The Politics of the French Language and the Birth of the French State
FREN 315
Fall 2020
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
MDST 315 |
Today, the advantages of national borders and monolinguistic language policies are being trumpeted all across the world. And yet, the study of premodern languages and literatures reveals that the history of national languages has always been a multicultural affair. In this course, we will look at the case of the French language, particularly the establishment of French as a literary language through strategies of legitimization. Starting with an examination of the first text written in the language that would later become French, from the 9th century, we will then go on to study (in modern French) a series of medieval and early-modern poems, plays, treatises and essays that borrow from other languages and literatures, even as they establish French as a literary and a national language. The final portion of this class will include a meditation on the status of French language in contemporary Francophone countries based on Derrida's essay "Le monolinguisme de l'autre." |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA RLAN |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (ARHA)(COL)(FRST-MN)(FRST)(MDST-MN)(MDST)(MDST-Art/Arch)(MDST-History)(MDST-Lang/Lit)(MDST-Phil/Reli)(RMST) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 90% or above |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Jacques Derrida, Le monolinguisme de l'autre
Serge Lusignan, Parler vulgairement
Joachim du Bellay, La défense et illustration de la langue française
Nicolas Boileau, L'Art poétique
A selection of a selection of Pléiade poets, of 17th century theater, and of other primary and secondary readings.
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Examinations and Assignments:
Two 3 page papers, one 6 page final project and one oral presentation. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
While any student who has completed FREN 215 (with a minimum grade of B) or has placed out of FREN 215 through the placement test may sign up for this course, it is an advanced course intended for students who have already taken two courses in French beyond FREN 215 or already studied abroad in a French-speaking country. Readings, written assignments, and class discussions will be in French. Only COL students may take this course CR/U. All others must take it for a letter grade. Students who are not admitted to the course through pre-registration are strongly encouraged to submit an enrollment request and attend the first class. |
| Instructor(s): Montenegro,Tina Times: .M.W... 01:00PM-02:20PM; Location: NO ROOM; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 18 | | SR major: 10 | JR major: 4 | | |
| Seats Available: 3 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: X | JR non-major: X | SO: 2 | FR: 2 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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