University of Bordeaux

This course presents our planet and its specific features within the solar system and the Universe, as well as its genesis and evolution. The lessons focus on the Earth system, the structure, nature, and dynamics of its solid and fluid envelopes, as well as certain major cycles: the water cycle and the carbon cycle. It also covers the different quantitative and qualitative methods of geological time.

This course presents scientific methods of analysis and develops a better knowledge of grammatical constructions and constraints across languages through linguistic analysis exercises. It also provides a good understanding of the division of "tasks" between the different components of grammar, as well as the link between syntax and morphology on the one hand, and between syntax and semantics on the other.

This course includes the production of short films created within small groups. It covers adaptation of scripts for filming, casting and rehearsals with the actors; location scouting and choice of sets; technical choices for filming and sound recording; and organization of a shoot. 

This course introduces the field of California Studies in its plurality, combining elements of literary and film studies, notions and texts from civilization studies, as well as cultural studies. Starting from the question of what constitutes a “Studies” discipline, it then examines specific works and documents – literature, film, essays, and poetry – that provide insight into the specificities of California culture and its representation. Sometimes trivialized, California has a significant place in the spheres of cultural, artistic, and economic development which has had a vast impact on not only American but also Western and global cultures. Californian representations and themes are often a perfect paradox of dominant and subcultural elements, and the course explores several works and aspects of this construction. As such, it is a perfect laboratory through which to ask broader questions about culture and cultural productions. Authors studied range from Richard Henry Dana to Kem Nunn to Frederick Kohner, and films include titles such as the independent film Humboldt County (2008). In keeping with the Puissance du mode minor thematic, not only odes the course explore this smaller Studies discipline but it also looks at alternative positions in the examination of the works discussed. Students are also encouraged to explore works or concepts linked to the topic and to relate them to their own fields of emerging specialization. This is a seminar rather than a lecture, and active participation in discussions and various activities is expected.

This course offers an analysis of films made by authors from different French-speaking areas (sub-Saharan Africa, Maghreb, Middle East, Canada, Belgium, France) dealing with issues of contemporary society (the human in the metropolis, identity, intercultural relations, the intergenerational). It presents the films and cinematographic excerpts in authentic cinematographic conditions. The courses focuses on the theme of vulnerabilities in the face of exclusion and inclusion. There are many films of French-language cinema that highlight the problem of inclusion and exclusion by questioning fragility, normality, identity, otherness and the whole system of values in which contemporary societies evolve with diversity.

This course considers the profound changes which marked British literature from the Restoration to the beginning of the Romantic Age and contributed to the cultural shaping of the country. The first half of the century (the Augustan Age) saw a revival of classical standards in prose and verse, appealing to reason to edify, amuse, and criticize. With the reopening of theatres in 1660, new forms of drama also emerged, especially the “comedy of manners,” which reflected on the corrupt morals and hypocrisy rife in the upper-classes. Satire and parody thus became the main literary weapons during the Enlightenment period. The rise of the middle-class, the development of newspapers, the increase in literacy, together with the domination of Empiricism in philosophy and science and a new interest in feelings led to the invention of the novel. The latter not only appealed to wider audiences than previous literary genres but offered unprecedented insight into contemporary British society and history. Finally, in the second half of the century (the Age of Sensibility), public concerns yielded to more private ones and reason gradually lost ground to sensibility and imagination, thus paving the way to Romanticism.

This course looks at the physiology of animals with a focus on human physiology. It involves lectures, lab work, and section work. The first part of the course is focused on the regulation of homeostasis in animals. It then studies the organization and function of the nervous system and the digestive system, with a close look at the contractile motion of the digestive tract, the secretions of the liver and pancreas, and the interplay with the nervous system. It finishes with an examination of thermoregulation and how metabolism plays a role in maintaining a stable body temperature.

This course reassesses the multi-medial and genre-averse nature of the works of Samuel Beckett. The first part of the seminar focuses on modern interpretations of Beckett’s works in areas such as disability studies, queer studies, transhumanism, and feminism. The second part examines how Beckett challenges the boundaries and norms of the written word through various cross-generic mediums.

This course produces a project combining text productions and creative productions in different forms (drawings, photos, paintings, collages, etc.), exploring the theme of the memory of cities. Students first analyze various documents and works on the theme of the “grande mémoire” (the big memory) to inspire personal expression. This creative process allows students to develop their language skills in French by deepening their knowledge of French culture and discovering French history, as well as the culture of others. The course provides an opportunity for cooperative work between students through a group project that is ultimately displayed in an exhibition.