Global Arc

The continuities of French culture and its preeminence over much of Europe from its 11th-century beginnings through the 16th century. Emphasis on medieval and Renaissance literary works (in modernized versions) in their relationship to topics such as "love'' (fin'amor), saintliness, national identity, humanism, and so on. Prerequisite: a 200-level course in French or permission of the instructor.

From colonization to civil war, Francophone Africa and the Caribbean are little understood beyond such grave issues of urgency and violence. However, no society, its people or their realities are homogenously desolate. Through the study of novels, graphic novels, films and stand-up, this course explores the place of humor in French literature and culture of Francophone Africa and the Caribbean. By the end of the seminar, students will have engaged with different forms of humor and will have acquired the skills to think critically about the capacity of humor in decolonizing French constructions of racial, gender and ethnic alterity.

In the Anthropocene, humanity has become, for the first time, a geological agent transforming the conditions of life on earth, but this power itself gives rise to unprecedented challenges, from air pollution and floods to nuclear fallout and plagues, from agribusiness to petro-imperialism. Literature sheds a unique light on this global crisis, highlighting in each case the lived human experience, the distinct visions of nature, and the complex social conflicts involved. Readings include novels, plays, and journalism about oil extraction, megadams and nuclear fallout from France, Russia, India, Nigeria, Japan and the US.

This course explores representations of the World and History in major bandes dessinées (or graphic novels) published in French from the 1930s to the present, and produced by authors of various backgrounds (French, Belgian, Italian, Jewish, Iranian). Informed by theoretical readings, discussions will address key aesthetical, political, and ethical issues, including Exoticism, Orientalism, (Post)colonialism, national and individual identity, as well as the theory of reception, to critically assess the fluctuations of these visions between fantasy and testimony.

This course proposes a literary exploration of the French 17th century, a period that produced many "classics" of world literature, from the comedies of Molière and the fables of La Fontaine to the tales of Perrault. We will study these works both in their original historical context and through modern adaptations and interpretations, in order to assess the reasons for their survival and continued relevance. Some of the central themes are: love and marriage, passion and duty, self and society, truth and fiction, heroism and beastliness. Prerequisite: A 200-level French course or permission of instructor.

The French Revolution is the key event of political modernity. This course examines both its core political concepts and their expression in the general culture of the time. Revolutionary ideas - citizenship, democracy, the nation-state, dictatorship, liberty, equality, representation, progress, human rights - reshaped the norms not only of politics, but also of literature and art. To understand these innovations, we will concentrate on: the theories that laid the foundations for the Revolution; literary and theoretical texts from the major acts of the revolutionary period; artistic and political responses to the Revolution up until today.

France has the largest Jewish community in Europe as well as a strong tradition of cultural assimilation. This course explores literary and film works that represent or refract the experience of Jews in France in the last 60 years. Problems that arise include the diversity in the cultural backgrounds of the French Jewish community, the conflict between "Jewish literature" and French republican ideology, and the role of Holocaust narratives in literary and cultural production. Prerequisite: a 200-level French course or instructor's permission. One 90-minute lecture, one 90-minute preceptorial.

What's the point of education? What should anyone truly learn, why, and how? Who gets to attend school? Is it a right, a privilege, a duty, an investment, or a form of discipline? Do schools level the playing field or entrench inequalities? Should they fashion workers, citizens, or individuals? Moving from France to the US, and from the Enlightenment to the present, we look at the vexed but crucial relationship between education and democracy in novels, films, essays, and philosophy, examining both the emancipatory and repressive potential of modern schooling. Topics include: Brown, class, meritocracy, testing, and alternative pedagogies.

What is the Enlightenment? This course investigates the era of change and radical thought that precipitated the French Revolution. Far from stereotypes about "Enlightenment ideology", we will explore how the Enlightenment opened up spaces for critique, generating new ideas and values that challenged the traditional authorities of the Ancien Régime. Our readings will exemplify the richness of the moral, political, and philosophical debates that divided 18th-century France, focusing on the role of the philosopher, the place of science in society, rethinking social education, religion and atheism. Prerequisites: See Course Offerings.

Topics will range from single authors and major texts (for example, the Encyclopedie) to literary genres and questions of culture (préciosité, comedy and/or tragedy, historiography, epistolary writing, etc.). Prerequisite: FRE 207 or equivalent. Course conducted in French. Two 90-minute classes.