2015-2016 University Catalog 
    
    Mar 29, 2024  
2015-2016 University Catalog archived

Add to Portfolio (opens a new window)

FREN 281 - Civilisation et culture françaises: Traditions et changements


FDR: HU
Credits: 3


Prerequisites: FREN 162, FREN 164, or equivalent. A study of significant aspects of French culture and civilization, seen in a diachronic perspective. Emphasis on economic, sociological and historical changes that shaped present-day institutions and national identity. Readings, discussions and papers in French for further development of communication skills.

Fall 2015, FREN 281-01: Civilisations et culture françaises: Être et avoir : la civilisation française du Moyen Âge à 1789 (3). Prerequisite: FREN 162. FREN 261 and 273 are strongly recommended. This course aims to give students a basis for identifying, examining, and interpreting events and documents of French civilization from Antiquity to the Revolution. Class discussions consider the origin and development of the French language, the history of French gastronomy, universities, and science in the Middle Ages, manuscripts and manuscript culture, the introduction of print, the appearance of accents in writing (é, è, ç), the travels of Marco Polo and Jean de Léry, entertainment at the court of Versailles, and the writings of Enlightenment philosophers. Students examine these topics through a variety of primary documents, including literature and poetry, architecture, music, cartography, and manuscripts. A larger concern of the course is to explore the idea of “French civilization.” We ask if this idea is perhaps an imagined, modern construct, and if it is useful in understanding modern France. All classes, discussions, homework and projects are conducted entirely in French. (HU) McCormick.

  Planned Offering: Winter




Add to Portfolio (opens a new window)