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Course Criteria
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3.00 Credits
Intended for students studying on a Washington University Program or a Washington University-approved program abroad, this course combines internship experience with research and a rapport de stage (final report).
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1.00 - 3.00 Credits
Intended for students studying on a Washington University Program or a Washington University-approved program abroad, this course examines a variety of topics concerning France's role in the European Economic Community (EEC), including, but not restricted to: fiscal policy, major economic models, exchange market structure, international monetary system, debt policy, etc.
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2.00 Credits
Intended for students studying on a Washington University Program or a Washington University-approved program abroad, this course examines many aspects of France's role within Europe, including, but not restricted to its history, government, social welfare programs, the role of religion in society.
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3.00 Credits
Thorough review of French grammar with intensive practice in writing. Conversation and vocabulary, as well as application of French grammatical structures, are based on reading of French texts. Essential for further study of French language and literature. Students in all sections are encouraged (but not required) to enroll simultaneously in French 3071, an activity-based companion course. Prerequisite: French 201D or the equivalent (recommended for students with five years of high school French [Seventh and eighth grades count as one year]).
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3.00 Credits
Continuation of French 307D with emphasis on improvement of writing skills through analysis of literary texts and creative writing. Should be taken before French 325C or 326C. Prerequisite: French 307D or equivalent.
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3.00 Credits
We study the life and culture of France with the aim of improving written and spoken French. Special emphasis is placed on the changes that are slowly but radically transforming French society: the increasing influence of the European Union; the influx of immigrants from Africa and other parts of the world; the growing role of Arabs and other French citizens born of foreign parents; the increasingly dominant position of women; the globalization of French culture; technological progress, etc. Lectures, discussions, TV newscasts, web sites, and oral reports. Prerequisite: French 201D or placement by examination.
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3.00 Credits
Designed to prepare students for the experience of studying abroad (for either a year or a semester, on Washington University-sponsored or -approved programs), this course emphasizing improved oral discussion and writing skills through readings, papers, practice in language lab, and active class participation. The course provides an introduction to the techniques of explication de texte, commentaire compose, and dissertation litteraire. The class discusses various aspects of modern French society as well as topics related to the student's experience abroad, such as the university system, the French family, French social mores, etc. May replace French 308D for candidates attending semester and year abroad programs in a French-speaking country. Required for students planning to study in Toulouse and Paris and recommended for other programs in France.
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3.00 Credits
Focusing on topics of cultural and social importance, this course offers students the opportunity to learn about defining moments in the French tradition. The specific topic of the course varies from semester to semester, and may include works from different disciplines, such as art, film, gender studies, history, literature, music, philosophy, politics, science. Prerequisite: French 307D. Section 06: An introduction to some of the "other" literatures in French: the literary traditions and cultural contexts of Francophone countries in North and sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean. Vibrant and productive cultures around the world have interacted with the French language and its literature to produce highly diverse texts of their own. We study some of them, focusing on issues such as cultural adaptation, colonialism, and "civilizing missions" and the responses to them. We also consider the varying meanings of the term "Francophone," from conservative to liberal, and examine the ways in which contemporary mainland France has been transformed by the Francophone presence. Prerequisite: French 307D.
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3.00 Credits
Focusing on topics of cultural and social importance, this course offer students the opportunity to learn about defining moments in the French tradition. The specific topic of the course varies from semester to semester and may include works from different disciplines, such as art, film, gender studies, history, literature, music, philosophy, politics, science. Prerequisite: French 307D. Section 01. France Viewed Through Its Cinema. This course explores the history and culture of France as depicted by some of the 20th century's most celebrated directors. We focus on topics such as World War I (Gance, Renoir); the rise (and fall) of the bourgeoisie (Lumière, Renoir, Tati); the importance of dreams (Meliès, Bunuel, Carné, Cocteau); the role of women (Pagnol, Godard, Varda); trauma and memory (Duras, Resnais); childhood (Truffaut, Malle). We also compare views of Paris (Clair, Truffaut, Godard) and views of the countryside (Renoir, Pagnol, Malle, Varda). Section 02. Diversity. We examine the notion of diversity as it expresses itself in French culture in different media. Studying religious, social, sexual, and ethnic difference, we examine how the French have embraced or rejected the idea of France as a "diverse" and "integrated" nation. We examine extracts from a range of French texts by authors who question the idea of difference and the notion of self-identity. We read extracts from Francophone authors, writers who live in and write about former French colonies. Among the authors included: Diderot, Voltaire, Zola, Camus, Ernaux, Kristeva, Cardinal, Condé, Sow Fall. We also look at films, paintings, and journalistic accounts that allow us to consider issues such as changing social values, acts of inclusion and exclusion into the social fabric, and examples of backlash to efforts to promote integration and inclusion. Section 03. Provence. Provence enjoys a distinctive identity in France. Known not only for its cuisine and its fields of lavender, Provence represents a particular set of behaviors that are marked by an outward sociability, on the one hand, and deep intimacy, on the other. The people from this Mediterranean region are proud of their identity, particularly in opposition to Paris, which stands at the center of French culture, business, and power. Many celebrated artists (Cézanne, Van Gogh) and writers (Daudet, Pagnol, Giono, Char) used the backdrop of Provence in their works, partaking of Provence's natural beauty and local color. Through an examination of a variety of texts, images, films, music, and other sources, we attempt to define the life of Provence, paying particular attention to its distinctive features; the opposition Paris/Provence; how Provence's geographical advantages contribute to its rich culture; how various artists, authors, filmmakers, and musicians celebrate its culture and its people. Section 04. 20th-Century France in Literature and On Film. Starting with the Belle Epoque-the first years of the 20th century, considered to be a "beautiful age" when life was pleasant and easy-and ending with the year 2000, we examine the evolution of modern French society as reflected in celebrated examples of literature and cinema. We emphasize key historical events of this period and show how France has changed from a primarily rural, religious, and homogeneous society to the urban, industrialized, and multiracial culture of today. We deal mainly with both world wars, colonialism, industrialization, immigration, and the changing role of women. We divide the century into segments, each of which are represented by a literary work and/or a film. Section 05. Song, Text and Image. This class examines the dual nature of song as meeting point between poetry and music. In the first half of the class, we study how famous French poems are transformed when set to music (and how differing arrangements of a given text create a variety of interpretations). Poets include Villon, Ronsard, Hugo, Bâ.
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3.00 Credits
An interpretation of cultural, philosophical, and aesthetic issues as presented in influential works of French poetry and drama from the Middle Ages to the present. May be taken before or after French 326. Prerequisite: French 308D or French 318D. Section 01. Self and Society. A study of the themes of self and society as seen in the dramas of Molière, Corneille, Racine, Beaumarchais, Musset, and Beckett, and in the poetry from Villon to Prévert. We examine the struggle of self vs. society in various contexts, particularly love, family, politics, and fate, and study how the individual affirms and defines himself/herself, or fails to do so, in that struggle. Section 02. Voices. Poets from Villon and Ronsard to Lamartine and Rimbaud have used their voices to express lyrical themes, like love, death, the passage of time, beauty, and good and evil in important personal ways. Their voices are meant to speak to us as individuals, to comfort us or, on the contrary, to unsettle us. They even sometimes encourage us to act, to change something about our lives or our society. Playwrights, too, have used their characters' voices to stir up cultural revolution of their own sorts (Romantic with Hugo's Hernani; Symbolist/Surrealist with Jarry's Ubu Roi). This course examines how and why these and other writers (Louise Labé, Baudelaire, Apollinaire, Corneille, Racine, Molière) chose to put their voices into writing, what they tried to say, and for what audience they wanted to say it. We examine how their voices speak to social, political, and more generally, cultural questions regarding the time period in which they wrote. Section 03. Living Matter(s). Renowned poems and plays of the French tradition explore love, moral claims, suffering, mortal sins, cultural awakenings: the matter of life that also is often a matter of death, a matter that authors transform and celebrate. We study these issues by focusing on the link between literature, history, and art in works by Ronsard, Hugo, Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Ponge, Corneille, Molière, Racine, Beaumarchais, Ionesco, among others. Section 04. Poetic Places. The poetic voice has often been considered in light of its "mission," or higher calling. How do we perceive this mission and where does it situate the author and the reader with respect to the text? Does it imply the isolation of the poet or simply a difference in perspective? Does the poet speak with one voice or from several different places at once? We seek to situate the authorial persona, as well as the place we are called to occupy in relation to the poet's voice. Are literary texts emblematic of their time? Do they simply reflect their context or can they constitute a new reality? How do they differ from blogs? As we read from each period, we distinguish the literary traditions as well as social norms represented/questioned/or shredded within the text. Poets include Rutebeuf, Villon, Ronsard, Labé, Boileau, La Fontaine, Hugo, Vigny, Baudelaire, Verlaine, Apollinaire, Mallarmé, Ponge, Michaux, Bonnefoy. Playwrights include Racine, Molière, Voltaire, Beaumarchais, Vian, Genet, Beckett, Ionesco. Section 06. The Spectator. Throughout the history of the theater, playwrights have questioned the ideal relationship of the spectator to the stage. From classical tragedy and comedy through the theater of the absurd, the question of whether or not the spectator should identify with the characters on stage remains central to the theatrical experience. We consider the moral implications of this choice and its effect on society. We read plays that illustrate the changing notion of our role as spectator along with poems that invite us to see the world through the eyes of God, the king, the philosopher, the pauper, and the poet. Playwrights include Racine, Corneille, Beaumarchais, Hugo, and Ionesco. Poets include Ronsard, Malesherbes, Voltaire, Baudelaire, and Claudel.
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