FRN 3008, Contemporary French Culture
Professor Binita Mehta
Office:
Founders G-26B
Phone:
(914) 323-5407 (on campus, x5407)
Email: mehtab@mville.edu
Course
Description
The objective of
this course is to help you understand French culture in depth. By drawing comparisons between French and
American cultures, we will examine aspects of French society through the themes
of family, education, politics, economics and immigration. We will study the
role of the European Union, secularism in the French public schools, the rise
of the Extreme Right, the role of class and gender, and racism in contemporary
French society. Readings from the
textbook will be supplemented with extracts from various texts, as well as
articles from the World Wide Web.
Through the course of the semester we will analyze images of French
society and culture as portrayed in some recent French films.
Text: Les Français, Lawrence Wylie et
Jean-François Brière, Prentice-Hall, 2001.
A folder and a
notebook
A grammar
reference.
A monolingual
dictionary. Recommended: Le Robert
Micro, Dictionnaire de la langue française, 1998.
A bilingual
dictionary.
Course Schedule
FRN 3008 meets two days a week
Class
Participation
Active participation in class and, therefore, regular attendance is required. More than 3 absences without an official excuse will automatically lower your class participation grade. The class participation grade will be based on attending class and active involvement in class activities. This implies good preparation and demonstration of interest in the material, the instructor’s comments and the contributions of your fellow students.
Homework
You are responsible for reading the assigned pages in your syllabus before every class. You will be assigned written homework from the text from time to time. All homework must be TYPED and DOUBLE-SPACED.
Folder and notebook
You will collect all class handouts including grammar exercises in your folder. In your notebook, you will write down new words or expressions you learn in class. At home, after each class, you will jot down at least 10 expressions or new words you have learned. You will also make a note of any new grammar rules that you want to remember. I will check your notebook periodically.
Essays
You will write 2 essays of 3-4 pages during the semester. The due dates are indicated in the syllabus.
Oral Presentations
You will be expected to do at least two oral presentations over the course of
the semester. For the first
presentation you will lead a 10-15 minute discussion on one of the topics on
the syllabus. Please let me know by the second week of classes which day you
will be leading the discussion. The
second presentation will be on related to your final project (see below) for
the semester.
Final Project
You will work on a research project of during the second half of the semester. It could be on subject covered in the class, or a subject related to our topic. You will do an oral presentation of the topic in the last week of class and then write a paper of approximately 7-10 pages to be handed in during the final exam period. I will meet with you all individually to discuss your project.
Electronic Mail
Most of your probably already have a computer and have access to the campus network. You can communicate directly with me when you have a question, as long as you write in French! Your informal messages will not be graded. Take advantage of the opportunity to communicate freely in French. Remember, as with everything, the more you do it, the easier it becomes!
Office Hours:
My office hours and office phone are listed above. If you need to meet with me or have any questions, please do not hesitate to come by and see me. If you prefer, we could also set up an appointment to meet. If you need to get in touch after hours, you can do so via email. I usually check my email once a day and will try my best to any questions you may have.
Grades:
Attendance and Class Participation: 25%
Midterm: 15%
Papers: 20%
Oral Presentations: 20%
Final Project 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”
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
Schedule of
Assignments:
All page numbers are taken from your primary text, Les
Français.
This schedule is subject to change.
Week 1
Introduction au cours
Stéréotypes France-Etats-Unis (Handout)
Week 2
Stéréotypes France-Etats-Unis
Points de vue américains sur la France, 1-11
Week 3
Point de vue français sur…
(1)
…l’espace, 14-32
…le temps,33-54
Week 4
Points de vue français sur… (2)
…la nature humaine, 55-67
…le corps, 68-80
Week 5
Structures de la famille (1)
La famille “traditionelle”, 81-85; la famille française aujourd’hui, 127-142,
Enfance…, 86-96
Week 6
Structures de la famille (2)
Socialisation… 97-111
La famille et l’Etat, 112-126; First Paper Due
Week 7
Révision
Film, Bertrand Tavernier, Ça commence aujourd’hui (1999)
Week 8 (
Structures de la société (1)
le 20: l’Examen du mi-semestre
le 23: 143-47; le gouvernment, 158-173
Week 9
Structures de la société (2)
L’administration, 174-190
L’école, 191-209
Week 10
Structures de la société (3)
La France et l’Union européenne, 228-234
L’économie, 210-227
Week 11
La société française aujourd’hui, pp. 235-244
Les immigrés, 244-252; Le Racisme expliqué à ma fille, Tahar Ben Jelloun (extraits)
Le chômage, 252-53
Week 12
Symboles
Introduction, 254-260; La religion, 254-273;
Gilbert Charles et Jean-Sébastien Stehli, “Où en sont les
beurs,” L’Express Culture et vie intellectuelle, 274-287 Second
Paper Due
Week 13
Les loisirs, 288-299; les médias, 300-308
Thanksgiving
Week 14
La société française aujourd’hui vue à travers deux films
Un Air de famille, Cédric Klapisch (1998)
Bye-Bye, Karim Dridi (1996)
Week 15
Révision
Présentation des projets
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