FREN 407 - Francophone Studies

This course category encompasses the study of cultures and literatures from the French-speaking regions and countries outside of France. Prerequisite: French 306 or permission of the instructor. It includes such courses as:

The French-speaking Caribbean islands: Haïti, Guadeloupe, and Martinique
This course examines the cultural particularities of the region (music, religion, arts, society, economics, history) and studies the historical differences between the three islands as well as their specific relationship to France. This course counts towards a minor in Latin American studies. Alternate years.

Voix du Nord
This course studies the contemporary political and cultural situation of Belgium and the province of Quebec through their literature. It ties literary texts to their cultural and historical context, especially to the problematics of language and identity as they are expressed through various media. Alternate years.

Voix du Sud
In this course, students will be introduced to the great variety of texts written in Sub-Saharan West and Central Africa. Through the study of great pre-colonial Mandingue epics transcribed into French to post-genocide literature from Rwanda, students will become familiar with writers from Senegal, Mali, Cameroon, Rwanda, Ivory Coast as well as with other materials such as music, visual art and other art forms. The course will also expose students to the relationship between France and former African colonies from the first encounters to the current discourses and debates about the “FrançAfrique” as well as to postcolonial theory and to immigration literature from the African perspective. Alternate years.

Prerequisite(s): FREN 306 or permission of the instructor. (4 Credits)