Course Meeting Times
Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session
Prerequisites
One intermediate subject in French
Course Description
The course offers an analysis of the keen interest shown by France and the French in North American cultures since the 18th century. Not only did France contribute to the construction of both Canadian and American nations but also it has constantly delineated its identity by way of praising or criticizing North American cultures. The course will historically trace this ambivalent relation, exploring various themes such as liberalism, entertainment and the media, trade and cultural goods, transatlantic intellectual encounters, translation, etc. The course will use materials drawn from literature (e.g. Tocqueville, Céline, Beauvoir, Dubois), cinema (e.g. Tati, Chomet), and comics, TV shows and series as well as political debates (anti-globalization movements in France, the election of Barack Obama and Donald Trump, minority rights, bioethics, pensions).
The course is entirely taught in French.
Grading Policy
Class sessions will be divided between
- students’ presentations of the weekly theme
- class discussion to engage with the main readings and movies screened
- a weekly analysis of topical issues on France and the United States
The final grade will be determined from three types of required exercises:
- One grade will be based on one individual oral presentation [exposé] (20%). It will be limited to 10 minutes maximum. Students will also have to speak to the class during their oral presentation (not to read a pre-written text).
- One grade will be based on short-answer papers [questions courtes] (30%). It will consist of a half-page answer to the weekly question.
- One grade will be based on a final creative paper [composition finale] (40%), Students will write the same short story (same characters, same plot…) twice: the first set in France, the second in the U.S. The paper will be submitted at least a week before the end of classes.
- One grade will be based on class participation (10%): the evaluation will be based on 1) attendance, 2) the demonstration that the students have done the weekly readings and watched assigned films and documentaries, and 3) the quality of their oral output.
