as a central issue. This might include the physical relationship with nature as well as the conditions of their lives.
Texts: 1) Texaco, Paris, Gallimard, 1992 [Folio, ISBN 9-782070-389520]; 2) Adèle et la pacotilleuse, Paris, Mercure de France, 2005 [Gallimard, Folio, ISBN 9-782070-342242]; 3) Pluie et vent sur Télumée-Miracle, Paris, Seuil, 1972 [Point, ISBN 9-782020-239256]; 4) Le discours antillais, Paris, Gallimard, 1981 [Folio, ISBN 9-782046-722224]
LiteratureSummer 2011
FREN 6650 - Mediterranean:Religion & Peace ▲
Religions, Peace and Security in the Mediterranean Region / Religion, paix, et sécurité dans la region méditerranéenne
The longest non-resolved armed conflict of the XXth century, and probably of the XXIth century, is in the Mediterranean Region. It is not about a tension or about a dispute between two countries, but rather about a conflict among many countries of the region. The advent of the Arab Spring permits a new glance at the democratization of the Arab societies and their commitment (or not) to an inter-religious and inter-state long-term peace. In this context, we will first examine the various stages of the diverse conflicts and their evolution in the Middle East region. Secondly, by studying resolutions of the UN concerning these issues, we will analyze the experiences, the challenges and their implications for international relations, including the U.S. Finally, we shall observe the complexities of connections between the religious and cultural minorities within these Mediterranean countries.
Besides regular credits, this course may also count for one unit (i.e. 3 credits) in the M.A. in Mediterranean Studies program.
Civ Cul & SocSummer 2012, Summer 2013
FREN 6651P - Poetry Rhythm Orality ▲
THIS COURSE IS TAUGHT AT THE POITIERS SITE
Poetry, Rhythm, Orality / Poésie, rythme, oralité et autres formes
Chanson française des années 50 à nos jours : une poétique musiquée
Instructor : Fabien Maheu
Si la chanson française existe dans le format que nous lui connaissons aujourd'hui depuis la fin du 19ème siècle (et même avant), la démocratisation du support disque microsillon vinyle, dans les années cinquante, signe une révolution en la matière : la chanson n'est plus seulement l'hybridation d'un texte et d'une mélodie, elle porte en elle désormais et de manière définitive l'emprunte de la voix de l'interprète, des arrangements musicaux et des conditions matérielles ou techniques de son enregistrement. Un lien s'installe entre la personnalité de l'interprète qui peut être également l'auteur et/ou le compositeur de l'œuvre et modalise la réception de l'auditeur, lequel devient un ""public"".
En France divers mouvements se constituent et se succèdent en donnant matière à une perception transhistorique due à la disponibilité des enregistrements, ainsi qu'à la place de plus en plus grande prise par le genre dans les archétypes de pensée, les référents culturels, la transmission d'informations, etc.
Le cours abordera les divers courants de la chanson française des années 50 à nos jours en insistant sur la poétique des textes. Ceci implique l'audition des œuvres étudiées, l'étude des caractéristiques musicales et des textes.
Summer 2012, Summer 2013
FREN 6653 - Art of Songwriting in Quebec ▲
The goal of the course is to show how the art of songwriting in Québec is a primary and original aspect of Québecois culture. Songs have not only helped the people of Québec to survive but allow them to express their aspirations and their ideals through time. It is also important to understand the impact of québécois songs on the entire francophone culture. Many of Québec's authors, composers and performers have gained notoriety in France and other Francophone countries. The course aims to introduce the history and various themes of Québec songs throughout three major periods: l'implantation (1608-1959), l'expression (1960-1989) and l'innovation (1990 to today ). By understanding these periods, students will be able to analyze songs in a sociological perspective and to discover how Québec's most influential performers have established and marked the corpus of québécois songs.
Required text: La chanson québécoise en question, Robert Léger ISBN: 2-7644-0222-8 Pub: Québec-Amérique
Civ Cul & SocSummer 2013
FREN 6655P - Teaching French Grammar ▲
THIS COURSE IS TAUGHT AT THE POITIERS SITE
This course allows students to reflect on teaching and learning French grammar and spelling. Three main topics will be covered : spelling, verbs, and determiners. We will strive to answer the following questions in regards to each topic:
1. How does it work ? After considering the descriptions offered by traditional grammar, new approaches will be offered.
2. What is it for ? Instead of the ''rules dictature'', we will focus on the communicative aspect of the language.
3. What are the most frequent errors, how can we explain them and help learners to remedy them? Our goal is to consider different types of exercises and different learning/teaching strategies.
Goals :
- Deepen your knowledge of certain specific features of the French language.
- Be able to understand and explain certain rules for communication, and think about what learning/teaching difficulties you might come across.
- Aim to better understand why some errors are persistent no matter what the learner's level.
- Be able to compare and analyze presentations and descriptions offered in the manuals in order to choose those most relevant to you.
- If necessary, be able to question certain clichés and certain types of teaching practices.
Summer 2011, Summer 2012, Summer 2013
FREN 6657 - Voting in France and Europe
Le vote : usages et mutations des comportements politiques en France et en Europe / Voting in France and Europe: practices and mutations in political behaviours
N.B This course will meet two hours daily for three weeks (July 22 to August 11)
This course will study the act of voting within the general framework of a reflection on the broadening of various ways for citizens to participate politically in modern democracies. It will also look at the many uses of voting, together with the different meanings the act of voting vehicles within European democracies. This is an area which has undergone change recently both in France and in Europe. Today, one might wonder whether the vote continues to be a central means of achieving democracy for modern citizenry. One might also wonder whether the vote is still one of the fundamental procedures within the democratic system and what the historical, sociological and political bases of electoral behaviour are made up of.
