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Spring 2010

1 Unit(s)

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About the Course:

Although many times we tend to think of immigration and the subsequent integration of these immigrants into the national identity as something that uniquely affects the United States, it is something that much of the world is facing with the increased mobility of the world’s populations. In addition, France (and much of Western Europe) has grappled with a change to its long-standing homogenous identity-one where the people of France are seen solely as being ‘French’.  As a result of this adversity which many immigrants face, a precarious volatility has emerged where rising tensions can lead to violent consequences.  A group of French films and filmmakers of the last twenty years have sought to bring a voice to these marginalized communities of immigrants and in doing so have brought many of their struggles to the national scene.  In this class, we will not merely focus on the aesthetics or the execution of the films; we will instead examine the social contexts and implications of these commentaries on French immigration and the subsequent integration into French society.

This one-unit course will meet weekly for two hours beginning with a film screening and then followed by a discussion of the film and the week’s readings.  There will be reading assignments nearly every week and because of the importance of the discussions and presentations of the films, regular attendance is imperative.  All of the films will be shown in French with English subtitles so no knowledge of the French language is necessary.  There will also be two very small writing assignments over the course of the semester.

How to Enroll:

As per enrollment, I will gauge things on the first week, and if need be there will be a lottery for spots available. Otherwise CCNs will be passed out in the first week of class.  If you have any special needs feel free to let me know before hand.