French Civilization

*This course used to be FREN320 at the ABSP*

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is designed for students with little background in history to better understand the local culture while in Paris. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to France as the French know and experience it. Civilization is much more than history. It covers all aspects of culture as well as contemporary social issues. This course can also serve for majors of various disciplines as a case study for different social, economic or cultural issues. Emphasis is on learning to trace a whole range of technological and cultural interactions in order to link their causes and effects and to better evaluate their impact.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
It is hoped that the students will:
- Sort out what is unique in French civilization and what it has contributed to world civilization.
- Acquire a certain familiarity with Paris - its streets, quarters, architecture, infrastructure, and institutions - to notice how city planning and management impacts on everyday life.
- Develop an awareness of the particular ways each epoch created its own approach to urban life as reflected in monuments, institutions and cultural activities.
- Decode many French expressions, terms and abbreviations. (Grand Ecole, poubelle, HLM, A.O.C.)
- See how infrastructures that make Paris what it is today were established and developed.
- Understand how to evaluate and appreciate a people whose values and lifestyle may be quite different from your own.
- Learn how to be a respectable tourist: Etiquette at museums, learning to enjoy cheese and pastries, strolling and sightseeing and, in general, taking in a foreign culture as a pleasant pass-time.

EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Upon completion of this course students should be able to:
- Retain a basic timeline of events, mentalities and changes with which to situate other developments.
- Understand the notion of civilization in general and of that in France in particular.
- Take into consideration social-political issues and their impact on a culture.
- Learn some everyday terms in French that shed light on hidden connections and meanings behind
- Act knowledgeable in dealing with French food customs.
- Cultivate "sensibility and appreciation" for "the other"; open to new experiences in everyday life
- Acquire knowledge into the history of French commercial activities and modes of retailing.
- Organize thoughts and opinions into well-written essays dealing with rather subjective material.
- Working with others to complete group projects and win team competitions