Recommended Text
/La Politique en France et en Europe/, Rouban Perrineau, Sciences Po, Les Presses
Summer 2009, Summer 2010
FREN 6658 - From Virtual to Real World
Du virtuel au réel : l'apprentissage "authentique" grâce à la Technologie / From the Virtual World to the Real World: "Authentic" Learning Through Technology
How can we help learners who don’t live in a French-speaking country to have access to what are called "authentic" documents, and to make contact with "real" Francophones? This course will help answer that question, which leads to another… What, in fact, is "authenticity"? How should we choose pedagogical supports and learning situations so that they supply "authentic input"? In this course, we will use the internet as a source of authentic documents and situations that we will, together, adapt for use in the language classroom. We will use basic audio, video and text authoring and editing software, and explore online tools that can help teachers create lively and content-rich supports for lessons, projects and homework.
PedagogySummer 2009
FREN 6661 - Cinema in its Making
This course aims to introduce students to the technique of making a documentary or a fictional film and to writing a screenplay. By analyzing several films and their scenarios, students will learn the importance and value of the staging of a narrative, of character-driven dialogue and of appropriate settings. They will also learn how different camera angles can change, reinforce or undermine particular situations. Applying these writing and directing concepts, students will create and present a documentary scenario and a short film script with a story board.
Required text: 1) La nuit américaine réalisé par François Truffaut
édition Petite bibliothèque des Cahiers du Cinéma
Summer 2012
FREN 6665 - The Extreme Right:France & Eur ▲
L'extrême droite en France et en Europe / The Extreme Right in France and Europe
*N.B. This course meets from July 25 to August16, 2 hours per day*
After defining the political movement of the Extreme Right, we will examine how it has appeared and developed historically in Europe, its diverse programs, its invariant qualities, its various organizational forms and the psychological, social, cultural and political foundations which propel it. Finally, we will analyze its relationship to power and its potential future.
Required Texts:1) Hans Georg Betz, La droite populiste en Europe, ISBN 9 782746 704510, Editions Autrement (2004); 2) P.Perrineau, Le symptôme Le Pen, Radiographie des électeurs du Front national, ISBN 9782213599847 Editions Fayard, 1997; 3) P.Perrineau, Le choix de Marianne ISBN 978-2-213-65419-5, Editions Fayard, 2012.
Civ Cul & SocSummer 2011, Summer 2013
FREN 6668 - History of Europe:16-21C ▲
A history of Europe, from the sixteenth to the twenty-first century/ Une histoire de l’Europe du XVI au XXI siècle
In the late Middle Ages, the so-called ""Christian West"" saw a considerable change. Europe is constructing itself and starting to conquer the world. Technical, artistic and religious revolutions participate in this extraordinary expansion. For four centuries, a European model of “civilization” has been taking place. But this creative power does not exist without tensions, without challenges. The purpose of this course is to bring out the highlights of this adventure in order to understand the main mechanisms. The course is divided into four parts:
- The Renaissance: between civilization and violence
- The invention of Europe (seventeenth and eighteenth century)
- Europe, a universal power (eighteenth and early twentieth century)
- Europe between destruction and reinvention.
Summer 2012, Summer 2013
FREN 6669 - Between the Wars ▲
Between The Wars / Entre-deux guerres
The interwar years in France and in Europe, notably in Germany, are an extremely rich period in every domain, and at the same time a pivotal epoch, in the sense that the old and relatively happy world ends, and a new world begins, modern it is said, and possibly tragic. In France it is a particularly rich time of literary and artistic creation. Yet at the same time it is a period of great tension and political and historical upheaval.
The course intends to view this period through the prism of four major texts, representative of the trends and the events of the times. Charmes, by Valery treats poetry of the past. Nadja by Breton, is the new literature, a concret manifesto of surrealism. La Guerre de Troie n’aura pas lieu , a play by Giraudoux, uses the Greek myth to echo the events taking place in Europe in the 1930’s. L’Espoir, by Malraux, portrays the Spanish Civil War as a prelude to World War II. Poetry, the novel, theater, the autobiographical form, antique and new forms will all be the focus of the course, which will strive to give them coherence in their context.
Required texts: 1) Paul VALERY, Poésies – collection blanche ISBN 2-07-030282-2, Ed. Gallimard; 2) André BRETON, Nadja Folio plus ISBN 978 2 07 034619 6, Ed. Gallimard; 3) Jean GIRAUDOUX, La Guerre de Troie n'aura pas lieu, Livre de poche ISBN 978 2253 004 899, Ed. Grasset; 4) André MALRAUX, L'Espoir Folio ISBN 978 2 07 036020 8, Ed.Gallimard
This course offers two options, one methodological (A) and the other literary (B).
Section A will help social science and literary students master analytical methods and textual commentary, enabling them to construct a personal approach to reading and understanding varied texts in depth, while broadening and exercising their written skills through varied methodological exercises, summaries, technical explanations, structured commentary, the argumentative dialectical essay, or oral thematic presentations.
Section B offers in depth reading of the texts on the syllabus, and their context, through an approach which is historical, literary, cultural, philosophical and social.
