Introduction to French Culture(s) and Society

Introduction

What do French institutions, policies, and cultural productions reveal about the core values and beliefs of the French? Where do these ideas originate? What are the key historical events that forged national identities today? How are the ideas of Republic and its legacy in the DNA of French citizens? Where are the points of contact where theory and practice are most at odds? How are core French beliefs evolving with an increasing global economy? Why is the American model(s) a foil for many French intellectuals? How might equality be understood by French policy makers confronted with an increasingly heterogeneous base of citizens? Why do a growing number of 2nd (and 3rd) generation immigrants have trouble buying into the French national dream? Or why do they only feel “French-ish”? To explore these questions, we will look at the role of education, globalization, immigration, language, religion, space, and the State in France. We will use an interdisciplinary approach using methods from anthropology, literary criticism, history, media studies, philosophy, and sociology. This course is designed to help students understand how culture forms, reflects, and/or brings into question national, ethnic, gender, and religious identities.