in France Program, with consent of the director. Mwantuali. La Gazette. A
Newsletter from the Hamilton College Department of French. Volume XIX, Issue 1
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La Gazette A Newsletter from the Hamilton College Department of French Volume XIX, Issue 1
Spring 2013
Hamilton College Junior Year in France 2012-13 Students on excursion in the Loire Valley
Fall 2013 Course Offerings 110F First-Term French. A thorough grounding in speaking, writing, reading and comprehension for beginners. This is an intensive, interactive course which allows students to gain oral fluency fast and start writing short texts. Textbook readings and exercises supplemented by short texts and films. Prerequisite, For students with no prior experience in French. Four hours of class, plus one session with a teaching assistant, and laboratory work. First-year students who follow the sequence through 140 may qualify for the Junior Year in France Program, with consent of the director. Mwantuali.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
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Fall 2013 Course Offerings
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Hamilton College Junior Year in France 2013-14 Hamilton College Junior Year in France 2012-13 and 2014-15
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Faculty News / 2013 French Majors
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French Club
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Student Essay
130F Communication in Francophone Cultural Contexts: Intermediate French I. The diversity of the French-speaking world will provide the material for students' active engagement and greater proficiency in speaking, comprehending, reading and writing French. Strengthening of basic grammar, oral practice and conversation, readings in contemporary cultures and social issues. Incorporates texts, films and other activities as the basis for discussion, debate, exposés and short compositions. Three hours of class and session with teaching assistant. Prerequisite, 111, 120 or French placement exam. Diaz. French 140, Intermediate French, is the last course before Advanced French. The class will study different types of authentic documents (newspaper and magazine articles, television shows, films, music) as a basis for cultural analysis and for linguistic study and practice. Van de Wiele. 200F Introduction to French Studies. An intensive course to improve all language skills, focusing on oral and written argumentation, proper nuanced expression, grammar and vocabulary-building strategies through the analysis of contemporary literary and cultural texts. Students will read 19th-century tales from Daudet and Maupassant along with a play by Molière. Most readings will be drawn from 17th- and 18th-century fairy tales but will also include one play by Molière. This is a necessary course for study abroad and French culture and literature courses. Mandatory discussion session TBA. (Writing-intensive.) (Oral Presentations.) Prerequisite, 140 or placement exam. Regular class meetings plus a weekly discussion session with a teaching assistant. Maximum enrollment, 20. O'Neal. 211F Introduction to French Literature I: Writing Difference. Examines representative works of French/francophone literatures in light of major schools of thoughts from nineteen century to present times (including Romanticism, Symbolism, Surrealism, Existentialism, Négritude, postmodernism, and post colonialism). Special attention is given to literary analysis and to coherent structuring of written argumentation. Texts read and movies cover different literary genres (poetry, novels, theater, cinema, etc.) and, while working on improving the students’ skills in close reading, they lay a solid basis for strong general knowledge of French/francophone literatures. Taught in French. (Writing-intensive.) (Oral Presentations.) Although not a requirement, 200 is strongly recommended; otherwise placement exam results or consent of instructor. Maximum enrollment, 20. Mwantuali. (continued on pg. 2)
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Fall 2013 Course Offerings (continued from pg. 1) Fr 250: Exploring Contemporary France. The course mixes formal teaching about France (i.e.: geography, recent history, current political and social issues). Students will also engage in research using the web site and television channel TV5 (available on campus). Parts of the course will focus on the city of Marseilles, the 2013 European capital. Guyot-Bender. 407F Medieval Beasts. This course examines the medieval literary animal across various genres that represent the best and worst of human nature. The tone is set by the moralizing descriptions of the bestiary and fable traditions. Marie de France’s fantastical worlds (“Guigemar,” “Bisclavret”) set the stage for Chrétien de Troyes’s Arthurian adventures (Yvain, ou le Chevalier au Lion), while the parody of the Roman de Renart transforms feudal ties into animal ties. The fabliaux present their own peculiar ethos, and the Roman de Fauvel imagines a world dominated by vices. Secondary readings/viewings/activities include: Gilles Deleuze (“A for Animal”); L. Starevich’s animated adaptation of the Roman de Renart; an introduction to real medieval animals (for work, play and food); an introduction to medieval manuscripts. Modern French translations; class discussions, oral presentations, and papers in French. Seniors will write their mini-thèse based on texts or animal theme. Diaz. Fr 418: Space and Place in 20th/21st century French Literature. This new course is based on films and novels whose title is constituted by a place name (or a clear reference to place). In them, space is considered as mode of representation of psychological, cultural and sociological dimensions in human relations. We will think about "center and margins", "heterotopy", "urban-rural", "here and there." The reading list, which is not entirely finalized, may include Combray (Proust), Un barrage contre le Pacifique (Duras), La place (Ernaux), La Place de l'étoile (Modiano), Onitsha (LeClézio), L'étranger (Camus) as well as films such as Indochine and Le Havre. Other media such as maps. Guyot-Bender.
