Peter Tarjanyi
Visiting Assistant Professor of French & Francophone Studies
- Office
- CHT 114
- ptarjanyi@middlebury.edu
- Office Hours
- Spring 2025: Mon&Fri 1:00-2:00, Tue 11:00-12:00 & by appointment
Peter Tarjanyi holds a Ph.D. in French and queer studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
His research centers on Francophone media and literature with a focus on North Africa and the Maghrebi-French diaspora. His additional teaching and research interests include gender and queer studies, popular culture and digital humanities.
Courses Taught
FREN 0101
Upcoming
Beginning French Part One
Course Description
Intensive Beginning French
For students who have not previously studied French, an introduction to listening, speaking, reading, and writing in French, providing the syntactic and semantic foundation of the French language in a concentrated program of grammar presentation, drills, laboratory work, and discussion. Primary emphasis will be placed on the student's active use of the language, and weekly attendance at the French language table will be required. This course does not fulfill the foreign language distribution requirement. Students are expected to continue with FREN 0102 in the winter term after successfully completing FREN 0101, and with FREN 0201in the spring. 6 hrs. lect./disc.
Terms Taught
FREN 0102
Beginning French Part Two
Course Description
Beginning French
This course is a continuation of FREN 0101, dealing with more complex French. Oral skills are stressed and students participate in the French language table at lunch. This course does not fulfill the foreign language distribution requirement. (FREN 0101)
Terms Taught
Requirements
FREN 0105
Current
Accelerated Beginning French
Course Description
Accelerated Beginning French
This intensive course is a condensation of FREN 0101 and 0102 for students who have never before studied French. We will focus on the development of all four communicative skills in an immersion-style environment. Primary emphasis will be placed on increased oral proficiency through audiovisual, conversational, and drill methods. Upon successful completion of this course students will be prepared for second-year French in the fall. Weekly attendance at the French language table will be required. 6 hrs. lect./disc./1 hr. drill
Terms Taught
FREN 0209
Upcoming
Self&Society Writing in French
Course Description
Self and Society: Effective Writing in French
In this course, students will deepen their knowledge of the French language and French-speaking cultures while developing their reading and writing skills through examination of a variety of texts and media. This course facilitates the transition from language-oriented courses (FREN 0205) to content-oriented courses (such as FREN 0220 and FREN 0230) by introducing students to strategies for interpretation and discussion, with a focus on effective writing. Course materials may include essays/articles, theater, fiction, poetry, videos, and films. (FREN 0205 or by placement) 3 hrs. lect./disc.
Terms Taught
Requirements
FREN 0226
Current
Dystopian Visions
Course Description
Dystopian Visions in French and Francophone Culture
Contemporary popular culture is captivated by dystopian imagery. From post-apocalyptic worlds and environmental disaster to totalitarian regimes and the rise of malevolent artificial intelligence, dystopian tropes are ubiquitous in many forms of media. In this course, we will explore representations of dystopia in French and Francophone cultures through the study of a diverse archive of film, fiction, video games and visual art. After a brief overview of utopian thought originating in the Renaissance and the Enlightenment period, students will learn about the historical and sociopolitical context of dystopian representation in French from the end of the nineteenth century to the present. In addition, the course will emphasize the development of written and oral expression in French to facilitate the transition between introductory and advanced-level classes.
Terms Taught
Requirements
FREN 0355
Francophone Mediterranean Film
Course Description
Francophone Cinema Across the Mediterranean
In this course, we will study Francophone film and media in a trans-Mediterranean context from the late colonial period to the postcolonial present. After an overview of key works from canonical Maghrebi Francophone directors hailing from Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria, we will turn our attention to Maghrebi-French diasporic filmmaking, as well as beur and banlieue cinema in an increasingly diverse and multiethnic France. Students will gain a deeper understanding of the aesthetic and political dimensions of Francophone media by examining issues pertaining to colonialism, migration and immigration, exile, multiculturalism, urban space, gender and sexual politics, and the family. Beyond film and television, we will also explore these topics through digital and social media platforms.
Terms Taught
Requirements
FREN 0500
Current
Upcoming
Independent Projects
Course Description
Independent Project
Qualified students may be permitted to undertake a special project in reading and research under the direction of a member of the department. Students should seek an advisor and submit a proposal to the department well in advance of registration for the term in which the work is to be undertaken. (Approval required)
Terms Taught
FREN 0605
Upcoming
Senior Work
Course Description
Senior Work
For this one-semester course, majors are required to complete Senior Work (FREN 0605) consisting of a significant research paper of at least 30-40 pages. Majors should consult about their project with a faculty member before registering for FREN 0605. (Approval required.)
