University Bulletin
Undergraduate Degree Programs
FR 138
(GH)
French Culture Through Film (3) Introduction to French culture through film by French and francophone directors examining gender, ethnicity, and global issues. Taught in English.
FR 138 French Culture Through Film (3)
(GH)
(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements.
This course, taught entirely in English with no assumption of prior knowledge of French, will entail the study and analysis of a number of recent and not-so-recent French films that present, in one way or another, problems or themes characteristic of French history and society. We will not, however, be concerned primarily with watching these films as "illustrations" of various aspects of French culture; on the contrary, we will study them as films. We will be concerned with the filmic devices used, and with the intellectual and ideological orientations of the people who made them. For this reason we will discuss techniques used in the presentation of various events shown in the films, which may or may not involve war, the Occupation, city life, growing up, gender relations, the lives or immigrants, etc. From our study of these films, we will inevitably learn quite a bit about French society and its values, particularly in the period from the Occupation (World War II) to the present.
French 138 will satisfy a General Education humanities requirement for students in all majors except French. Students will be evaluated with quizzes (given after the screening of each film ... before class discussion about film) for 20% of final grade; group presentations/participation for 30% and essays (five short papers) for 50%. This course will be offered once a year with a limit of 75.
Note : Class size, frequency of offering, and evaluation methods will vary by location and instructor. For these details check the specific course syllabus.