Global Arc

Through multidisciplinary, multimodal creative writing, and project-based assignments, FRE 306 will explore the intersections of travel narratives with utopian thoughts and their philosophical and aesthetic implications. Travelogues offer images of otherness, yet in utopian discourses otherness is suppressed in the name of equality. How are concepts such as diversity, equity and inclusion problematized in this context? FRE 306 will tackle this question by studying works across different genres and periods, exploring issues such as race, gender, migration and ecology while reinforcing their linguistic, creative and critical skills.

A multisensory history of the French language. To foster discussions on the cultural, musical, literary, and epistemological relevance of producing historical linguistic knowledge, we will review the documents and monuments of the history of French, once a regional variation of Latin that turned into a global language. Our overview will include examples such as the spelling "errors" of the Latin graffiti of Pompeii, medieval French poems written in Hebrew script, plurals in "-aux", linguistic innovation in literature from Québec, Martinique, and Maghreb, and contemporary debates on Franco-Malian artist Aya Nakamura's songs.

In 1919, Marcel Proust collected a series of pastiches. The great writer had had fun imitating the style of some of his most august predecessors: Balzac, Flaubert, Saint-Simon... A formidable but entertaining exercise that I, in turn, propose to students. But rather than making them write "à la manière de", as Proust did, we'll be writing in "le genre de": each week, we'll use a work from a major French-language author (Michel Houellebecq, Emmanuel Carrère, Marguerite Duras, Colette, Simenon...) to introduce a genre of literature. Week after week, students will write a short text in French in the style of the book they are studying.

This class focuses on poetry in Old Occitan and Old French, two transregional languages born in medieval Europe and spoken throughout the Mediterranean. We will explore the aural, visual, and tactile nature of medieval poems, whether sung, declaimed, or read silently. We will reflect on questions of death, politics, gender roles, sexuality, and religious sentiment raised by such texts, while also considering the at times off-putting aesthetic experiences they present to our modern sensibilities. Out-of-class activities will allow us to engage with manuscripts and address the performativity and relevance of medievalism in North America.

This course explores how the French-speaking Indian Ocean islands-Mauritius, Réunion, the Comoros, and Madagascar-have navigated their histories and identities from colonial times to today. Through novels, films, and articles, we'll examine their evolution from colonies to French departments. While covering major historical events, the focus will be on contemporary political, social, and cultural issues, including colonialism, migration, identity, gender roles, and the exodus of locals seeking better futures. Discussions will deepen our understanding of the conflicts and challenges these islands face.

In 1835, when Franz Liszt checked into a hotel in Geneva, he registered Europe as his lieu de residence. But the country to which the Hungarian composer referred doesn't exist. We Europeans have the European Union, but we haven't been able to define a common European culture. A transnational vista from a cultural perspective is missing. Hotel Europa will try to delineate the common features of the European conflictual heritage, the very idea of a European cosmopolitan civilization, through a cross-cutting approach, using various fields, including history, literature and art history.

This course explores the French sound system through the lens of English phonetics, offering a deep dive into the similarities and differences between the two languages. Students will study vowel and consonant production, acoustic and articulatory properties, and suprasegmental features like syllable structure and intonation. The course begins with foundational phonetic theories and examines pronunciation instruction in L2 courses. Through hands-on practice with phonetic software and analysis of real-world data, students will gain critical skills for understanding language acquisition and pronunciation challenges in L2 learners.

FRE 329F is a community-engagement program conducted entirely in French, on location, in the Northern Basque region of France. Through a combination of guest lectures, classroom conceptual learning, on-site visits, field work and active participation in cultural and community events, students will discover the Basque Country and its linguistic, cultural and natural ecosystem. They will meet a large range of community stakeholders and activists to learn about ways in which they attempt to (re)imagine life in their communities and address issues related to language rights, identity, cultural expression and preservation of nature.

How did Montreal become the world's second-largest French-speaking city? How has its unique multicultural identity inspired generations of explorers, artists, architects, dancers, dramaturgs, and filmmakers? Spanning from its origins as Tiohtià:ke ("Where the waters meet") to New France and today's Créole-and Yiddish-speaking scenes, this course explores the city's cultural, environmental, architectural, and political history. We will examine colonialism, immigration, displacement, Québec-Canada relations, Francophonie, identity, religion, language, ecology, gender, queerness, and race in the 'Paris of North America'.

Theater Making in the Age of Climate Change will investigate how the performing arts sector in France and Europe transitions towards a more sustainable future, and how contemporary playwrights tackle this urgent topic. The performing arts are now becoming more sensitized to their carbon footprint and are making efforts to change their practices. We will discover new works as French and European stages are producing an increasing number of plays on climate change. During fall break, we will travel to France to gain first-hand experience of these timely initiatives and engage with organizations' officials and arts institutions' directors.