Francophone Humanities: Decentering the Francophone world

Catalog description

This course provides a foundation for students to pursue advanced courses in French and Francophone Studies. We will begin the course with a critical discussion of the concept of la francophonie along with the historical events that contributed to the foundation of the francophone world. Next, in an overview of five francophone regions, we will consider how these geopolitical forces have impacted different areas of the francophone world as well as how various thinkers, writers, artists, filmmakers, and activists have responded to them. Finally, the second half of the course will focus on one particular region determined by the instructor’s area of specialization in order to deepen students’ understanding of its unique cultural, aesthetic, and geopolitical position within this framework. Assignments are designed to build competence in the four language skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening) as well as critical textual analysis and research skills. They include short textual analysis papers, a group presentation, a midterm exam, and a digital research project. The course will also include two library visits and tutorials to guide students in their discovery of research methods within the field of French and Francophone Studies as well as digital scholarship methodologies. Satisfies requirement in Literary Studies, Creative Writing, and Rhetoric Satisfies requirement in Cultural Diversity Satisfies requirement in Global Literary Theory Prerequisites & Notes French 201