FREN 300 4 - Contemporary Franco-Arab Cultural Exchanges: Exploring the Literature and Film of French Expression From the Maghreb and Mashreq

In this seminar, we will study the relationships between France and the Arab world in the twentieth century through the analysis of literary and critical texts as well as through the study of film. Through close readings of Francophone texts and films from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Lebanon, and Syria, students will engage with such questions as how to think and understand the role of the French language outside of France; the ways colonization and decolonization shape (or do not shape) these texts; how to understand postcolonial identity; and the manner in which an author’s (or auteur’s) politics, narrative, and aesthetics interact with one another. Throughout this course, students will hone their critical thinking, argumentation, textual analysis, and writing skills and will continue to progress in their fluency in French. Also listed as BWS 300 4. Prerequisite: FREN 350. (Group III)