« FRENCH 100 : Perspectives culturelles et littéraires
Spring 2011
MWF 3:05-3:55
Office: 02E Perkins
Instructor: Kathleen Antonioli
Email: kaa12@duke.edu
Office hours: MW 3:55-4:55
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is organized around the notion of “Frenchness”
and the social, cultural and literary determinants of that
concept. Through a series of texts and films designed to
introduce us to contemporary French thought and cultural
practices, we will explore the following questions: What is it
to be French? Who is French? How do the French see
themselves, and how are they seen by others? In what ways
do cultural practices, globalization, and ethnicity influence
the formation of the French identity (and can we determine
one?)?
Discussions will include analysis of cultural
stereotypes, family life, sociolinguistic, secularism,
immigration, and multiculturalism. Although the focus of
this course is cultural analysis, we will review grammar and stylistics as needed.
PREREQUISITE: French 76, an AP Language Test score of 5, or an AP Literature Test score of 4 or
5. If you have taken other courses at the 100 level, have spent a significant time abroad, or have any
other questions related to your course placement, please contact your course coordinator, Dr. Deborah
Reisinger, Assistant Director of the French Language Program (debsreis@duke.edu).
COURSE GOALS
French 100 is designed to give students the reading and writing skills necessary to enter advanced 100level courses in French studies. To that end, we will read a variety of texts, including short stories,
critical essays, satire, poetry, cartoons, and newspaper articles, and a novel. Likewise, your own
writing assignments will be diverse in nature, including discussion forums, creative writing, formal
reaction papers, and a final analytical project.
The goals of this course are as follows:
 To increase understanding and sensitivity to both French and American cultures
 To develop critical thinking skills by engaging with and debating authentic cultural documents
 To sharpen reading skills by learning strategies to read in a foreign language
 To hone writing skills leading to correct and effective expression in French
 To improve speaking and listening skills through extended discussion and in-class activities
REQUIRED TEXTS (available at Duke Textbook Stores):
 Ernaux, Annie. La Place. Paris : Gallimard, 1983.
 Wylie, Laurence and Jean-François Brière. Les Français. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall,
2001.
 The majority of readings will be posted on e-reserves, available through the class Blackboard site.
Please print these out and bring them to class on the assigned day.
FILMS related to course themes will be shown in the West Campus Language Lab (114 Languages).
If you cannot attend the viewings, you are responsible for seeing the films on your own; they are on
reserve at Lilly library.
BLACKBOARD COURSE WEB PAGE: http://courses.duke.edu: This site contains all the information
about the course, including assignments and e-reserves. Important messages will be posted regularly on
this site, so please check it daily!
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Durham-NC/FrenchDuke/141446835893633
French@Duke - "Like us" on Facebook to stay connected with all things French happening at Duke and
much more.
RECOMMENDED:
 For reading, a good French-French dictionary (Larousse, Petit Robert). There is also a practical
online dictionary: http://www.wordreference.com/fr/.
 For writing, a thick French-English dictionary (such as Harrap’s or Robert-Collins), a general
grammar book (such as Contrastes or La Grammaire française), and Bescherelle’s L’art de
conjuguer.
ATTENDANCE : Regular attendance is absolutely necessary for success in acquiring a new language;
attendance will therefore be taken daily. One unexcused absence is allowed in this course before your
grade is lowered; for each additional absence, you will lose one percentage point of your overall grade.
If you are absent, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed so that you come prepared when
you return to class. If you know you are going to be absent from a class, you must inform your
instructor before the absence and submit all assignments in advance. If you are incapacitated by a
serious illness and cannot attend class, you must submit the University's Short Term Illness Notification
Form (the form and relevant information can be found at http://trinity.duke.edu/academicrequirements?p=policy-short-term-illness-notification) as soon as possible, and no later than the evening
of the missed class. If you are a member of a team and know you will need to be absent from class for
participation in a sports event, you must bring your team travel schedule signed and dated by your coach
at the beginning of the semester. There are no make-ups or late work in French 100.
