Michel Rocchi Wyatt 241 Ext. 3969 rocchi@ups.edu   Office Hours : Mon & Wed 11:00 & 3:00 [A more detailed syllabus will be distributed in class.]
French 260 ADVANCED ORAL EXPRESSION Course description : This course will combine linguistic functions and structures with culture through an integration of listening, speaking, reading and writing activities. The raw material will derive from twentieth century French film. The selected films, among the most provocative expressions of our day, voice the major questions of what it means to be human in our contemporary society. The course will concentrate on improving oral fluency in French by using the topics of the films as starting points, sources of information, and illustrations of language in a cultural context for class discussions.   Course direction: Film provides students of foreign language with added cultural interest, as you not only witness French culture, but also see and hear French in its daily context. This is not a passive exercise of detached viewing, but a way to deepen the internalization of French culture, and be able to talk about it in an active and relevant way. The variety of the visual features will offer sufficient depth of coverage to allow you to engage the underlying currents of the evolution of French culture, and to experience a rich and varied assortment of activities.   Film is one of the main art forms where modern French thinkers expressed their major concerns about the human condition.   Many French artists often departed from the established literary genres and turned to the theater or the cinema to ponder the important question of what it means to be human.   The medium of the French stage and screen galvanized the intellectual revolt expressed by writers in the presence of the chaotic events of the century. Several filmmakers concentrate on the human being in conflict with community, government, academy or family.   They portray French life by examining, and protesting against the institutionalized norms of contemporary society. Some films will examine contemporary issues of the tensions between genders, races, and cultures as filmmakers raise the issues of exploitation and dehumanization.   The selected films will provide a substantial body of authentic cultural material for conversation and writing. The films drawn from the Francophone world will contribute to cultural awareness as well as expanded idiomatic expressions. The oral activities will be designed to promote identification of ideas in primary sources, and discussions with classmates about personal insights.   Course objectives and intellectual underpinnings : We will study representative films of the modern French cinema, and examine how these works portray the values and meanings of the human condition. You will be encouraged to ponder the nature of the individual human experience as portrayed in the works, and distinguish the affinities between that experience and your own. Most of the course activities will facilitate active interaction, and present case studies of French-speaking people in genuine cultural contexts to improve oral accuracy and fluency.   The course's focus is to concentrate on the oral expression in French. But as many of you possess differing levels of oral fluency, the variety of assignments should challenge you in different ways. For some, improving general fluency would be a great challenge, for others, it may be sharpening the accent and pronunciation, and for those with already good oral skills, the writing and formal presentations should provide ample opportunities to advance you beyond your current level of French. Your present level will be taken into account in the grading assessment.   Given that we cannot chat or write about nothing, the films will provide a fertile ground for our class discussions. The ability of film to be socially relevant will be beneficial to us as we examine various aspects of French culture. Although there is a wide variety of a theoretical position – from semiotics to anthropological, from Marxist to feminist – we will not dwell too deeply on the formal study of French film history, theory or criticism. Instead, we will use this artistic medium to facilitate discourse in French. As viewers, we will be carried away by the artistry of film and moved by various experiences. I hope to be able to inspire you to extend beyond personal judgments (conscious or unconscious) to transform initial reactions into organized commentaries that can lead to a greater awareness of both the self and the aesthetic medium of film.   Whenever we share our experience of art, we engage in a critical act. Simple expressions may not communicate satisfactorily the undifferentiated feelings and ideas provoked by the experience of viewing a particular film. The foreign language may present an added obstacle for some. To allow you to ponder more reflectively, I will use several methods; some will aim to expose you to needed vocabulary, others will form the basis of your formal presentations, and yet others will pair your oral practice with assigned writing to challenge your critical thinking skills. Borrowing from the English poet William Wordsworth, we might assert that criticism is “emotion recollected in tranquility.” So while we will have opportunities to evaluate cinematic elements, we will also have other assignments (such as the response journals) to reflect more fully upon the film experience. Course content : We will screen films and revisit scene selections in class.     Films on DVD format with French subtitles, in order of viewing: [two weeks to go through the material of each screening, so there should be no surprises as to the course's pace]   Le Dîner de cons (Francis Veber) Le Placard (Francis Veber) Amélie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet) Le Goût des autres (Agnès Bacri)   The remaining title(s) will be taken from the following: L'Auberge espagnole Une Hirondelle a fait le printemps La   Vie est un long fleuve tranquille Belle Maman Être et avoir Se souvenir des belles choses Une femme de ménage   We will also read the play Huis Clos by Sartre. Requirements : Participate actively in class discussions. Attend all film screenings. Read the assigned texts   (French film scripts, literary, or background works). Keep a response journal about each work prior to class discussion [see below]. Read the Sartre play. Take two exams (mid-term and end-term) Write two short papers.   Grading : 40% of the grade will be given for Participation, [see next paragraph]. 60% for: two (2) exams, and two (2) short papers [15% each].   Participation includes your regular attendance, the quality and quantity of your active involvement in class discussions (particularly your self-initiated responses), and the quality of your responses in the journal entries, pop quizzes, and any other course activities. I will do my best to facilitate the discussions and provide a fun and safe environment for all of us to learn from each other's examples or mistakes. You must also do your part to engage in this endeavor for the overall success of the course and the attainment of your objectives.   Dates : Mid-Term Exam              Wed, Mar, 10 End-of-Term Exam            Wed, May, 5 Paper I                                 Mon, Mar 8 Paper II                                Tue, May 11, by 4:00 p.m.   Books in the library : There are many titles available in the library useful for background on French films. The library collection on film studies is extensive; explore the PN 1993 through 1995 section for specialized titles for your own research and papers.   The Response Journal                                Reacting to a work of art, such as a film, is more than a skill; it is an important humanizing act that engages both mind and heart. It is an act that evokes feelings as well as thoughts and one that both invokes and creates personal and social values. The response journal is an ideal way to invite you to participate in the construction of a work's meaning and have it enrich your own experience. In this course, I would like to concentrate on the interactions of the viewer, the text, and the community (all of us, the group as a whole). Do not expect cursory viewing to produce full understanding; it may allow you to follow the plot but not necessarily be able to discuss the work intelligently. A more careful examination gives us the understanding to make well-considered comments. My ultimate goal is to inspire you to deeper thoughts, and provoke and challenge you to discover your individual response to the work. The following guidelines may be of some help to you, they are meant to trigger not limit the kinds of responses you may make.   -This is your journal; feel free to design your own format. Take the time to record your fleeting thoughts as you interact with each work. Keep your journal close by and write often. You may use electronic software if you find the technology conducive for the assignment. -Don't worry too much about grammar and translation problems. You can always go back and polish the style. For me, the content and expression of your ideas should be your primary concern. -Try to relate the work to your own experiences and to other works of art you've experienced in the past, and especially the ones for this course. -Ask questions to help you make sense of the characters and the unraveling plot. Don't hesitate to wonder why, indicate surprise, or admit confusion. These responses often lead to an emerging understanding of the work. Interact with the characters as you begin to know them. Give them advice. Put yourself in their place and speculate on how you would act in a similar situation. Examine their values, actions, or behavior. Try to figure out what makes them react the way they do, and especially in their particular circumstances of time and place. -I will give you feedback every time I collect the journal. My comments will not be intended to judge or criticize your reactions, but should create an opportunity for us to converse about your thoughts.   Some logistics : Avoid paraphrasing the work, date your entries, number your pages, do not go on too long on a certain point, and do not skim over important details or ideas. Have the journal ready to be collected at any day throughout the semester.   LOOKING FORWARD TO A GREAT SEMESTER