University of North Carolina Wilmington

FRENCH 318 – Fall 2007

Contemporary France and the Francophone World – Current Events

Pascale Barthe              Office: Lakeside 291                 Phone: 962-3595

                        Office hours: MWF 9-10 and by appointment

                        Email: barthep@uncw.edu

                        http://people.uncw.edu/barthep/

Materials:

Your reading materials are accessible online, from the library electronic reserves, at http://library.uncw.edu/web/customerservices/reserves.html. You must also be ready to access the evening news on France 2 (see below).

A good French/English dictionary (Harper Collins Unabridged for instance) is highly recommended.

Course objectives: The focus of this course is to familiarize students with contemporary France (its culture, its institutions, etc.) and its changing relationships with the francophone world, Europe, Africa and the US. We will examine the pressing issues that the French, under Nicolas Sarkozy’s new leadership, are currently discussing. Our analysis of France will stem from a thorough examination of the media, therefore TV and newspapers’ articles will often offer a springboard for our discussions. Please be aware of the fact that, as hot topics pop up unexpectedly, our schedule may change without notice and we may move assigned readings and discussions a bit.

Course policies:

• Active participation is expected in each class. The participation grade will be calculated according to your performance in class, the thorough completion of homework assignments, as well as your insightful involvement in class discussions.

There is no formal attendance policy in this class. However, is it necessary to state that absences will negatively affect your performance and participation grade?

• Twice a week, you are expected to watch the evening news on France 2 and keep a log. Go to http://www.france2.fr/ and click on “20 Heures” in the left column. Your news log is due twice a semester. A late submission will NOT be accepted.
• You are also expected to keep a journal in which you will engage with the assigned readings. Every week, you will write one page on the reading assigned for class that week. Rather than just summarizing an article or repeating ideas developed during discussion, you want to focus on formulating your own analysis and commentary. In your journal, your French does not have to be perfect but it needs to be polished. As with the news log, this is an exercise that you will have to do regularly. I will check your journal twice during the semester. A late submission will NOT be accepted.
• You will give one 5-10 minute oral presentation on a specific topic that will be assigned at the beginning of the semester.
• A midterm (partiel) and a final exam will assess your factual knowledge of contemporary France. The final exam will also include an essay in which you will demonstrate your understanding of modern French and Francophone society.

Grade Breakdown:

Participation                  15%                                         Journal                          20%

News log                      15%                                         Oral presentation           15%

Midterm                        15%                                         Final exam                    20%

Grading Scale:

A         93-100                          B-        80-82                            D+       67-69

A-                90-92                            C+        77-79                            D         63-66

B+        87-89                            C          73-76                            D-        60-62

B          83-86                            C-        70-72                            F          0-59

Honor Code: Students enrolled in this course must respect and abide by the Academic Honor Code of UNCW at all times.

août                  22         introduction au cours

24         les médias : programmes et chaînes de télévision

                        27         la presse : journaux et magazines

                        29         les Français et les Américains 

                        31         les Français et les Américains 

            vacances

septembre         5          les Français et les Américains 

7          les Français, la géographie et l’histoire

10         le paysage politique en France : les partis politiques

                        12         les partis politiques (suite)

                        14         Sarkozy et son gouvernement

17         Sarkozy et son gouvernement

19         les grands axes de la politique de Sarkozy

21         la famille, les enfants

24         couple, mariage, sexualité

                        26         la protection sociale, la Sécu

28         l’éducation

octobre             1          news log à rendre

3          les universités

                        5          partiel

vacances d’automne     

10         le système judiciaire

12         histoire et mémoire

15         la décolonisation

                        17         l’immigration

19         racisme, anti-sémitisme, sectarisme

22         religion et laïcité

24         laïcité : le port du voile

26         journal à rendre

29         l’économie : entre passé et avenir

                        31         l’économie : les droits des travailleurs

novembre          2          l’économie

                        5          l’économie

                        7          la Francophonie

9          la Francophonie

12         la France et l’Europe : l’historique         

            14         la France en Europe : le « non » à la constitution  européenne

                        16         la France en Europe : quel avenir ?

19         news log à rendre

vacances         

26         la France dans le monde : La France et l’Afrique

28         la France dans le monde : La France et le Moyen-Orient

                        30         la France dans le monde

décembre          3          la France dans le monde : quels rapports franco-américains ?

5          journal à rendre

examen final : lundi 10 décembre de 11h30 à 14h30