RLFR 105
Advanced French: Advanced Studies in French Language and Francophone Culture Fall 2020
Division I

In this course, we will concentrate on polishing your oral and written expression and on expanding your vocabulary, while focusing on the analysis and discussion of French and Francophone cultures and the concepts that define them. In addition to helping you improve your speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing, as well as reviewing advanced grammar, we will explore key myths and practices linked to municipal, regional, and national identities in France and the Francophone world, and seek to understand the history of contemporary debates surrounding these identities. Topics of discussion will include: Which cultural practices represent what it means to be French? How do certain regions and cities derive a sense of identity distinct from that of the nation? How do overseas departments and territories inflect Frenchness by means of their own histories and geographies? Short literary, theoretical, and historical texts, along with films, music, artwork, press articles, and websites, will inform our discussions. Conducted in French.