UTA in Summer 2008 in Paris:
Courses

French 2313-2314 Intensive—6 credits (Dr. Antoinette Sol)

Sampling French pâtisseries, purchasing pain from a boulangerie, sipping café-crème as you watch people pass by on their way to the Champs-Elysées, taking the métro around Paris as you visit Le Louvre, l'Arc de Triomphe, la Tour Eiffel, Notre Dame, and dining in the Quartier Latin can be a dream come true if you sign up for UTA's French 2313-2314 Intensive class during Summer I of 2007.

This program covers material from the third and fourth semester language classes. You will continue the course of study from French 1441 and 1442 as you learn new language skills. The exciting part of this intensive course is the fact that you take what you learn in class out onto the streets immediately. You will find yourself in a Normandy village scoping out the local (only!) bakery to buy your bread; in Paris at the neighborhood marché buying food for dinner; in the patisserie sampling pastries for your assignments; and at the newsstand or in the supermarket analyzing what is offered for sale. You will put your new knowledge into use immediately as you discover this lovely country, its language, and its people.

French 3316 Advanced Conversation Through Politics & The Arts—3 credits (Dr. Israel-Pelletier)

This course is intended to improve communication skills through speech functions and conversational routines and patterns as well as discussions and debates. To achieve this goal, emphasis will be placed on cultural events, such as current political issues and events focusing on the art world, including film. Students will participate actively in the choice of material.

Students will be evaluated on oral individual presentations and also on a group basis. Preparation and participation will make up an important part of the final evaluation. Therefore, regular attendance is essential. There will be a final exam based on group presentation and final individual interview.

French 4338 The Cultural History of France from the Fifth Century to the Present—3 credits (Dr. Israel-Pelletier)

In this course, we will examine the cultural history of France from the pre-Roman period to the present. Paris, its monuments, churches, museums, and buildings, will serve as the focal point that informs the larger history of France. Visits to Normandy will also serve to situate important historical periods such as French and English alliances and conflicts during the Middle Ages, the importance of Rouen for the Reformation, and the Allied Landing in Normandy in WWII.

The course is designed to provide students with a key to understanding contemporary France through an understanding of the changing concept of the State. The aim of this approach is to demonstrate that the notion of State has structured and continues to structure French society and institutions. France is undergoing formidable changes as a result of pressures due to immigration, the European Union, and a shift from social welfare ideology to something closer to the American economic model. Understanding the cultural history of France will equip students with the concepts and facts they will need to understand what France means to the French.

Students will be evaluated on a midterm, a final, and class participation.