French

The acquisition of oral/aural skills through intensive exposure to French used both as the medium of communication and the object of study. It enables the student accurately to express his or her daily experiences in spoken and written French, and to understand communications of a moderate level of difficulty.

This class will introduce students to the history and culture of Africa by way of film. It will provide students with some tools with which to understand and evaluate creative works coming from the continent as a whole, while at the same time underscoring the diversity of individual figures and endeavors that have marked Africa's cultural history since the colonial period and into the first decades of the millennium. Using a range of films (drama and documentaries) from both Francophone and anglophone regions and countries (Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal, Congo, Zimbabwe) the course will try to analyze the ways African filmmakers explore several recurring themes or tensions, such as: Tradition and modernity; Colonialism, power and politics; Gender and Sexuality; Memory and Trauma; Postcolonial identities; Migration and globalization. We will explore the ways in which African images produced by Africans compete with or echo each other in their effort to represent their respective societies and experiences. It is the hope of this course that students will learn to think globally and critically about Africa, beyond some of the ubiquitous stereotypes that still determine the continent and its people today.

Bandes dessinées et images de la culture francaise: A review and expansion of grammar and practice in oral and written French through the study of the French and Belgian French comic strip over the last century from a historical, sociological, and technical perspective. Topics include political satire, Nazi propaganda, regional and national stereotypes, the role of women, and the influence of cinema and television. Readings include original works, interviews, critical articles, and related historical, cultural studies.

This course introduces students to the history of French cinema. The approach to French cinema used in this class is interdisciplinary and international in scope and concerned with understanding films in terms of style, technology, spectatorship, cultural history, narrative and foreign culture. This course treats film primarily as a unique and powerful twentieth-century art with its own traditions, history, conventions and techniques. Students learn how to understand, analyze, discuss and explain film in the French language.