Literature MethodologySummer 2013
FREN 6671 - Lang & Literature in Quebec ▲
Littérature québécoise / Quebecois Literature
Located at the crossroads between American and French cultures, québécois literature finds its roots in these two influences. The course will follow the important stages of Québec's literary history by studying several of its most prominent and influential works. Starting with the first period of increased nationalism at the dawn of the 20th century through the Quiet Revolution and the dynamism of contemporary immigrant literature, the course will provide an overview of the socio-cultural conditions that have shaped the literature of Québec. Several authors, entire works, and short excerpts will be studied. Different genres - poetry, novels, plays and essays - will be invoked to illustrate the richness and importance of Québécois literature.
Required book: Michel Laurin, Anthologie de la littérature québécoise 3e édition, ISBN 978-2-7617-2512-5, Les Éditions CEC
LiteratureSummer 2010, Summer 2013
FREN 6672 - Landscape in 19&20C French Lit
Landscape in 19th and 20th Century French Literature / le paysage dans la literature des 19 et 20ième siècles
This course will explore in the poetry and the French novel aspects and the evolution of a major theme of the literary and artistic creation of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries: the representation of landscape. We will look first at the romantic landscape, focusing on the contemplation of nature and the effects that this contemplation occurs on the spectator's soul: countryside (Lamartine), mountain (Senancour), sea (Hugo), exoticism (Chateaubriand ), etc.. Then we'll see how the interest of the observer moves from nature to the city, and how the birth of a city (Paris) supports the development of modernity (Balzac, Baudelaire, Zola, Apollinaris, etc..). This change is accompanied by the emergence of new landscapes: industrial landscape, landscape of ruins, war, etc.. We will study the links that the landscape has with psychological analysis (Proust), and we will show how the emergence of new forms of fiction (Céline, Giono, New Roman) causes a change in the representation of space. The thematic study of the landscape will be accompanied by the means of its literary representation in relation to painting: realism, impressionism, abstraction, etc. We will work on short extracts to be distributed to students in class.
Evaluation: each student will make a brief oral and written work of a dozen pages related to the topics covered during the course.
LiteratureSummer 2012
FREN 6675 - Literary Theory and Criticism
Théorie et critique littéraires / Literary Theory and Criticism
Numerous students enrolled in Master’s programs or preparing for the D.M.L. degree have recognized in the past the need to have courses teaching the critical methods for analyzing literary texts. This chiefly practical course attempts to address this need by presenting an overview of the existing major currents. Twenty years after the success of "new criticism," the partisan passions, excesses, intellectual terrorism, and exaggerated use of jargon seem to have subsided and it is now possible to study the different approaches from a more lucid and calmer perspective. Thanks to Antoine Compagnon, we now have an invaluable text to stimulate our reflection: his Démon de la Théorie (Le Seuil, 1998) will serve as our guide throughout the course. With this work, we will address the fundamental notions of literary theory: the specificity of literature; issues of author, reader, and style; the relationships of the text to the world; anchorage in history; the issue of literary value, etc.This approach will be completed with a general overview of the main French literary movements from the Renaissance to surrealism, existentialism and “nouveau roman”.
Conducted in a discussion and dialogue format, this presentation of critical methods will quickly reveal that knowledge and the love of literature are inseparable.
Texts:
Antoine Compagnon : Le Démon de la théorie- Littérature et sens commun (Le Seuil, col. Points, Essais 1998) ISBN: 2020490943
Yves Stalloni : Ecoles et courants littéraires (Armand Colin, 2009) ISBN :978-2-200-35499-2
Summer 2010
FREN 6679 - Contemporary France ▲
France has gone through many changes, european integration, globalization, euro zone crisis. Despite all these changes, France has still the will to play a major role in the world. This role is based on its « soft power », that is to say its cultural and social model. The aim of this course is to give a general outlook of french culture and society in an era of globalization and crisis. We will focus mainly on demography, immigration, social stratification, educational system, religious beliefs, work and leisure, artistical trends, etc.
This course will be pluridisciplinary and we will always study these topics in their economical and historical context.
Required book: L'Etat de la France 2011-2012; Editions la découverte, ISBN 978-2-7071-6890-0
N.B Students who choose section A can validate their credits in methodology (equivalent to 6525).
Civ Cul & SocSummer 2011, Summer 2012, Summer 2013
FREN 6680 - From Baudelaire to Apollinaire
De Baudelaire à Apollinaire / From Baudelaire to Apollinaire
In the second half of the 19th century, poetry experienced transformations which were not unrelated to those of the world. New links between the world, language and poetry were thus created. This is the adventure we shall recount, starting with
Les Fleurs du mal by Charles Baudelaire, the “master book” of French poetry, published in 1857, to end with Alcools by Guillaume Apollinaire, published in 1913. These two collections of poems will be the main focus of our attention, but, on the way, we shall make other stops, musing on the side of Verlaine, Rimbaud or Mallarmé. Modernity featured a rupture with the external signs of the genre with verses becoming less rigid and even dislocated. A revolution happened which gave rise to new forms such as prose poetry and free verse. Such transformations went hand in hand with a revolution in painting in the 19th century: impressionism, which became established in 1874, the date of the first exhibition of Impressionists. Our approach will strive to combine intellectual rigor and reverie, acquisition of knowledge and pleasure of reading. There will be exercises in the French academic tradition such as the “explication de texte”, the “commentaire composé” or the “dissertation”, this will allow us to further our understanding of the texts and enjoy their originality and beauty. We shall thus hopefully be better prepared to receive this fabulous gift from the poets, guiding our steps in life, language and literature.
