Spring - Advanced Culture and Literature
311s Period Courses
The usual periodization of French literature and culture is by century. Some period courses focus on the characteristics of specific centuries. Others focus on artistic or intellectual movements: gothic, Renaissance, romantic. All period courses, whatever their conceptual framework, integrate texts and historical contexts.
Topic: From Baroque to Rococo: Viewpoints on aristocratic societies of the Ancien Régime (pre-1800)
Through the study of novels, plays, and visual arts, we will contrast French society in the age of Baroque when Louis XIV ruled with absolute authority(1660-1715) with the Rococo period that followed, when French aristocrats enjoying their privileged status adopted a life of selfish frivolity and libertinage (1615-1789). Works studied will include novels such as The Princess de Clèves by Madame de Lafayette and Dangerous Liaisons by Choderlos de Laclos, plays by Moliere, Marivaux and Beaumarchais, as well as emblematic paintings of Baroque and Rococo artists. We will also revisit these times with contemporary period films such as Le Roi danse by Gérard Corbiau (2000),Valmont by Milos Forman (1989), Ridicule by Patrice Leconte, and Marie-Antoinette by Sofia Coppola (2006).
Meets Language requirement or Humanities I-A requirement.
Prereq. two of the following courses: French 215, 219, 225, or 230, or permission of department chair and course instructor; one meeting (2 hours, 50 minutes); 4 credits; enrollment limited to 16.
N. Vaget
321s - Seminar in Romance Languages and Literatures
This interdisciplinary seminar will focus on a comparative study of Romance languages or literatures. Topics will vary from semester to semester. Seminar discussions will be conducted in English, but students are expected to read works and write papers in French.
Topic: The mind of the traveler': journeys, expeditions, tours
(Taught in English; SPAN-361, ITAL-361, ROMLG-375, EURST-316) Travel literature has always been a precious source for the study of culture, politics, arts and, last but not least, people. From Caesar to Marco Polo, from Stendhal to Carmen de Burgos, we will read and discuss authors who travelled for political, personal, and recreational reasons. We will also pay special attention to tales of emigration and immigration in the third millennium.
Meets Language requirement or Humanities I-A requirement
Prereq. two of the following courses: French 215, 219, 225, or 230, or permission of department chair and course instructor; one meeting (2 hours, 50 minutes); 4 credits; enrollment limited to 16
NOTE: Papers will be written in English or the Romance language of the student's choice. Students wishing to obtain 300-level credit in Spanish, Italian, or French must read texts and write papers in the Romance language for which they wish to receive advanced credit.
O. Frau
331s - Courses on Social and Political Issues and Critical Approaches
These courses examine a definable phenomenon--an idea, a movement, an event, a mentality, a cultural structure or system, an historical problem, a critical mode--relevant to the civilization of France or of French-speaking countries. Readings from a variety of disciplines shed light on the particular aspect of thought or culture being studied.
Topic: Breaking New Ground in French Cinema (1895-2005)
From the very beginning, innovation, experimentation, and artistic ambitions have shaped the evolution of French cinema. For more than a century, filmmaking in France has been defined by these innovations: Georges Méliès and the invention of special effects, Buñuel's antics, Jean Renoir's involved narratives, the creative explosion of the New Wave, or today's adventurous directors. This class will focus on those movies and those directors that have transformed and expanded the art of cinema, and will include works by Cocteau, Varda, Pontecorvo, Godard, Clément, Truffaut, Carax, and many others.
Meets Language requirement or Humanities I-A requirement
Prereq. two of the following courses: French 215, 219, 225, or 230, or permission of department chair and course instructor; 1 meeting (2 hours, 50 minutes).; 4 credits; enrollment limited to 16
F. Guévremont
351s (01) Courses on Social and Political Issues and Critical Approaches
These courses explore cultural, literary, and social issues relating to women and gender identities in France and French-speaking countries. Topics may include women's writing, writing about women and men, the status of women, feminist criticism, and theories of sexuality and sexual difference.
Topic: Love for Sale: The Figure of the Prostitute in French Literature and Culture
(GNDST 333) This course will examine the ubiquitous figure of the prostitute in works of narrative fiction by the great French authors of the nineteenth century (Balzac, Dumas, Maupassant, Zola). Specifically, we will analyze the ways in which the prostitute serves in so many texts as a reflection of broader social and literary questions: female sexuality, links between sex and money, family honor, the evolution of realism in narrative fiction, et al.
Meets Language requirement or Humanities I-A requirement
Prereq. two of the following courses: French 215, 219, 225, or 230, or permission of department chair and course instructor; 1 meeting (2 hours, 50 minutes).; 4 credits; enrollment limited to 16
C. Rivers
370s (01) Advanced Level Seminar
The seminar is intended to challenge students at the highest level. A regular rotation of topics ensures a variety of perspectives across genre and period, encompassing linguistic, literary, theoretical, and cultural issues of French and Francophone studies. Development of critical skills is stressed through classroom discussion and critique of writing projects, drawing on individual student interests and experiences as they relate to the topic of the course.
Topic: Women and Writing in French-Speaking Africa
This course explores writings by women in French-speaking Africa from its early beginnings in the late 1970s to the present. Special attention will be given to social, political, gender, and aesthetic issues.
Meets Language requirement or Humanities I-A requirement
Prereq. 12 credits including two courses at the advanced level, or permission of department chair and instructor; 1 meeting (2 hours, 50 minutes).; 4 credits; enrollment limited to 16
S. Gadjigo
|
