Location: Bowdoin / French / courses / Spring 2010

French

Spring 2010

Courses

102. Elementary French II: Annelle Curulla M 9:30 - 10:25
W 9:30 - 10:25
F 9:30 - 10:25Sills-109; A continuation of French 101. A study of the basic forms, structures, and vocabulary. Emphasis on listening comprehension and spoken French. During the second semester, more stress is placed on reading and writing. Three class hours per week and one weekly conversation session with assistant, plus regular language laboratory assignments.
204. Intermediate French II: Hanetha Vete-Congolo M 10:30 - 11:25
W 10:30 - 11:25
F 10:30 - 11:25Sills-205; Continued development of oral and written skills; course focus shifts from grammar to reading. Short readings from French literature, magazines, and newspapers form the basis for the expansion of vocabulary and analytical skills. Active use of French in class discussions and conversation sessions with French assistants. Three class hours per week and one weekly conversation session with teaching fellow.
208. Contemporary France through the Media: Katherine Dauge-Roth M 1:00 - 2:25
W 1:00 - 2:25Sills-205; An introduction to contemporary France through newspapers, magazines, television, music, and film. Emphasis is on enhancing communicative proficiency in French and increasing cultural understanding prior to study abroad in France or another Francophone country. Conducted in French.
208. Contemporary France through the Media: Katherine Dauge-Roth M 2:30 - 3:55
W 2:30 - 3:55Sills-205; An introduction to contemporary France through newspapers, magazines, television, music, and film. Emphasis is on enhancing communicative proficiency in French and increasing cultural understanding prior to study abroad in France or another Francophone country. Conducted in French.
210. Introduction to the Study and Criticism of Modern French Literature: Karen Lindo T 10:00 - 11:25
TH 10:00 - 11:25Sills-111; Introduces students to the literary tradition of the French-speaking world from 1789 to the present. Focus on major authors and literary movements in historical and cultural context. Conducted in French.
210. Introduction to the Study and Criticism of Modern French Literature: William VanderWolk T 1:00 - 2:25
TH 1:00 - 2:25Sills-109; Introduces students to the literary tradition of the French-speaking world from 1789 to the present. Focus on major authors and literary movements in historical and cultural context. Conducted in French.
212. Third World Feminism: Karen Lindo T 1:00 - 2:25
TH 1:00 - 2:25Banister-106; The Third World Woman is characterized as poor, uneducated, tradition-bound, sexually constrained and eternally powerless. This course examines the discursive practices that have produced this monolithic woman and moves beyond the objectification of her person to unfold the multiple faces and places in which Third World Feminism is actually at work. Who is the Third World Woman? What are her problems and needs? Is there room in the economy of her person for desires? Course readings will situate her geographically, socio-historically and politically both within the US and in the developing/developed nations that hinge on the periphery of First World ideologies. Sources will include Le Deuxihme Sexe by Simone de Beauvoir, Feminism Without Borders by Chandra Talpade Mohanty, scholarly articles, fictional works (Gishle Pineau, Buchi Emecheta, Zoi Valdis, Nawal El Saadawi, Edwidge Danticat), visual media and active engagement with a key organization in which Third World Feminism is a First World subject. Taught in English. Students of French are encouraged to read and write assignments in French.
310. Censorship and Enlightenment: Annelle Curulla M 2:30 - 3:55
W 2:30 - 3:55Sills-107; Traditionally, censors and philosopher writers in Enlightenment France have been viewed as warring factions, with religious and state censors on one side and philosophers on the other. The philosophers' struggles with the censors are essential to modern narratives of the eventual triumph of free speech in modern democratic societies. This course seeks to re-evaluate this emancipatory narrative. What interests does this narrative serve, what histories does it efface, and what other insights might a fresh perspective on pre-revolutionary France reveal about its debates over language and interpretation? After a broad overview of the commerce and regulation of print, focuses on texts by Voltaire, Diderot, Rousseau, and Beaumarchais. Key issues: public opinion and public censure, self-censorship and literary style, and the relationship between readers, writers, and the emerging literary market. Secondary readings include Chartier, Darnton, Habermas, among others. Includes community-based project with local high-school students. Conducted in French.
351. Senior Seminar: Eyes on the Prize: Hanetha Vete-Congolo M 1:00 - 2:25
W 1:00 - 2:25Sills-107; The seminar offers students the opportunity to synthesize work done in courses at Bowdoin and abroad. The topic will change each year. This course is required for the major in French or Romance languages.