Texts: Baudelaire : Les Fleurs du mal, Classiques Hachette, ISBN : 978-2-0101-9081-0
Apollinaire : Alcools, La Bibliothèque Gallimard, ISBN : 2-07-040632-6
There will be a handout available at the College bookstore with theoretical and pedagogical documents as well as a compilation of poems by Rimbaud, Verlaine and Mallarmé.
N.B. The course includes a methodological perspective. Students can validate their credits in methodology (equivalent to 6525) by electing specific exercises (French type) for their evaluation or they can choose standard evaluation without validating the methodology unit.
Civ Cul & Soc LiteratureSummer 2009
FREN 6681 - Comedy & Society
Comedy & Society, Comedy and the Human Condition
Section A: Methodology - Section B: Literature
Through analysis of five significant comedies (Molière through Ionesco : Dom Juan – Le Mariage de Figaro – La guerre de Troie n’aura pas lieu – Caligula – Rhinocéros-), the course will examine this literary genre in relation to its audiences, to the society which it mirrors, as well as to the different dramatic esthetics which it embodies. We will look at how the social dimension and the vision of man are associated, in as much as {or given that}they are expressed according to different representations in classical theatre or in more contemporary theatre.
Students can choose to take either a methodological section or a literary section of this course.
The first option, section A, offers literary and social science students an opportunity to master analytical methods and textual commentaries that will allow them to read and understand a variety of theatrical texts, all while enhancing their analytical writing skills through various methodological exercises. These include summaries, literary comparisons, technical explanations, textual commentaries, argumentative dialectical essays, reading analyses and oral presentations.
The second option, section B, offers students the opportunity to study the historic, literary, dramatic, cultural, philosophical and social evolution of French comedy from the 17th to the 20th century in great depth.
In both sections, students will read the texts and watch different film productions of each work as well.
N.B Students who choose section A can validate their credits in methodology (equivalent 6525).
Required texts:
1) Giraudoux, La Guerre de Troie n'aura pas lieu, éd., Grasset, le livre de poche, ISBN 2 – 253 – 00489 – 8
2) Camus, Caligula, éd., Folio/Gallimard, ISBN 978 – 2 – 07 – 036064 – 2
3) Ionesco, Rhinocéros, éd., Folioplus/Gallimard, ISBN 978 – 2 – 07 – 033880 - 1
4) Beaumarchais, Le Mariage de Figaro, Paris, Pocket classique, 2010, ISBN-10: 2266210432, ISBN-13: 978-2266210430.
5) Molière, Dom Juan, Paris, Garnier Flammarion, 1998, ISBN-10: 2080709038, ISBN-13: 978-2080709035
"
Literature PedagogySummer 2011, Summer 2012
FREN 6683 - Classical Fr Lit through Film
From Text to Screen: Classical French Literature Experienced through Film
Classical French literature is often considered old fashioned, sclerotic and much too invaluable to be studied yet again. Nevertheless, numerous directors and producers continue to accept the challenge—at the same time aesthetic and political—of adapting and conceptualizing literature though images. This course proposes studying the complexities of the novel, comedy and dramatic 17th century poetry, by way of seminal works: How do we envisage Madame de La Fayette today, from La Princesse de Clèves to La belle Personne (C. Honoré) through the eponymous film by J. Delannoy, La Lettre (M. de Oliveira) or even La Fidelité (A. Zulawski)? Or what do we make of the recent adaptation of La Princesse de Montpensier by B. Tavernier? How do comedy stars such as Smaïn, after R. Coggio or P. Fox, in Les Fourberies de Scapin, or Michel Serrault and Jean-Marie Bigard, before B. Lazar in Le Bourgeois gentilhomme, succeed in making us laugh with Molière? Furthermore, what do we continue to make of ancient tragedy after its Racinian production, as P. Chéreau, P. Jordan or B de Coster did for Phèdre? The ambitious goal of this course involves rethinking classicism to arrive at a better understanding of the present.
Students can choose to take either a methodological section (A) or a literary section (B) of this course. The first option, section A, offers literary and social science students an opportunity to master analytical methods and textual commentaries that will allow them to read and understand a variety of theatrical texts, all while enhancing their analytical writing skills through various methodological exercises. These include summaries, literary comparisons, technical explanations, textual commentaries, argumentative dialectical essays, reading analyses and oral presentations.
The second option, section B, offers students the opportunity to study the historic, literary, dramatic, cultural, philosophical and social evolution of screen adaptations of French literature of the 17th century in great depth.
In both sections, students will read the texts and watch different film productions of each work as well.
Required Texts:
1. Le Bourgeois gentilhomme and Les Fourberies de Scapin by Molière
2. La Princesse de Clèves and La Princesse de Montpensier by Madame de La Fayette
3. Phèdre by Racine
Summer 2011
FREN 6685 - World Economic Crisis ▲
Understanding world economical crisis today / Comprendre la crise aujourd’hui et ses implications sur l’Europe
The world is going throught it’s worst economical crisis since 1929. This crisis tends to undermine the frame of capitalism. The weakness of the american growth and the recession in Europe give way to the wealth of new nations like China, Brazil and India. Europe is in a very bad shape and a deep reform of it’s institution is badly needed as well as it’s economical system.
France need to rewamp it’s economical model to face this new environnement.
In this course we will give an historical perspective to understand how this crisis occurred. With the help of simple economical notion we will explain the main mechanism of this crisis. We will also focus on social problems.
Our aim is to help the students to understand how a new world is coming.
