Keiran DUNNE - The Francophone Experience: MCLS 23217 Kent State University

THE FRANCOPHONE EXPERIENCE

FALL 2000
MCLS 23217
T/R 12:15-1:30
108 SFH


Description	This course offers an extensive introduction to various aspects of contemporary society and culture in countries where French is spoken. In addition to providing a background for those interested in living or working in a Francophone country, the course is designed to open fresh critical perspectives on American culture through comparative analysis with Francophone cultures. To this end, we will focus on both how these cultures view themselves and how they view each other. We will read selections from both "Anglo-Saxon" and Francophone authors in a variety of disciplines. Class will be conducted in English; knowledge of French is not necessary.
Format	The course will consist of a mix of lectures and discussions of the readings. In addition, several films will be shown through the course of the semester.
Goals	To open up horizons through a look at cultures other than your own To encourage reflection upon a variety of cultural forms and points of view To foster a sense of cultural relativity, pluralism, and understanding To attain a better grasp of our own culture while examining foreign ones
Objectives	To acquire a certain familiarity with historical, geographical, and cultural concepts pertaining to France and the French-speaking world; To study and explore the complexity of the traditional French heritage; To develop analytical skills; To learn how to draw upon a variety of disciplines (history, anthropology, architecture, film, literature), and grasp their interrelations.
Required Materials	James Corbett, Through French Windows: An Introduction to France in the Nineties (Ann Arbor, MI: U Michigan P, 1994). Richard Bernstein, Fragile Glory: A Portrait of France and the French (New York: Plume-Penguin, 1991). Polly Platt, French or Foes: Getting the Most out of Visiting, Living and Working in France (Skokie, IL: Culture Crossings, 1996). The above works will be supplemented by passages from materials placed on reserve in the library (designated by the letter R in bold type on the syllabus), distributed by the instructor in class, or posted on the web.
Grading	Participation 25% Reaction papers 60% Mid-term exam 25% Final exam 15%
Grading scale	A 89.5-100 B 79.5-89.4 C 69.5-79.4 D 59.5-69.4 F 0-59.4
Participation	Your participation will be graded approximately every three weeks, based on willingness to volunteer, quality of participation and contribution to the class, and overall attitude.
Reaction papers	For each set of readings assigned, students will be required to write a short synthesis/reaction paper (1-2 pages), which will serve to facilitate discussion in class, draw out questions, and review for exams. Reaction papers may be handwritten or typed. However no late work will be accepted.
Exams	A mid-term consisting of short answer, identification, and essay questions will be given, as well as a comprehensive final exam of similar format. Questions will be drawn from the readings, class lectures and discussions, and audio-visual materials. Make-up exams are permitted ONLY with a written and verifiable excuse (generally medical). Contact the instructor on the day of the missed exam at the latest.
Attendance	Attendance is directly related to good absorption of material, and thus to good exam results. Notes taken by anyone other than yourself are generally insufficient: the very part of note-taking is part of the learning process. In addition, class lectures, discussions, and visuals contain materials not otherwise available outside of class. Because attendance is crucial, you are allowed only two unexcused absences. Any unexcused absence beyond two (2) will reduce your final overall grade by two percentage points. Excused absences include religious holidays (with advance notification), participation in University-sponsored events, a death in the family or family emergency, sickness or injury with documentation of treatment. Student-athletes should make arrangements with the instructor well in advance of planned absences.
	PROPOSED SCHEDULE Readings are to be completed BEFORE coming to class on the day indicated.Note: this schedule is subject to change during the semester at the discretion of the instructor.
8/29	General introduction to the course (and to each other!).
8/31	Why learn and/or teach French (or any other) culture? Laurence Wylie, "The Civilization Course," and "Teaching French Culture," Santoni, ed. Société et Culture de la France Contemporaine, 1-5, 17-23, 26-27. R Platt, "Introduction," 13-20. What do "French," "Francophone," "America" and "American" mean to you? What do "America" and "American" mean to French University students?
9/5	What is "culture"? Raymonde Carroll, "Introduction," Cultural Misunderstandings (1-12). R Edward T. Hall and Mildred Reed Hall, "Key Concepts," Understanding Cultural Differences (1-31). R Platt, "Code 1: Don't Smile!" 23-29 and "French Time," 47-55.
9/7	French body language and communication Wylie, "Nonverbal Communication," 36-53. R Platt, "French Space," 37-46.
9/12	French ways of seeing and being: Geography, unity and diversity, and the perception of time and space Wylie, "Value Orientations," 28-36. R Bernstein, "The Miracle of the Whole" and "The Persistence of the Parts," 21-54. Maps
