French

This course provides a concise introduction to sociolinguistics, examining its interdisciplinary foundations and its relationship to linguistic structuralism. Students explore the definition and scope of sociolinguistics, the principal sources of linguistic variation, and the dynamics between linguistic norms and actual language use. The course also introduces key concepts in geolinguistics, focusing on how linguistic practices relate to geographic and social space. Together, these elements offer a foundational understanding of how language functions as a social phenomenon.

The ghost is a paradoxical figure: does it belong to the world of the dead or to the world of the living? Is it a revenant from the beyond, or the projection of the “fantasms”—the words share the same etymology—of the person who sees it? Keeping these questions in mind, and focusing on effects of surprise, ambiguity, and evocation, this course examines the adaptations and transpositions of the ghostly figure between literature and cinema. In the first part of the course, devoted to cinematic and operatic adaptations of Henry James’s THE TURN OF THE SCREW, the course explores the methods of adaptation—from straightforward illustration to the transformations required by the specific tools and languages of opera and film. How does each medium make the ghost “appear”? The second part of the course attempts a bolder comparative exercise by putting Charles Nodier’s short story INÉS DE LAS SIERRAS dialogue with Alfred Hitchcock’s film VERTIGO. The course pays close attention to the thematic resonances (the woman, the double, the investigation) that exist between these two works separated by more than a century, as well as to the distinctive ways in which each of them employs music and painting.

This course provides both fundamental and advanced knowledge in chemical oceanography, specifically to describe the chemistry of seawater and to present the processes that control its composition. The course offers a quantitative approach to material transfer processes at environmental interfaces, as well as their interactions with the oceanic biosphere, and details the (bio)geochemical processes responsible for modifying these transfers across time and space. The lectures cover topics such as the chemical composition of seawater, inputs of dissolved and particulate material to the ocean, elemental cycles, gases in seawater and ocean–atmosphere exchanges, redox conditions in the ocean, the use and relevance of stable and radioactive isotopes, particle transfer from the ocean surface to the sediments, and material exchanges between the oceanic crust and seawater. The course is complemented by a field excursion in a coastal environment involving sample collection, as well as tutorials and laboratory practical sessions during which the collected samples are analyzed.

This course provides the tools to develop an analysis when confronted with information related to indicators of spatial disparities and development, such as GDP, HDI, economic growth rates, and others. The course places emphasis on concepts, issues, and challenges—of a social and political nature—associated with understanding how indicators are produced, their roles, their limitations, and their embeddedness within political contexts and ideologies. The course encourage students to formulate well‑reasoned arguments supported by knowledge (literature and examples) and by skills (analysis, reformulation, argumentation) on the theme of spatial disparities and development indicators. It equips students to develop their own critical analysis when faced with information concerning spatial organization, spatial inequalities, and development indicators.

This course approaches the city from an urban geography perspective. It repositions cities as a social construct, i.e., as the result of political, economic, technical, and cultural dynamics. It addresses the internal organization of cities, the mechanisms of differentiation between intra-urban spaces, and the social, political, economic, and environmental issues that this entails. Finally, it provides factual and theoretical knowledge (analytical frameworks, theories, concepts) to move from knowledge of urban facts and dynamics to an understanding of the processes that underlie them. This course opens up further study on intra-urban dynamics: processes of gentrification and impoverishment of territories, functional changes, demographic dynamics; the effects of these dynamics on urban organization and functioning: urban sprawl, spatial segmentation and mobility, theatricalization of city centers; and the construction of public problems: socially constructed identification of certain urban dynamics as problematic and requiring intervention by the authorities of the public powers. A minimum knowledge of the different types of intra-urban spaces (city center, suburbs, peri-urban areas) as well as the different types of cities and their functions is a prerequisite for the course.

This course provides an introduction to and vocabulary for medieval architecture: from the paleochristian to the roman era. It covers Roman architecture; materials and techniques of construction; architectural orders, style and vocabulary; how to describe an ediface; religious architecture from Athens to Rome; civil architecture: Agora, Forum, and Spectacle; military architecture; and burial architecture. The course includes a visit to the archeological sites of the paleochristian basilica of Saint Laurent de Choulan.

This course explores the difference between the language of literature and the language of general communication. The course examines these topics by conducting close textual analyses on 19th- and 20th-century literary samples of poetry, novels, and theater.

This course examines concepts of justice and injustice as they apply to the social, spatial, and environmental realms—and to the intersections between them. It offers a critical exploration of the origins of these notions, the contributions of key thinkers, and the ways in which ideas of justice have circulated, been debated, and been mobilized across academic, social, and political spheres. The course focuses on applying these analytical frameworks to a range of spaces, including metropolitan areas, peripheral territories, and natural (protected) environments, in both the Global North and the Global South. From a methodological perspective, the course introduces students to actor-based analysis, critical source evaluation, and the processes of translating concepts and debates between Anglophone and Francophone academic and activist contexts.

The course explores the history and culture of France through a multidisciplinary analysis of literary, historical, and audiovisual texts. By examining key works by historians and writers from different periods, students will gain insight into the socio-historical contexts that shape literary creation and historical discourse. The course develops students’ ability to critically analyze texts, conduct independent research, and communicate effectively in French, while fostering a reflective and critical approach to works of art and cultural production.

This B2 level course is for students who have completed up to French level B1. It consolidates, activates, and expands knowledge and skills in French and acquires French academic methodology. The course develops skills to talk about one's experience in Lyon, drawing on intercultural skills; gives a presentation and write an argumentative essay, using the methodology used in France, (identifying an issue, creating an outline, introduction, conclusion); talk about Lyon and certain customs and current events in Lyon; understand current French issues by activating solid French cultural knowledge; express oneself effectively by drawing on solid knowledge of grammar, syntax, and vocabulary (anaphoric repetitions, complex sentences, words of speech); argue effectively in French (argumentative tools: subjunctive); write an argumentative essay; debate a current topic; understand primary-source written and audio materials.