Required Text: Jean-Luc Gréau, La Grande Récession (depuis 2005) folio, Editions Gallimard, 2012.
Civ Cul & Soc MethodologySummer 2013
FREN 6687 - Women in Mediterranean World ▲
Woman’s Condition in the Mediterranean World
The woman’s condition, in particular in the Middle East and in North Africa, is the object of numerous international reports and local and regional actions. If often in the West we assimilate the deterioration of the woman’s condition with regard to a civilization or to a religion, the reality is more complex. In this course we will examine the conditions of women in an evolutionary perspective through diverse civilizations and religions. In addition to a sociocultural perspective, we will study the public policies that have been organized in the Mediterranean Sea, both at the state level and at the regional level. Which are the key measures adopted by the Mediterranean States to favor the equality between men and women and the challenges that they face in the process of application of these actions? Finally the third part of this course will be dedicated to woman’s condition after the phenomenon of the Arab Spring and its impact on public liberties and women’s rights.
No book required
Civ Cul & SocSummer 2013
FREN 6688 - Teaching with Technology
Teaching Language and Culture with Technology / Enseigner la langue et culture avec la technologie
"N.B. This course meets from July 5 to July 26 , 2 hours per day*.
This course is for current or future teachers who are interested in integrating technology into their language classes.
Participants will:
- read a variety of articles and get an overview of current research on technology and language pedagogy.
- explore various technological tools and see what pedagogical objectives they can best support.
- examine different models (websites and projects developed with specific pedagogical objectives in mind), and analyze their approach and methodology.
- reflect on the specific role of the teacher, and see how technology can be used to increase student interaction in the classroom.
There will be a mix of presentations, discussions, and hands-on projects. Work will be done individually and in group, and will take into account the particular teaching context of participants.
PedagogySummer 2012
FREN 6689 - Religions Mediterranean World
Les Religions dans le monde méditerranéen / Religions of the Mediterranean World
Lined by three continents (Asia, Africa and Europe) and geostrategic space, the Mediterranean Sea was during several millenniums the centre of the world. Besides, being cradle of three monotheist religions and art of living, zone of conflict, crossroads of exchanges and migration, the Mediterranean Sea saw asserting itself, more than in quite other region of the planet, the numerous and glorious civilizations.
In this course, we are going to see that the Mediterranean Sea is the history of a tension between two modes of knowledge (the reason and the faith) on one hand, and the collection of their possible retrievable, between a shore and other one of the Mediterranean Sea on the other hand. In this trail, we are going to examine how the religious thoughts of both shores tend to approach the interactions of civilizations and to question these multiple interferences, which not only made all the history of the Mediterranean Sea, but which direct still widely its future.
No previous knowledge required.
Required Text: an electronic support will be provided.
(Besides regular credits this course may also count for one unit (i.e. 3 credits) in the M.A. in Mediterranean Studies program)"
Civ Cul & SocSummer 2009, Summer 2010, Summer 2011
FREN 6690 - Educ Tech & Second Lang Teach
Technologie éducative et didactique des langues secondes / Educational Technology and Second Language Teaching
This course aims at providing future and practicing L2 instructors with a pedagogical foundation for the theory and practice of technology integration in second language learning and teaching. As such, this course will enable students to develop their skills to effectively use a variety of technological tools. Course topics include trends and issues of instructional technology use, and instructional techniques, standards and strategies for integrating technology into a variety of language learning settings. Based on an experiential project development approach, the course will offer students opportunities to critically assess existing tools and to design course materials to enhance second language learning and teaching.
PedagogySummer 2010
FREN 6692 - Mod Periods Mediterranean Civ
La méditerranée dans le monde actuel / Modern Periods of Mediterranean Civilization
"The Mediterranean occupies an important place in the 20th century as it has been involved in the two world wars and it is still the centre of the major conflicts of the second part of the 20th century. Today the major powers are aware that world peace cannot be reached if the Mediterranean conflicts are not settled. This is why France and Europe have the aim of stabilizing a region through “l’Union pour la méditerranée” which was launched in 2008. The course will give a large overview of the geopolitical problems of the region since 1945. We will study all the countries around the Mediterranean and we will examine the major conflicts of the Near East. And we will see how Europe and France can become major actors in the region. No previous knowledge required.
Required text:Histoire de la Méditerranée,Jean Carpentier, Francois Lebrun, editions Seuil 2006. ISBN 978-2-02-051913-7
N.B Students who choose section A can validate their credits in methodology (equivalent to 6525).
Besides regular credits this course may also count for one unit (i.e. 3 credits) in the M.A. in Mediterranean Studies program
Summer 2009, Summer 2010, Summer 2012
FREN 6694 - Second Language Acquisition ▲
This course aims at deepening the knowledge in the field of second language acquisition. It will focus on theories and models proposed to explain the different factors that come into play in the acquisition process of a second language in natural and formal learning environments. We will examine topics such as: L1 and L2 acquisition, bilingualism, behaviorism, contrastive analysis, the theory of interlanguage, the innateness of universal grammar in second language acquisition, the cognitive psychology of languages, constructivism and socio-constructivism, the theory of acculturation, learning strategies and individual differences.
PedagogySummer 2011, Summer 2012, Summer 2013
FREN 6705 - Paris from Lutece to Present ▲
The History of Paris for Lutece to Present
The history of Paris from the Gallo-Roman city (52-253 A.D) until the 20th century. This study of Paris will go through urban sociology, art and urban history, based on archaeological traces, etchings, urban maps, paintings and first photography's. We will cover the general characteristics of the city during Middle Age fortifications; the beginnings of a monarchy supported by religious power; the development of the Paris fortress (The Louvre); the 16th century influx of Italian culture to the Parisian context during the 19th century urban transformations and finally, Paris’ metamorphosis during the 20th century.
