LIT 180 - FS: First-Year Seminar

Credits: 3-4
When Offered: Each first-year seminar topic is approved by the Dean of The College and The Committee on Courses and Degrees. Applicability to FDRs and other requirements varies.

LIT 180: FS: Fictions of Vietnam in France and the USA (4). Prerequisites: First-year standing, completion of FW or GE1 composition requirement, and permission of the instructor. First-year Seminar. “Indochine” and “Vietnam” inspire immediate reactions in France and the United States. The military defeat of both nations’ armies in Southeast Asia - accompanied by a loss of territory for France - contributed to national malaise about their positions as world powers and directly influenced long and costly wars in Algeria (France) and in lraq (the United States). In an attempt to determine how fiction and film shape “reality” and our perceptions of it, we first learn about Vietnamese history and culture before studying fiction and film set in French Indochina and American texts and films about Vietnam. We also analyze fictional works by overseas Vietnamese in France and in the United States that touch on their host countries’ involvement with their homeland. Short readings provide historical background and critical orientation to allow for discussion of how these works of art both reflected and influenced their times. All course materials are in English, but students with knowledge of French or Vietnamese are encouraged to consult works in their original language. (HL) Dixon.