Through current events and their historical background, this course focuses on some concepts essential to French and Francophone Studies, including French slavery, colonialism, decolonization, migration, race relations, globalization, gender and sexuality. While stressing a communicative approach and the four skills, the content-components of this course will be presented simultaneously with a review and expansion of grammatical structures:
- What is the French Republic?
- The European Union (past and present)
- Transatlantic and Multilateral Relations:
- Franco/American Relations
- Globalization and its Opponents
- French "Urban Unrest": a Sociocultural Gap
- Families:
- "Marriages for Everyone"
- Same Sex Marriages and Parenthood
- Women:
- Rights and Inequalities (past and present)
- Domestic Violence and Women Sexual Mutilation
- France’s Multicultural Society:
- Slavery
- Colonization
- Immigration
- Islam of France
- "Fighting Hatreds" (Anti-Semitism, Racism, Terrorism)
- A Multicultural Francophone: Stromae
Material will be presented through audiovisual documents, readings and online texts.
The Final grade is based on three oral presentations (30%), three essays (30%), five written exercises (20%), and class participation (20%).
Required Texts: French 235 Coursepack (by Yannick Viers) at Dollar Bill Copying
French Grammar by Mary E. Coffman Crocker- Schaum's Outlines Series, McGraw-Hill.
Course Requirements:
The Final grade is based on three oral presentations (30%), three essays (30%), five written exercises (20%), and class participation (20%).