No Book Required
Civ Cul & SocSummer 2013
FREN 6712 - Theory of the Novel
La théorie du roman / Theory of the Novel
N.B. This course meets from June 30 to July 20, 2 hours per day
This course will examine (thru theoretical texts such as forewords, correspondences, essays, etc.), how the French novelists of the 19th and 20th centuries considered the genre and their own craft. Balzac’s, Flaubert’s, Zola’s, Proust’s works will be studied to show how the realistic novel was born and how it evolved. Then a few attempts at renewal will be looked into : Gide’s Faux Monnayeurs, Sartre’s ‘existentialist’ novel, Robbe-Grillet’s ‘Nouveau Roman’. This course will provide a general survey of the evolution of the French novel between 1830 and 1960, with a final opening onto the next period.
The course material will be short excerpts given as handouts to students.
LiteratureSummer 2011
FREN 6713 - Camus ▲
Section A - Methodology; Section B - Literature
Albert Camus was born in 1913. In 2013 in France, one hundred years later, numerous studies take stock of an essayist, a dramatist, a novelist, a philosopher, who mattered, who weighed heavily during the second world war and in the after-war years. Through his writing and his action, he was closely involved in all the controversies and intellectual, esthetic, and political battles that defined those years. He died young, in a car accident, torn by the war in Algeria whose outcome was still uncertain in 1960. He had just received the Nobel Prize in literature. What legacy did the humanistic philosopher, libertarian, and brilliant novelist leave to today’s young generations? We will be attempting to understand as we examine two of his most significant short novels, L’Etranger and La Chute, and two of his best known and powerful plays, Caligula and Les Justes.
Required texts: 1) Albert CAMUS; L'Etranger, Folio ISBN 978 2 07 036002 4, Ed.Gallimard; 2) Albert CAMUS, La Chute Folio plus, ISBN 978 2 07 040356 4; Ed. Gallimard; 3) Albert CAMUS, Caligula Folio ISBN 978 2 07 036064 2; Ed. Gallimard; 4) Albert CAMUS, Les Justes Folio plus ISBN 978 2 07 040606 7, Ed.Gallimard
N.B. Students who choose section A can validate their credits in methodology (equivalent to 6525) or they can choose standard evaluation without validating the methodology unit.
Choice A will help social science and literary students master analytical methods and textual commentary, enabling them to construct a personal approach to reading and understanding varied texts in depth, while broadening and exercising their written skills through varied methodological exercises, summaries, technical explanations, structured commentary, the argumentative dialectical essay, or oral thematic presentations.
Choice B offers in-depth reading of the texts on the syllabus, and their context, through an approach which is historical, literary, cultural, philosophical and social."
Summer 2010, Summer 2013
FREN 6714 - Passion in 19 & 20C French Lit
Passion in the French Novel of the 19th & 20th centuries / La passion dans les romans des 19 et 20ième siècles
""Passion," Balzac said, "is all humanity." This course will explore different representations of the human passions in the French novel of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. We will first study in Stendhal's Le Rouge et le noir the conflict of love and ambition; then in La Curée by Emile Zola the portrait of speculators associated with that of the ""imperial party"" in the corrupt society of the Second Empire; in Un Amour de Swann by Marcel Proust the fine analysis of the evolution of passion and jealousy, and finally in a Un Roi sans divertissement by Jean Giono the quest for the absolute and its tragic outcome. These texts should be read in full.
Each student will make at least one oral presentation and a written work of a dozen pages related to the theme of the course.
Required texts:
1) Stendhal, Le Rouge et le noir, Hachette, Le Livre de poche classiques, ISBN 978 225 300 6206
2) Émile Zola, La Curée, Gallimard, Folio classique, nº 3302, ISBN 978 207 041 1412
3) Marcel Proust, Un amour de Swann, Gallimard, Folio, nº 780, ISBN 207 036 7800
4) Jean Giono, Un roi sans divertissement, Gallimard, Folio, nº 220, ISBN 978 207 036 2202
Summer 2012
FREN 6724 - Life & Work Amadou Hampate Ba ▲
In Africa when an old man dies it is a library burning. This world renowned adage is from Amadou Hampate Ba. This Malian scholar, modern and traditional at the same time, has not only preserved the African cultural heritage but he has also transformed and modernized it. Moreover he made it easier to understand for the current generations. His work encompassed many fields of the African culture from history to linguistics, including religion, oral tradition, and francophone literature. As a devout muslim following the Sufism trend he was also taught the Fulani and Bambara beliefs. Speaking French and Arabic fluently and 10 other languages Hampate Ba typifies the current and the traditional African culture. In this course we will study the life and the work of this exceptional man by exploring the different stages of his life: he was the assistant of the French humanist scholar Theodore Monod, he was appointed to the French institute of black Africa, obtained a Unesco grant and was at one point the ambassador of his country. And by studying the essential of his work: his essays on the Fulani and Bambara myths and through some of his most popular books like The Life and Education of Tierno Bokar, the Sage of Bandiagara, dedicated to the life of a famous wise muslim from Mali , The Strange Destiny of Wangrin ( a picaresque novel) and the fula child (autobiographical recital).
