FRN 3031/5031: French and Francophone Culture Through Literature and Film

Professor Binita Mehta

Office: Founders G-26B

Office Hours: M, W, R 10-11 a.m, T, 1-3 p.m. & R 2-3 p.m.

Phone: (914) 323-5407 (on campus dial x5407)

Course Description

In this course we will study contemporary French and Francophone culture through literature and film. The literary and cultural texts and films examined will be structured around four themes: family, childhood and adolescence, gender relations, immigration and urban alienation.

Texts (available in Campus Bookstore)

Wylie, Lawrence et Jean-François Brière, Les Français. Prentice-Hall, 2001.

Ernaux, Annie. La Place. Editions Gallimard, 1982.

Gisèle Pineau. Un Papillon dans la cité. Editions Sepia, 1992.

Tahar Ben Jelloun. Le racisme expliqué à ma fille. Seuil, 1998.

Film Selection:

Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain (Amelie) (2001)

Mathieu Kassovitz, La Haine (Hate) (1995)

------. Métisse (Café au lait) (1993)

Cédric Klapisch, L’auberge espagnole (2004)

Colline Serreau, Chaos (Chaos) (2002)

Bertrand Tavernier, Ça commence aujourd’hui (It All Starts Today) (1999)

A grammar reference.

A monolingual dictionary. Recommended: Le Robert Micro, Dictionnaire de la langue française, 1998.

A bilingual dictionary.

Course Schedule

FRN 3031/5031 meets one day a week on Tuesdays from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. from January 17 to April 25.

Class Participation

Active participation in class and, therefore, regular attendance is required. More than one absence without an official excuse will automatically lower your class participation grade. The class participation grade will be based on attending class and participating in discussions. This implies good preparation and demonstration of interest in the material, the instructor’s comments and the contributions of your fellow students.

Homework, Response Papers, and Film Critiques

You are responsible for reading the assigned texts before every class. Through the semester, you will hand in short response papers (2-4 pages) to two of the texts read in class. In addition, you will write a response to one of the films studied during the course and one to be screened as part of the French film festival (titles and dates to be announced). There will be four short papers in all. All papers and homework must be TYPED and DOUBLE-SPACED and should include accent marks.

Oral Presentations
You will be expected to do one oral presentation, either leading a10-minute discussion of one of the reading assignments from the syllabus, or on a topic dealing with French and Francophone culture not covered in class. e.g French government, administration, the French legal system, the relationship between France and its ex-colonies in Africa, North America, and the Caribbean, etc.

Final Paper or Take-home exam

For the final paper, students will pick a topic, after discussion with the instructor, related to contemporary French or Francophone culture. They will consult books, newspaper articles, and films that deal with the subject. They will submit a rough draft of the paper on April, 18, 2006. The final paper, written in French, will be 5-7 pages in length and due on the last day of exams, i.e. May 4^th.
Instead of writing a final paper, students will also have the option of a take-home exam on the material covered in class.

Grades:

Attendance & Class Participation: 20%

Response papers to books and films: 40%

Oral Presentation: 20%

Final Paper or Take-home examination: 20%

Useful websites:

FRENCH MEDIA

www.lemonde.fr -- French newspaper, le Monde

www.liberation.fr --French newspaper, Libération

www.rfi.fr-- French Radio Station, Radio France Internationale

http://www.france-amerique.com -- See “Actualité”

www.france.com -- See “Agenda New York”

French News, Le Journal, every evening from 7 – 7: 30 p.m. on WNYE.

FOR FRENCH EVENTS IN NYC THE TRI-STATE AREA

http://frenchculture.org/events/newyork --Links to French events in NYC and the Tri-State area

www.fiaf.org -- French Institute/Alliance Française of New York

http://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/french/Mbase.html - NYU, Maison Française

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/french/maison/ Columbia University, Maison Française

http://www.mri.gouv.qc.ca/usa/en/new_york/affaires_publiques/publications.asp - Quebec Update, newsletter of the Délégation Général du Québec

www.bam.org -- Brooklyn Academy of Music

The French departmental website, www.mville.edu/french, also has some useful links to French and francophone websites.

Schedule of Assignments: (This schedule is subject to change)

Week 1: January 17: Introduction; Les stéréotypes des Français; Points de vue américains sur la France- Chansons: Madjao, Douce France et Charles Trenet, Douce France

Week 2: January 24

Les Français, “Structures de la famille” pp. 81-85 & chaps 5 & 6 (Enfance et première éducation, et

Socialisation et modes d’évasion)

Week 3: January 31

Les Français chap. 7 (Démographie et intervention de l’état)

Film: Bertrand Tavernier, Ça commence aujourd’hui

Week 4: February 7

Tavernier, Ça commence aujourd’hui

Les Français, chap. 8 (la famille française aujourd’hui; la situation des femmes)

Week 5: February 14

Film: Serreau, Colline Chaos (Résponse écrite au film Ça commence…)

Week 6: February 21

Discussion du film Chaos

Annie Ernaux, La Place

Week 7: February 28

Annie Ernaux, La Place (Réponse écrite au film Chaos)

Week 8

Spring Break- March 6-10 (pas de classe)

Week 9: March 14

Les Français “Structures de la société, pp. 143-147 & chaps. 12 & 13 (L’Enseignement) (Réponse écrite à La Place)

Week 10: March 21

Structures de la société. Les Français pp. chaps. 15 & 16 (La France et l’Union européenne; La Société française aujourd’hui); articles de presse sur les émeutes récentes en France (la crise des banlieues).

Week 11: March 28

Film: Mathieu Kassovitz, La Haine

Week 12: April 4

Discussion du film La Haine; M.C. Solaar, “Nouveau Western”

Gisèle Pineau. Le papillon dans la cité

Week 13: April 11

Tahar Ben Jelloun. Le Racisme expliqué à ma fille

Réponse écrite au roman Le papillon dans la cite

Réponse au film Métisse de Kassovitz (on reserve)

Week 14: April 18

Ben Jelloun, Le racisme expliqué à ma fille”

Les Français. “Symboles” pp. 254-260; chaps. 17, 20, 21 (La Religion; Les médias)

Week 15: April 25

Réponse écrite au livre Le Racisme expliqué à ma fille

Révision

Your take-home exam and/or final paper is due during final exam week- May 1-4, 2006. No papers or exams will be accepted after May 4^th.