Classes

Sorry I haven’t been updating! It’s been an exciting couple weeks. I will write soon about what I’ve been up to but for now I’m going to simply post the courses I will be taking this semester. One will be English and the other three are in French. I’m excited for the content courses, not so much for the spoken French course. We are required to take a language course though and my spoken French definitely needs some help. Next week I’ll be able to talk about how they are. The most exciting thing? I only have class Tuesday through Thursday, four day weekends!


Topics in French Culture: Vichy France
4 points – Prof. Simon Jackson
To study 'Vichy France' is to grapple with the meanings of French Republicanism, with France's right-wing currents, her treatment of minority groups, the action of her intellectuals, and her relationship with her past. The first half of the course introduces students to the history of the period, beginning in the 1930s and ending with the immediate aftermath of the war. Topics include the political turmoil of the 1930s; the ideology and infrastructure of Vichy; life under the occupation; the Resistance and Collaboration; the fate of the Jews; gender and women; and the responses of the intellectual and artistic worlds. The second half of the course covers the multiple French memories of the dark years since the war. Here we focus on various objects of memory: the defeat of 1940; the resistance and collaboration; German atrocities (Oradour); the Shoah; etc. We also ponder the status of testimony as a historical source. Conducted in English.
Spoken Contemporary French
4 points – Prof. Pauline Reychman & Prof. Laurent Habert
Prerequisite: V45.0030, or assignment by placement test, or approval of the director.
Assumes a mastery of the fundamental structures of French. May be taken concurrently with V45.9105. Helps the student to develop vocabulary, to improve pronunciation, and to learn new idiomatic expressions. Introduction to corrective phonetics and emphasis on understanding contemporary French through a study of authentic documents; radio and television interviews, advertisements, spontaneous oral productions, etc. Conducted in French.
French Cinema, French Culture
4 points - Prof. Pascal Morin
Same as V30.9502.001. This course examines the notion of French culture through an analysis of French cinema. Placing films in their historical and cultural context, we consider how cinema provides a window on French society, while recognizing that they are cultural products specific to a particular historical moment. Social history, cultural archetypes and artistic creation will be some of the topics under consideration. Conducted in French.
Topics in French Culture: Problems in Contemporary French Society
4 points – Prof. Martial Poirson
The course aims to introduce students to contemporary French society through an examination of particular social groups and categories, with a focus on French youth and notions of gender. Through an exploration of contemporary issues and social movements, we will focus on how these groups have been constructed over time as historical and political categories with significant implications for social practice. Students will be encouraged to draw on resources in and around Paris as well as current events as an integral part of the course. Conducted in French.