GRADE :
Participation
Exposé oral
Devoirs et forums
15 %
8%
12 %
Rédactions (2)
Projet final
Examens (15/15)
15 %
20 %
30 %
French 100 cannot be taken pass/fail.
CLASS PARTICIPATION: You are expected to actively read all assignments, to ask and answer
pertinent questions about the texts, and to engage in small group activities and class discussions by
sharing and justifying your opinions/analyses of the assigned texts.
EXPOSÉ ORAL: You will work with another student to present one of the readings and lead class
discussion (approximately 20 minutes). Guidelines and self and peer evaluation forms are posted on
our Blackboard site.
DEVOIRS: During the semester, you will participate in a series of online discussion forums and
occasional written homework assignments. The goals are twofold: 1) to improve your analytical skills
as you explore the materials in more depth and 2) to hone your writing skills as you practice writing in
a less formal environment. Forums are usually due the night before a given class period, so it is
imperative that you consult the due dates in advance; no late work will be accepted. Your grade will
be based on the quality of your response; more explicit guidelines are on our Blackboard site.
You are required to attend the Table française 2 times during the semester, once before fall break and
again before the end of the semester; the table meets weekly on Wednesdays from 5:30-6:30 in the
Great Hall. A summary reflection paragraph is due within a week of your attendance at the table; this
assignment is averaged into your final homework grade. If you cannot attend due to a conflict, you
must see me within the first two weeks of class so we can work out an alternate assignment.
RÉDACTIONS: During the semester, you will write 2 rédactions, 2-page typed responses in which
you develop and analyze a question related to course materials. Unlike the discussion forums, your
rédactions will be in a more formal writing style. As with all written work, you are expected to use a
dictionary, a grammar reference book, and spell- and grammar-check to proof your own work
(available in computer labs on both campuses). You may NOT have a friend, tutor, or other person
“look over” your work, as this is a violation of the honor code. If you have any questions, please ask!
PROJET FINAL: At the end of the semester, you will complete a lengthy analytical research project
on a topic of your choice (in consultation with your professor). Focus will be on process, so in
addition to a formal meeting about your project, you will work on multiple drafts and peer editing.
More specific guidelines are posted on our Blackboard site.
EXAMS: There will be two exams during the semester. Exams are generally a combination of short
answer and essay, based on course readings and films.
DUKE COMMUNITY STANDARD: Your participation in this course comes with the expectation that
your work will be completed in full observance of the Duke Community Standard
(http://www.integrity.duke.edu/ugrad/student.html). If you have any questions about your
responsibilities within this course, please do not hesitate to consult me.
ACCOMMODATIONS: If you have a documented disability and need accommodations or have
questions, please contact either Donna Hall, Director of the Academic Resource Center, at
dhall@duke.edu or John Blackshear, Clinical Director of the Academic Resource Center; at
john.blackshear@duke.edu.
Programme du cours
Culture et
stéréotypes
Points de vue sur les
Français
17 janvier
congé
12 janvier
Introduction au cours
14 janvier
Wylie et Brière,
Les Français,
« Introduction » (1-11),
Mauchamp, « Les ancêtres
des Français sont des
Gaulois » (15-19)
19 janvier
Wylie et Brière,
« Points de vue français sur
l’espace » (14-32),
« Points de vue français sur
le temps » (33-54)
Forum
21 janvier
Nadeau et Barlow, Pas si
fous ces Francais !,
« La Sphère privée »
