NEW COURSE PROPOSAL
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS COUNCIL
Title of course: History of Paris in French
Shortened version of title for schedule and transcript. (30 characters including
spaces): Hist of Paris
Department and course number: FREN 303
Number of credits: 3
Variable credit? No
Is the course repeatable for additional credit? No
Effective date: Spring 2011
Proposed for General Education option? No
Scheduling course information:
Is it lecture, laboratory, discussion, seminar, independent study, field
study or thesis research? Field Study and lecture in room with
technology
Does the course have a required attached lab for zero credit? Yes
Does enrollment require the consent of the instructor? Yes
Department? No
Grade basis: Accumulated points
Catalog description: The history, culture/society, philosophy, and literature of
France through the centuries will be viewed through the prism of Paris’s national
treasures: famous squares, monuments, and museums. Students will travel to
Paris and learn about Notre Dame’s architectural wonders, the legend of St.
Denis, the sculptures on the iconic Arc de Triomphe, and much more. Cannot be
taken concurrently with WLLC 203.
Prerequisites: FREN 202 or consent of instructor.
Main Units:
A. Lab during spring 2011 (six 2-hour sessions): Presentation of materials
related to a survey of French history, culture/society, philosophy, and literature
focusing on present-day monuments and museums, through lectures, films in
class, and reading assignments for students out of class on the following topics:
1. Prehistory through the Middle Ages
2. Renaissance
3. 17th Century
4. 18th Century
5. 19th Century
6. 20th Century
Text: La Civilisation française en évolution Vol. 1 by Steele, et al., an advanced-level
textbook focusing on French history/culture.
B. Two week stay in Paris, visiting museums or monuments daily, including
trips to Versailles and the châteaux of the Loire valley. Students will read
primary sources in French (twelve 1-hour sessions) written by famous French
people of the past whose works are related to the monuments or museums
visited that particular day. Text: L’Héritage français by F. Denoeu. Students will
also be engaged in directed activities where they must use French to accomplish
predetermined objectives.
Objectives of the course:
This course will investigate which buildings and monuments are accorded the
greatest esteem by the French, how those places evoke the past for the French,
and what impact and significance they have for the French today. The French
tend to assign major significance to monuments and buildings that reflect their
past. The neighborhoods and districts of Paris not only provide housing for its
current residents but also contain points of interest that serve as reminders of
French people, places, and events that have been chosen as representations for
constructing France’s glorious past by those who exist in the present. By the end
of the course, students
1. will be acquainted with major monuments and museums in Paris,
Versailles, and the châteaux,
2. will demonstrate that they have gained historical and literary knowledge
about them, such as when and by whom they were (re)constructed,
3. will articulate why the French accord such importance to them, and
4. will explain how they are used as points of reference for self-perception by
the French today.
5. will demonstrate the ability to perform daily tasks in the French language
at a French immersion site.
Evaluation procedures and techniques:
Students will be evaluated in a variety of ways: two written exams, two quizzes,
one 4-page essay with bibliography, a daily journal (which will be due within
two weeks of their return to America), and an oral presentation on a topic related
to the course subject. All of the preceding items will be in French.
There will also be an assessment via the pre-test/post-test method to determine
the percentage of students who met the course objectives.
Special projects, term papers, class reports, etc: See above: One 4-page essay,
daily journal, oral presentation.
Library or other physical resources to support the course: films from library,
documents on electronic reserve.
Need for Additional resources: films from the library which will be ordered
from departmental library allocations.
Course(s) to be dropped: none
Attach appropriate minutes showing approval.