9/14	French ways of seeing and being: The perception of historical time Platt, "History Matters," 101-23. William Smith, "France in the Making," in Aspects of Contemporary France, 1-20. R
9/19	Understanding French history through folktales and mentalities Robert Darnton, "Peasants Tell Tales: The Meaning of Mother Goose," The Great Cat Massacre, 9-72. R
9/21	Understanding and contextualizing stereotypes Howard Smith, "1001 Reasons to Hate the French," Village Voice. R Bernstein, "Gallic Shrugs and Other Supposed Imperfections," 124-32, and "The Myth of the Anti-American," 133-38, 144 ("The fact is...")-145. Lacroix and Suares, "1001 Reasons to Hate Americans," National Lampoon. R Richard Kuisel, "Anti-Americanism and National Identity," Seducing the French: The Dilemma of Americanization, 1-14. R
9/26	Childhood and socialization Wylie, "Socialization," in Santoni, 54-63. R Carroll, "Parents and Children," Cultural Misunderstandings, 40-57. R Platt, "The Family: Rules, Closeness, and Esprit Critique," 125-34. Film: Le Grand Chemin, by Jean-Louis Hubert
9/28	Childhood and socialization, continued End of Le Grand Chemin, discussion
10/3	Special Bonds: Friends and Couples Raymonde Carroll, "Friendship," Cultural Misunderstandings, 71-87. R Wylie on the French personality in relation to bonding, Santoni, ed., 59-63. R Discussion of how Le Grand Chemin relates to ideas presented by Wylie and Carroll
10/5	Gender and women's rights Simone de Beauvoir, All Said and Done, excerpts. R Corbett, "The Sexual Revolution," 53-70. Alison Holland, "Women," in Sheila Perry, ed., Aspects of Contemporary France, 137-52. R
10/10	Social class: What distinguishes a bourgeois from a member of the working class? Béatrix Le Wita, "Definition by Defamation," French Bourgeois Culture, 23-61. R
10/12	Family: Why do Francophones think that the government should support families? Why has the extended family survived only in some Francophone regions? Corbett, "Demographics," 70-89. Fernand Braudel, The Identity of France, 103-09. R
10/17	Unity vs. Diversity: Brittany and the question of regional languages Robert Wardaugh, "Breton in Brittany," Languages in Competition, 107-10. R Pierre-Jakez Hélias, "Children of the Republic," The Horse of Pride, 131-46. R
10/19	Midterm exam
10/24	Village life in France today: Folklore, modernization, and the tourist trade Laurence Wylie, "Roussillon, '87. Returning to the Village in the Vaucluse," French Politics and Society, Spring 1989. R Pierre-Jakes Hélias, "The New Testament," The Horse of Pride, 327-37. R
10/26	Education: Why do French high school students look so tired? What is at stake? DCorbett, "The Sweat Shop," 93-132. Platt, "School Days" and "The Grandes Ecoles," 135-52.
10/31	The Notion of Francophonie: Historical, Linguistic, and Geographical Concepts Dennis Ager, "Introduction" and "The Development of Francophonie," Francophonie in the 1990s, 1-21. R Bernstein, "The Myth of the Anti-American," 138-45.
11/2	The Francophone World Dennis Ager, "The Distribution of Contemporary Francophonie," Francophonie in the 1990s, 22-42. R In-class web activity (to be confirmed)
11/7	anguage: A Form of Cultural Patrimony to Protect, a Challenge for Francophonie Platt, "The Music of their Tongue," 153-64. Dennis Ager, "Problems for French: Language, Culture, and Identity," and "The Problem of English and Other Languages," Francophonie in the 1990s, 44-75. R
11/9	Race, class, and color in the Caribbean "Director views Apartheid," New York Times, September 1989. R "Children Lost to the Cane Fields," Christian Science Monitor. R Film: Sugar Cane Alley, by Euzhan Palcy
11/14	Race, class, and color in the Caribbean, continued End of Sugar Cane Alley, discussion
11/16	Voices on colonialism and its aftermath A Voice of Protest from Martinique: Aimé Césaire, Discourse on Colonialism, 9-25, 57-61. R A Voice of Tolerance from Senegal: Léopold-Sédar Senghor, Prose and Poetry, excerpts. R From France: André Gide, Forward to Présence Africaine, First issue, and Claude-Lévi-Strauss, Race and History, 12-13. Both R
11/21	Cause Célèbre: The Dreyfus Affair Jean-Louis Bredin, "Judas on Parade," and "J'Accuse," The Affair, 3-8, 245-52. R
11/28	Vichy France, the Holocaust, and the Question of Anti-Semitism Henry Rousso, "The Neurosis," The Vichy Syndrome, 1-11. R Bernstein, "Jews, Arabs, and Other 'Foreigners'," 146-54. Jean-Paul Sartre, "Anti-Semite and Jew," 151-53. R
11/30	The French Blanc, Black, Beur Tricolore: Melting Pot or Salad Bowl? E. Todd, "Strangers in the City," The Making of Modern France, 162-73. R Bernstein, "Jews, Arabs, and Other 'Foreigners'," 154-65. Corbett, "The Right to be Different," 193-209, as well as "Le Front National" and "Media Bashing," 254-61
	The film Métisse (Café au lait), by Matthieu Kassovitz, will be shown outside of class. Exact time and location to be announced.
12/5	Discussion of Métisse as it relates to the themes of stereotypes, religion, tolerance, race and ethnicity, and to the question of multiculturalism in France at the dawn of the new millennium.
12/7	Conclusion Bernstein, "Afterword: An Elegy for the French Difference," 328-34. Discussion: questions of cultural identity, tolerance, and diversity.
12/12	Final exam, 12:45-3:00; Location TBA