Bienvenue au cours de français niveau 302! This class, taught entirely in French, is intended as an introduction to the work of reading, thinking, writing, listening, and speaking about literature, film, and culture in French and Francophone spaces. While we will take time to review and refine grammatical concepts (developing your skills up to the B1.2/B2.1 proficiency level on the CEFR scale), the focus this quarter will be on using French and putting your language knowledge into action. As such, this will be a space where everyone will be encouraged to make mistakes because gaining fluency and competency in a language cannot happen if we’re afraid of being anything short of perfect. My goal is to create a learning environment where students feel comfortable expressing themselves, but are never forced to do so.
Qu’est-ce que c’est, la F/francophonie?! In this iteration of French 302 we will encounter texts that will interrogate what it means to be a member of the francophone world. Crossing borders and seas, our texts will allow us to navigate how movement across the francophone world influences cultural production in the 20th and 21st centuries. We will begin with the open letter signed by a group of contemporary authors who demand a cultural shift in the literary world (Pour une littérature monde...) before moving into some short stories that illustrate Guadeloupe’s changing landscape (Le Coeur à rire et à pleurer). Then we will look at cultural theory with Aimé Césaire and interrogate the role of national and world borders with a modern play (Ton beau capitaine). To finish this semester, we will watch a film that explores contemporary Franco-Haitian identity (Zombi Child)while interrogating the complex histories that inform our global geopolitical realities. Ultimately, this course and our selection of literary and cultural works with prepare you for continuation in the French learning trajectory while exploring the cultural elements that construct Francophone identities.