This course introduces students to French literature. Taught in French.
Course Goals and Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, the student will…
- gain an understanding of the intersecting traditions, customs, and histories of literature in French
- research historical, social, political, and cultural contexts around popular movements, plays, and writers
- improve their oral fluency in expressing opinions, interpreting works, and discussing texts, videos, and cinematic versions of the works
- understand the role of literary criticism and the beneficial discursive and rhetorical connections to other fields
- expand their knowledge of the canonical writers from Medieval to Contemporary literature
- read and become familiar with several of the more acclaimed French and Francophone writers
- be able to put the writers and the short stories into a historical, cultural, and social backdrop and
- be able to locate and discuss literary style in context
- focus on expanding their knowledge of literary tenses and enlarge their vocabularies in French.
analyze tone, plot, and textual irony in order to apply it to other genres and works from other time periods
The texts will be made available on Canvas as scans, no purchase necessary.
- Marie de France: “Guigemar”
- Louise Labé, poèmes
- La Fontaine: “Le Corbeau et le renard,” “La Cigale et la fourmi”
- Baudelaire poèmes Les Fleurs du mal (1857)
- Verlaine, Rimbaud, Hugo, poèmes
- Maupassant: “Le Horla”
- Colette “La main”
- Racine Britannicus extraits
- Marcel Aymé: “Le Passe muraille”
- Raymond Quéneau “Le Cheval troyen”
- Leïla Sebbar: “La Moustiquaire”
- Marie Darrieussecq: “My mother told me monsters do not exist”
- Maryse Condé “Le Coeur à rire et à pleurer”
- Annie Ernaux La place (extraits)
Course Requirements & Grading
Assignment
Weight (Percentage)
Short assignments
20%
Formal writing (1 Midterm essay)
10%
In-class participation
25%
Performance (scene from play)
10%
Presentation/Discussion leader
10%
Final exam
25%
Description of Graded Components
All written assignments and assessments will be turned in on Canvas. All assignments and due dates are on the course calendar of this syllabus, and will have specific portals on Canvas. Late work will be accepted for one week after the due date, if the student has requested the accommodation formally with the professor. Resubmission of work is not permitted.
Short assignments include written and filmed responses to discussion questions, creative writing assignments, in-class groupwork on a concept, watching documentaries, films, reading short texts, learning vocabulary, short grammar reviews, and online study cards to prepare for the final exam.
Midterm Essay The students will write an “Explication de texte” a short, in-depth analysis of a passage, that references content, style, and historical context. Preparation in class.
In-class participation is the most important element of this course. I require the students to come to class prepared, having done the reading for that day. There will be about 50 pages of reading per class. Students who come with pertinent questions or comments and demonstrate a willingness to engage with the texts will receive full marks (graded out of 20). Discussion will be prepared by guided questions, but will be spontaneous and not scripted. Your participation is essential to creating a productive, engaging class experience for us all. Contribution to the class discussions is more than essential. Outstanding participation (19-20/20) is defined as habitually arriving for class on time, with the day’s reading prepared, listening attentively when others speak, voluntarily asking pertinent questions, participating in all activities with enthusiasm, and responding to questions from others. Average participation (15-18/20) means occasionally arriving late to class, being unprepared with the readings, sometimes listening to others when they speak, sometimes asking questions or waiting to be called on, participating in all activities, occasionally contributing to group activities, and occasionally responding to questions. Unacceptable participation (0-15/20) is defined as often arriving late to class, not having done or understood the reading, not listening when others speak, seldom asking questions, not contributing much to group work, and seldom responding to questions.
Students who earn full credit for participation will:
- Be present in class on time and with all the required texts for that day
- Consult the preparation guide (course calendar) for each course and prepare for class thoughtfully and thoroughly
- Listen actively in class, ask and respond to questions, contribute to group/pair discussions and activities, engage productively and respectfully with their colleagues
- Demonstrate thoughtful engagement and preparation in informal in-class writing
Leading in-class discussions
Different students will lead discussions each week, focusing on the biographical and historical context of the author and on a particular scene, theme, or literary device, presenting a passage and a set of questions to jump start our discussion. Presentation dates chosen at the beginning of the semester.