Required books: 1) H. Ba - Amkoullel, l'enfant peul; Editions 84 (2000); 2) H. Ba - Vie et enseignement de Tierno Bokar , Editions Seuil, Paris (2004); 3) H. Ba - L'étrange destin de Wangrin, Editions Nathan (2000) Paris.
LiteratureSummer 2013
FREN 6742 - Cinema of Minorities ▲
Cultures and documents on the Screen. The Cinema of Minorities in the postcolonial Era / Cultures et documents à l’écran. Le cinéma des minorités dans l’ère postcoloniale
Since the birth of the Pan-African film festival of Ouagadougou, FESPACO (1969), French African and Caribbean filmmakers have addressed their histories, invented their own images, and shown their personal / internal points of view. With the films of Ousmane Sembène (La noire de…), Abderrahmane Sissako (Heremakhono), Med Hondo (Sarraounia), Souleymane Cissé (Finyé), Jean-Pierre Dikongué Pipa (Muna Moto), Euzan Palcy (Rue Cases nègres), Guy Deslauriers (Biguine) or Jean-Pierre Bekolo (Quartier Mozart) – among many others – we will examine the variety of approaches and the significance of autonomy in the post-colonial era. This will include the invention of black continental history because of colonization or slavery, political reflections because of African experiences of independence and cultural aesthetics stemming from conflicts with European civilization.
Civ Cul & SocSummer 2009, Summer 2012, Summer 2013
FREN 6744 - Food in Contemp Fr W Indes Lit
Nourriture terrestre antillaise / Terrestrial Food in Contemporary French West Indes Literature
Food and Kitchen are always represented in contemporary West Indies literature. This course proposes to analyse forms and places, discourses and narrations, significations and ideologies in Patrick Chamoiseau’s Chronique des sept misères, Maryse Conde’s, Victoire, la saveur et les mots, André & Simone Schwarzt-Bart’s Un plat de porc aux bananes vertes and Gisèle Pineau’s Chair Piment.
Texts : Patrick Chamoiseau, Chronique des sept misères (Paris, Gallimard) ; Maryse Condé, Victoire, la saveur et les mots (Paris, Mercure de France) ; André et Simone Schwartz-Bart, Un plat de porc aux bananes vertes (Paris, Seuil, Points) ; Gisèle Pineau, Chair Piment (Paris, Gallimard, Folio).
LiteratureSummer 2010
FREN 6753 - Fiction & History in 19C Lit ▲
Fiction and History in the 19th century (1830-1914)
The purpose of this course is to study the relationship between Fiction and History in some of the most important French novels of the 19th century. First we will examine the origins of the so-called « roman historique » around the 1830s (the influence of Walter Scott, the rise of historical drama, the development of modern historiography). We will then try to define, according to Balzac’s Avant-Propos of the Comédie humaine, what the novelist called « histoire des mœurs », taking as an example one of Balzac’s masterpieces, Illusions perdues. We will then study the main features of the historical novel —a successful genre during the whole romantic period— with for example Dumas’s Les Trois Mousquetaires. Studying Victor Hugo’s Quatre-Vingt-Treize, we will see how the historical novel deepens and assumes moral and metaphysical meanings, as it pictures the place and function of evil in history. Finally, by examining short extracts from historical texts of fiction, we will study the different ways in which history can be integrated into the novel: local color, historic scenes, representation of historic characters and facts. The relationships between historical and realistic fiction will be underlined, then we will conclude with a short survey of historical fiction throughout the 20th century.
Required text: 1) Victor Hugo, Quatrevingt-treize; ISBN 978 2070418237, Gallimard Folio classique nº 3513; 2) Balzac, Illusions perdues, ISBN 978-2-07-030989-4, Gallimard Folio classique, nº 5545
LiteratureSummer 2013
FREN 6760 - French & US Presidential Elect
Presidential elections in France and the United States: comparative analysis / Analyse comparée des élections présidentielles en France et aux USA
N.B. This course meets from July 26 to August 15, 2 hours per day.
2012 is the year of both american and french presidential elections. The course will
start from a systematic analysis of the French presidential elections:
the electoral campaign, the main issues, the candidates, the
electorates... On all these points we will see the similarities and the
differences between the two countries and political systems.
Required text: Pascal Perrineau, Le choix de Marianne, Pourquoi et pour qui votons-nous?, Paris, Fayard, 2012 (ISBN 978-2-213-65419-5)
Civ Cul & SocSummer 2012
FREN 6764 - French Literature 1900-1960
La crise des idées dans la literature française (1900-1960) / Ideas Challenged : French Literature 1900-1960
N.B. This course will meet two hours daily for three weeks (July 1 to July 21).
This course will examine how literature reflected the evolution of ideas and cultural and aesthetic forms amid the major crises of the first half of the century. Specifically : the emergence of a new type of writer-thinker (Zola, Barrès, Gide, Romain Rolland) and the role of the major reviews like the Mercure de France and the Nouvelle Revue française ; the crisis in aesthetic values and attempts to renew poetry (Apollinaire) and the novel (Proust, Gide) ; the impact of World War I on literature and its legacy in the 1920’s with surrealism and in the novel (Céline, Malraux, Giono). The question of meaning and the absurd in response to the rise of totalitarianism and exacerbated by World War II will be examined in the novel and essay (Sartre, Camus), and theater (Ionesco, Beckett). Finally, we will look at the development of the social sciences after the war in some of its typical texts (Lévi-Strauss, Barthes).
