French

This course covers the history of Islam in France. It explores the great influence of Islam and Islamic nations on the French language and terminology used in France and Francophone cultures as well as the diversity among nations within the Islamic culture and religion. The general focus of this course is the impact that Islam has had in France from long ago to today and how Islamic culture in France is largely underrepresented in French history.

The city and language course introduces students to French history, culture, and language through team-taught instruction. In the “City as Public Forum” sessions, students are introduced to French history and culture through a series of lectures and site visits. Students discover some of the fascinating ways the core principles of social justice were tested in theory and practice on the streets of Paris in the past and explore how they evolved into the pillars of French society today. The course focuses on just how an ideal society should be forged, where all are free individuals and members of a cohesive community at the same time. Trying to make individuals believe—as religions do—in the primacy of the collective, and in its concomitant goal of protecting human rights, is at the core of social justice in France. From 52 B.C.E to today, France has been an exemplar of how—and how not—to construct a just society. To render these values visible, and therefore legible, to all by adding a physical dimension—whether constructive or destructive—to the usual means of establishing laws or setting policies, is what distinguishes the history of France's capital city of Paris. Those who control Paris—be they monarchs, revolutionaries, or presidents, past and present—believe that erecting all kinds of physical structures will render their values concrete and immutable. The ideal French society did not always necessarily mean a democratic or inclusive one. Since the French Revolution, however, institutionalizing the concept of “liberty, equality, and fraternity” has been France's greatest universal achievement and a source of constant upheaval, eliciting a unique form of secular activism that has led to targeting buildings and monuments that no longer reflect the collective's values. Students discuss how the diverse social actors, who constitute “the French,” continue to thrust their bodies and minds into the physical spaces of the public sphere in the pursuit of social justice. In the “Unlocking French” sessions, students learn targeted language skills through situational communication, so they have the opportunity to use everything they learn as they go about their daily activities. Advanced French students will participate in conversation courses on the program’s theme. This is the spring semester version of the course.

This course is a survey of the changes in French society from a macro-sociological perspective, focusing on the three spheres of school, work, and culture. It examines the ways in which social order changes and is maintained, incorporating the teachings of sociologists such as Pierre Bourdieu, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber.

This course consists of three segments. The first part of this course focuses on grammar: logical analysis, tenses, modes, style, and spelling; accompanied by regular dictation and vocabulary building. The second part focuses on writing skills to develop competence in French written expression. The third part focuses on written comprehension and understanding various kinds of texts: informative, argumentative, or authoritative.

This course focuses on fiction and imagination in Renaissance and Baroque romantic poetry. It is taught in French and focuses on French poetry; however, the course also analyzes myths from many different cultures that are referenced throughout the studied poems.

This course consists of weekly lectures accompanied by readings and film viewings outside the classroom. Each week, it studies and explores a different writer, literary genre, or event pertaining to the French Revolution through a rhetorical and literary lens. Authors include Victor Hugo, the Chenier brothers, Michelet, and Chateaubriand.

This course takes a close look at contemporary French society and its social policies beginning with a brief, historical-critical look at the emergence of the welfare state and the safety-net state. Next, four fundamental areas of society are explored: social action and the critical role of the not-for-profit sector; the educational system and its effects on social standing; the problem of the ring of disadvantaged zones around French cities as emblematic of the French malaise; and the values held by French and European youth. Finally, a comparative look at the American model will provide an opportunity to analyze the prospects and issues facing French society. The course highlights the effects of pressures such as global economic liberalism on the specific institutionalized relations that exist between French citizens and culture, work, education, immigration, and other facets of life and society.

This course engages with the architectural and pictorial inheritance of France. It focuses on the architecture of Bordeaux and the region of Aquitaine during the 18th century. The course studies urban and countryside architecture, sculpture, painting, and decorative arts.

This course offers an in-depth study of methods of French essay, dissertation, and synthesis. The course analyzes methods of argumentation and organization and explores issues of rhetoric, technique, organization, and documentation. It also examines language and presentation format to assist students with the preparation of final assignments for upper-division courses. Students have weekly written assignments and oral presentations. The course uses various documents on French contemporary society and literature.