Final exam
The final exam will be in three parts.
- Short identifications of works
- Short answers on individual genres
- Longer essay on a more over-arching topic
Attendance and/or Participation
Students are allowed up to 3 excused absences for the course. To be considered excused, the student must email the professor ahead of time to request the accommodation. Students may be excused from class for illness, religious observance, or All-Majors Career Fair, university trip, off-campus interview, or other academic or professional event. The student is responsible for following up with any missed work.
Students who are absent because of participation in a particular religious observance will be permitted to make up the work missed during their absence with no late penalty, provided the student informs the course instructor of the upcoming absence, in writing, within the first two weeks of class, and provided the student makes up the missed material within the time frame established by the course instructor. Exercising one’s rights under this policy is subject to the Georgia Tech Honor Code. The course instructor is responsible for establishing reasonable deadlines and/or make-up material for the missed work, and for clearly communicating this information to the student. Students may choose to appeal to the Student Academic and Financial Affairs Committee of the Academic Senate for formal approval of this type of absence.
Health/Illness Guidelines
If you are feeling ill, have a fever, or are experiencing any symptoms of illness, however mild, you are not permitted to come to face-to-face classes, and accommodations can be made so that you can attend the class virtually. For courses delivered face-to-face, students are encouraged to wear cloth face coverings and maintain 6 ft of distance from one another.
Students are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. All work submitted must be original and properly cited. Plagiarism, cheating, or any form of academic dishonesty will result in immediate consequences as outlined in the university's academic integrity policy.
Course Expectations & Guidelines
Academic Integrity
Georgia Tech aims to cultivate a community based on trust, academic integrity, and honor. Students are expected to act according to the highest ethical standards. For information on Georgia Tech's Academic Honor Code, please visit http://www.catalog.gatech.edu/policies/honor-code/ or http://www.catalog.gatech.edu/rules/18/.
Any student suspected of cheating or plagiarizing on a quiz, exam, or assignment will be reported to the Office of Student Integrity, who will investigate the incident and identify the appropriate penalty for violations.
Due to the fact that this is a course delivered in French, with writing assignments in French, the use of translation software or websites is considered plagiarism. Plugging in sentences written in English and then using the translation given in an assignment or assessment is not your own work. I will not grade student writing that is simply an algorithmic translation of their writing from English, whether or not the ideas are their own. The first time the student is suspected of writing in translation, they will be expected to rewrite and resubmit their work. Any subsequent assignments written this way will receive a grade of zero. Online dictionaries are permitted. If students have any questions about specific websites or methods that are permissible, I am happy to answer them.
Examples of breaches of academic integrity in this class include but are not limited to:
- Using a machine translator such as Google Translate, Reverso, or any other machine translator in any way to complete assignments
- Using unauthorized material (cheat sheets, answer keys, etc.) on examinations and other assignments
- Improper collaboration (for example working with a partner to divide the work in half and copying each other’s half)
- Submitting the same assignment for different classes
- Having someone else do or write your assignments for you
- Having a more advanced French speaker (including other students of French or native speakers) proofread your compositions.
- Submitting plagiarized work
- Fabricating, forging, or altering documents or lying in order to obtain academic advantage
This is a Core IMPACTS course that is part of the Arts, Humanities & Ethics area.
Core IMPACTS refers to the core curriculum, which provides students with essential knowledge in foundational academic areas. This course will help master course content, and support students’ broad academic and career goals.
This course should direct students toward a broad Orienting Question:
How do I interpret the human experience through creative, linguistic and philosophical works?
Completion of this course should enable students to meet the following Learning Outcome:
Students will effectively analyze and interpret the meaning, cultural significance and ethical implications of literary/philosophical texts or of works in the visual/performing arts.
Course content, activities and exercises in this course should help students develop the following Career-Ready Competencies:
Ethical Reasoning
Information Literacy
Intercultural Competence