Terms Taught
FREN 0700
Current
Upcoming
Senior Honors Thesis
Course Description
Senior Honors Thesis
Qualified senior majors who wish to be considered for Honors in French must submit a proposal well in advance of registration for the term in which the work is to be undertaken. This project will consist of a significant research paper of at least 50-60 pages to be competed over two consecutive semesters. (Approval required.)
Terms Taught
FREN 0701
Current
Upcoming
Senior Honors Thesis
Course Description
Senior Honors Thesis
Qualified senior majors who wish to be considered for Honors in French must submit a proposal well in advance of registration for the term in which the work is to be undertaken. (Approval required; see requirements above.)
Terms Taught
FYSE 1065
Sexual Dissidence in French
Course Description
Sexual Dissidence in the Francosphere
What is the relationship between sex, power, and subjectivity? Why are certain forms of sexuality worthy of protection while others are subject to political regulation? In this seminar, we will examine non-normative representations of sexuality in contemporary French and Francophone cultures. Through the study of primary sources ranging from fiction and film to social media and graphic novels, students will learn about the ways in which sexuality intersects with gender, race, social class, and citizenship. In addition, we will seek to develop comparative perspectives on sexual politics between the United States and the French-speaking world. The course is taught in English and requires no knowledge of French.
Terms Taught
Requirements
GSFS 1010
Film, TV & Gender
Course Description
Film, TV & Gender
In this course we will examine unconventional representations of gender and sexuality in current television series and movies, as well as a few earlier films. We will use feminist approaches to think about spectatorship, femininity and masculinity, transgender politics, the family, cult films, and fan cultures. Our goal will be to investigate how popular film and television can inform our understanding of gender and sexuality by following existing models and gesturing toward new possibilities. Students will write short critical and creative pieces in addition to a longer critical essay.
Terms Taught
Requirements
GSFS 1035
Queer Media Cultures
Course Description
Queer Media Cultures
This course introduces students to queer media scholarship through the lens of contemporary film and television, social media and popular culture. We will learn about the foundational concepts of queer and feminist theory, transgender studies and biopolitics. In addition, we will consider how popular media has the potential to resist—or sometimes ends up reifying—dominant ideologies of sexuality, gender, race, citizenship and labor. Training and assessment will focus on visual literacy and media analysis (including a review of basic concepts of cinematography and editing) in the form of short critical and creative assignments. (Not open to students who have already taken GSFS/FMMC 1010.)
/Peter Tarjanyi is a Visiting Assistant Professor of French and Francophone Studies at Middlebury College./
Terms Taught
Requirements
Publications
“Between diaspora and region: Tony Gatlif and Mehdi Ben Attia,” Contemporary French Civilization, 49:2 (Special issue: “The Queer Maghreb”), 2024.
“Queer masculinity on the margins: banlieue spaces and sex work in Camille Vidal Naquet’s Sauvage (2018).” Gender in French Banlieue Cinema: Intersectional Perspectives, eds. Marzia Caporale, Claire Mouflard, and Habib Zanzana, Lexington Books, 2024.
“When iel broke the Internet: a social media study on the reception of non-binary pronouns” (co-authored with Gyula Zsombok), Contemporary French Civilization, 48:3, 2023.
“Diasporic returns and queer kinship networks in contemporary French and Maghrebi Francophone cinema,” Queer Studies in Media & Popular Culture, 7:3, 2022.
“Tourisme homosexuel et décolonisation dans l’œuvre de Dominique Fernandez,” Inverses : Littératures, Arts, Homosexualités, n°18 (“Les écrivain(e)s des années 1980”), 2018.
Review of Loïc Bourdeau’s ReFocus: The Films of François Ozon (Edinburgh U.P., 2021) (forthcoming in The French Review).
Review of Todd W. Reeser’s Queer cinema in contemporary France. Five directors (Manchester U.P., 2022). Modern & Contemporary France, 32:1, 2024.
Review of Mehammed Amadeus Mack’s Sexagon: Muslims, France, and the Sexualization of National Culture (Fordham U.P., 2017). College Literature: A Journal of Critical Literary Studies, 46:2, 2019.