(41-54)
(soumettre votre commentaire
au plus tard le 18 janvier
à 19h)
Points de vue sur les
Français
L’éducation et
les enfants
La Place
24 janvier
Wylie et Brière, « Points de
vue français sur la nature
humaine » (55-67),
Mauchamp, « Les Français
sont très attachés à la
révolution française » (31-36)
26 janvier
Wylie et Brière, « Points de
vue français sur le corps »
(68-80),
« L’Art de la bise »
Forum
31 janvier
Colette, Claudine à l’école
(deuxième partie)
Film : mardi à 19h
114 Languages
2 février
Discussion du film,
Forum
7 février
Ernaux, La Place
28 janvier
Wylie et Brière,
« Enfance et première
éducation » (86-96),
Colette, Claudine à l’école
(première partie)
(soumettre votre commentaire
au plus tard le
25 janvier à 19h)
(soumettre votre commentaire
au plus tard le
2 février à 10h)
9 février
Ernaux, La Place
4 février
Wylie, « Structures de la
société française »
(143-147),
Bezbakh, « Histoire de la
France contemporaine »
11 février
Ernaux, La Place
Rédaction 1
La française
La culture et ses
exceptions
14 février
La femme française
Ozouf, Les mots des femmes et
Delphy, « Retrouver l’élan du
féminisme : Les enjeux actuels
du féminisme »
16 février
La parité
Koop, « La condition des
femmes en France »,
18 février
Le Pacs
Gyldén, L’Express,
« Comment les jeunes voient
leur avenir ? »
21 février
Wylie et Brière,
« Culture et vie intellectuelle »
(274-287),
Actions culturelles
Forum
23 février
Mauchamp,
« De l’Universalisme à
l’exception française »
(108-118)
25 février
Morrison,
« In Search of Lost Time »
et série de réactions
françaises
28 février
Morrison,
Révision
2 mars
Examen I
4 mars
Colette, « Les Vrilles de la
vigne »
Vacances
De
printemps
14 mars
Proust, Du côté de chez
Swann, « Combray »
16 mars
Barthes, Mythologies,
« Avant-propos »,
« Le vin et le lait »,
Projet : sujet à remettre
18 mars
Garcin, Jérôme, Nouvelles
Mythologies, « Préface »,
Dubois, « Le sushi »
21 mars
Delerm, La première gorgée
de bière, « Le croissant du
trottoir »,
« Un banana-split »
23 mars
Bové, Le Monde n’est pas
une marchandise (Avantpropos, 95-104),
Les OGM
25 mars
Gavalda, « Happy Meal »
(11-18),
28 mars
Hagège, « Identité nationale et
langue française » et suite des
réponses
30 mars
Franglais, Verlan, SMS
« Le langage SMS … »
1 avril
Potet, « Quand on ne connaît
que le langage des cités »,
Grand Corps Malade
« Je viens de là »
(soumettre votre commentaire au
plus tard le 20 février à 19h)
La mort de la culture ?
Traditions culinaires
Culture, cuisine, et
globalisation
Langue et identité
(http://le-mot-juste-enanglais.typepad.com/le_mot_juste_en_ang
lais/2010/06/d%C3%A9fense-de-lalangue-fran%C3%A7aise-face-%C3%A0lam%C3%A9ricanisation-.htm)
http://www.culture.gouv.fr/cul
ture/dglf/terminologie/termino
_enrichissement.htm
Forum
(soumettre votre commentaire
au plus tard le
29 mars à 19h)
http://www.mcdonalds.fr/
Rédaction 2
Immigration
4 avril
Le Colonialisme/
L’immigration
« Immigration : une histoire,
des histoires »
Forum
6 avril
Benguigui,
Mémoires d’immigrés
(7-22, 71-75, 131-138)
Film : mercredi et jeudi à
19h, Languages 114
8 avril
Discussion du film,
La Haine, Vermette, « Les
banlieues en France : la
fracture sociale … »
Projet :
Essai bibliographique
à remettre en classe
13 avril
Wylie, « La religion »
(262-273),
Baubérot, « La laïcité »
15 avril
La Burqa
Damien, « Le corps des
femmes n’est pas un champs
de bataille »
(soumettre votre commentaire au
plus tard le 3 avril à 19h)
11 avril
L’intégration et
Laïcité
Quel avenir ?
Conclusions …
Ecrire le projet final
Apportez votre thèse et un
brouillon de votre
introduction.
18 avril
Projet : plan détaillé à
remettre, réunions
20 avril
Debray et Glissant,
« La République
à l’heure créole »,
Révision
25 avril
Atelier d’écriture en classe
Projet :
brouillon à remettre
(apporter 2 copies en classe)
27 avril
Conclusions
Projet final à remettre :
le lundi 2 mai avant midi
22 avril
Examen II