LiteratureSummer 2010
FREN 6766 - Literature and Journalism
Littérature et journalisme (XIXe-XXe siècles) / Literature and Journalism (XIXe-XXe centuries)
In this course we will explore the complex and often difficult relations that have developed between literature and written journalism in France from the en of the 19th century to the present. We will first examine Balzac’s pejorative image, growing out of his own experience in this milieu, of the press and journalists in his novel Illusions perdues. It is this image that dominated literary representations of the press and that is evident again in Goncourt’s Charles Demailly, as well as in the second great 19th C. novel, Bel-Ami by Maupassant, that we will study in more depth. However this deprecatory image dramatically changes after 1880 under the influence of more modern writers, such as Zola, conscious of the possibilities that journalism offers to literature. Literature borrows new genres: the chronicle, the reporting. We will also study examples of great chroniclers : Proust, Barbusse, Vialatte, Giono, and then, in the 20th C., famous writer-reporters : Albert Londres, Simenon, Kessel, Roger Vailland. Finally we will analyse, using the work of two major authors, Camus and Mauriac, how the 20th C. writer uses the press as a forum to promulgate views on political and social issues, thereby achieving intellectual and moral authority. We will finish by considering the contemporary period examining whether the union of writer and journalist still exists in a period of general decline of the traditional written press (and literature itself?).
Texts : Mauriac, Bloc-Notes, t. V, 1968-1970, éd. du Seuil, Points-Essais, nº 270, EAN 13 : 9782020128186; A collection of texts will also be provided.
LiteratureSummer 2009
FREN 6769 - Poetry of Modernity
Poertry of Modernity, the Modernity of Poetry
The practice of poetry, common in France since its beginnings, experienced important renovation, first in the seventeenth century and then in the nineteenth, proving its capacity for metaphamorphosis, from Barocco to Classicisme, then from Classicisme to Modernity, and the intelligence of its play with styles, genres, and ideas. Our emphasis in this course will be on demonstrating these developments and explaining them. To accomplish this we will use five major anthologies, touchstones of these transformations: Art poétique by Boileau, Fables et Contes of La Fontaine, Alcools, by Guillaume Apollinaire, Charmes, by Paul Valéry, and Le Roman inachevé, by Louis Aragon.
Students can choose to take either a methodological section (A) or a literary section (B) of this course.
The first option, section A, offers literary and social science students an opportunity to master analytical methods and textual commentaries that will allow them to read and understand a variety of theatrical texts, all while enhancing their analytical writing skills through various methodological exercises. These include summaries, literary comparisons, technical explanations, textual commentaries, argumentative dialectical essays, reading analyses and oral presentations.
The second option, section B, offers students the opportunity to study the historic, literary, cultural, philosophical and social evolution of French poetry from the 17th to the 20th century in great depth.
Required texts:
1) Apollinaire, Alcools, coll. Poésie/Gallimard
2) Valéry, Charmes, in Poésies, coll. Poésie/Gallimard, ISBN 2 – 07 – 030282 – 2
3) Aragon, Le Roman inachevé, coll.Poésie/Gallimard, ISBN 978 – 2 – 07 – 030011 - 2
4) Boileau, Art poétique, t. 2, Sylvain Menant éd., Paris, Fammarion, 1998, GF 206, ISBN 2080702068
5) La Fontaine, Fables, Jean-Charles Darmon éd., Paris, Le Livre de Poche, 2002, ISBN-10: 2253010049, ISBN-13: 978-2253010043
6) La Fontaine, Contes libertins, Paris, Librio, 2004, n°622, ISBN 2290332275
Summer 2011, Summer 2012
FREN 6780 - Today's French Novels
At a time when grouchy and pessimistic critics lament the decline of the novel, it may be useful to note that the novel as a genre has never fared better than in this early 21st century. In September 2008 the specialized press announced the publication of 466 new novels in French. Even if quantity does not necessarily mean quality, such figures are a testimony to the vitality of the genre. If readers may at times find it difficult to find their bearings in such a profusion of books, the reason is that today’s novel, mirroring French society as a whole, has experienced profound changes in the past twenty-five years. Our six-week journey into the contemporary novel will focus on six novelists who, according to some, illustrate the main trends in contemporary fiction (a difficult choice, though!).
The return of the character and history revisited: Jean Rouaud, Les Champs d’honneur (Prix Goncourt 1990)
The fiction of origins : Annie Ernaux, La Place (1983) et Une Femme (1988)
The mark of the social sphere: François Bon, Daewoo( 2004)
Questions about commitment to a cause. An uncompromising account of May 1968: Olivier Rolin, Tigre en papier (2002)
The postmodern and ironic novel.: Jean Echenoz, Je m’en vais(Prix Goncourt 1999)
The novel of culture: Pascal Quignard: Terrasse à Rome (2000)
A summer of fascinating discoveries which should enable you to better understand France and the French today!
Texts : Jean Rouaud : Les champs d’honneur, Les Editions de Minuit, col. « double » - ISBN 2-7073-1565-6 ; Annie Ernaux : La Place, Folio- ISBN 2-07-037722-9 ; Une Femme, Folio-ISBN 2-07-038211-7 ; François Bon : Daewoo, Le livre de poche-2-253-11431-6 ; Olivier Rolin : Tigre en papier, Le Seuil, col. Points- ISBN 2-02-037506-0.
Jean Echenoz : Je m’en vais, Les Editions de Minuit, col , « double »- ISBN 2-7073-1771-3 ; Pascal Quignard : Terrasse à Rome, Folio-ISBN 2-07-041716-6.
LiteratureSummer 2009
