French

This course focuses on the reading and analysis of Parmenides' poem. In lecture, students discuss the poem's literary meaning and value, analyze its philosophical content, and unpack its arguments. In section, students complete reading and discussion of secondary authors, mostly philosophers and contemporaries of Parmenides who write on his arguments and philosophy.

This course focuses on France between the years 1870 to 1940. Specific topics covered include the founding of the Third Republic and the challenges facing the onset of republicanism from 1870-1914, the beginnings of the first World War and its effects on French society as a whole, the Dreyfus Affair, political movements in France, such as The National Block, Cartel and the Left, Fascism and the Popular Front. Relationships between France and the rest of Europe and financial crises are two major themes in the course. The class ends with a discussion on the motivation behind France's entry into World War II.

The lecture part of this course focuses on the history of silent film. The discussion section focuses on the analysis of the cultural and aesthetic issues of silent film. Cinema was born with the films of the Lumière brothers. The course traces the turbulent history of silent films and experimental film, but also considers how certain forms were gradually imposed and why the transition to talkies was so late. The course relies on a large number of excerpts from the diverse film industries of various countries and films. The works of Georges Méliès, Sergei Eisenstein, and Buster Keaton may be covered. This course teaches students how to exercise and practice film analysis. Through the use of several films, the course familiarizes students with analytical tools and tests their knowledge. The discussion is a continuation of the course of history of cinema; the examples considered have the distinction of being silent films.

This course analyzes different elements of a film, concentrating on choices/types of video editing and the effects that each choice renders. This course analyzes video techniques, such as close ups and wide-shots, to attempt to identify how video-editing communicates with the viewer, and how the style affects the narration of the film itself. Scenes from the works of Claude Lelouch, Sebastian Schipper, François Truffaut, Élie Wajeman, Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, Robert Siodmak, Alejandro Inarritu, Sam Mendes, Robert Altman, Andrew Niccol, Howard Hawks, Jean Cocteau, and Alfonso Cuaron are studied. This is a tutorial course.

In this course, students learn how the relationships between actors affect the control of territories and resources. The following topics are covered: who are the actors; what scale are they at; what are the power relationships; what are the conflicts, etc. The course analyzes actors roles in different geographic, economic, political, and environmental conflicts.

This course provides an in-depth look at French business law. It is comprised of three sections: Essential notions of civil law, obligations, classification of obligations, contracts, and legal action; Commercial activity concerning producers and business assets; Introduction to the law of society, communal rules of commercial society and an overview of current commercial societies.

In this course, students develop their language competence to an intermediate level. Students learn to perform a range of language tasks in familiar and social contexts with emphasis on strategies for communication. Students extend their reading and listening comprehension skills as well as their knowledge and use of French grammar and syntax. The course deepens students' understanding and appreciation of the customs, culture, and society of French speaking regions. This course is delivered via small group teaching with classes having a maximum of 18 students.

Based on International Relations theories, this course looks at the origin of conflicts and cooperation within the international system. It explores the following: the factors which lead States into war; the links between political systems–for example democracy–and the risk of international conflicts; the reasons behind the increase in the number of civil wars; the interdependent sources and the conflicts in the economic, financial, and development areas. The course analyzes how the international institutions promote friendly relations between nations and the definition of common rules, what are the results of international negotiations, and why international law becomes more and more important in contemporary international relations. The course proposes different explanations to these developments. It looks at the distribution of power, the presence of international organizations, and the importance of interior policy as it relates to the exterior policy of a State. The course is divided into four parts. The first discusses the vast paradigm that is the analysis of international relations. The second focuses on international conflicts, the third analyzes the policy of international economic relations, and the fourth discusses transnational relations.

Sign language poses many challenges for linguistic research: its visual-gestural communication, its vocabulary, and its grammar in three dimensions make it necessary to reconsider certain concepts and tools used in analyzing vocal languages. This course addresses questions touching on the writing of sign language, its history, the cultural and linguistic community of deaf people, and the philosophy and politics surrounding sign language and the deaf community.