Hamilton College Junior Year in France 2013-14 Professor Roberta Krueger, 2013-14 HCJYF Director, is delighted to announce that next year's group has been selected! 29 students from Hamilton, Amherst, Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, Scripps and Williams will travel to Biarritz in late August and then on to Paris in September. 22 of those students will remain in Paris for the entire academic year. Next year's students, their home institutions, and their majors are as follows: (* denotes Fall semester only) 1. Noelle Bellamy (Bowdoin): French/ Anthropology. 2. Kathe Blydenburgh (Hamilton): World Politics/ French. 3. Nerissa Brobbey (Bates): Econ/French 4. Caroline D’Ambro (Hamilton): Government/ French 5. Cecilia Denhard (Williams): Dance Studies/ Art History. 6. Thomas Funk (Hamilton): World Politics. 7. Andrea Garduno (Williams): French and Psychology.
8. Anne Govern (Hamilton): World Politics/ French. 9. Marnie Hull (Bowdoin): Art History/ French. 10. Mbuotdiem Isaac (Hamilton): Communications. *11. Anna Jaeger (Hamilton): Biology.12. Brendan Kaufman (Hamilton): Math. 13. Lucy Keohane (Hamilton): Art History. 14. Sara Kleinman (Hamilton). Art History. *15. Jessica Le Bow (Hamilton): English/ Studio Art. 16. Victoria Lin (Hamilton): Anthropology. *17. Talia Mason (Bates): Dance/ French. 18. Montenerroso-Montenegro,Yavier (Colby): Economics/ Government * 19. Huong Kate Nguyen (Hamilton): Economics. 20. Isabel Oskwarek (Hamilton): English. 21. Rosalia Pembroke (Williams): History. *22. Kade Pettie (Amherst): Natural Sciences. *23. Kathleen Puccio. (Hamilton): Music. 24. Sarah Rockford (Colby): Global Studies and French. 25. Henry Rittenberg (Hamilton): Art History. *26. Alejandra Rosales (Williams): Political Science/Latino Studies. 27. Anna Sido (Scripps): Art History. 28. Kevin Welsh (Hamilton): Government. 29. Albert Yu (Amherst): Math/ Music. In addition, 5 students have already been selected to join the group in the Spring semester. These students are: 1. Meghan Dwan (Bowdoin): Biology 2. Asad Javed (Hamilton): Africana Studies 3. Haley Ladd-Luthringshauser (Williams): Psychology 4. Samuel Lewis (Williams): Natural Sciences 5. Chris Lepre (Hamilton): Computer Science/ French Applications for Spring 2014 are still being accepted; the deadline is October 1, although early application is appreciated, since it helps us plan housing and course arrangements for the year. For an application, and other information, please visit our website at: http://www.hamilton.edu/france
First Meeting of the 2013-14 Group on Sunday April 21 chez Madame Krueger There will be an initial meeting of the 2013-14 group at the home of Professor Krueger on Sunday, April 21 at 7 pm. This will be an informal gathering to meet the other students in the group and to ask questions about study and residence in Paris next year. Students will receive an email invitation with directions; dessert will be provided! Even if you can only drop in for a little while, please do try to come and meet the group. Professor Krueger will be available to answer questions about any aspect of study abroad in her office from now until the end of the semester. You may make an appointment to see her at
[email protected]. Gena Hasburgh, Program Coordinator, will be available during business hours in CJ 213 to collect your paperwork (please submit everything on time!) and to advise you about logistics. Be sure that you schedule a meeting with your advisor to discuss courses that will fulfill requirements towards your major next year.
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HCJYF 2012-13: Report from the Director, Professor Cheryl Morgan Spring weather finally arrived in Paris the past weekend with temperatures hitting the low 70s. Overnight, Parisians put away their wool jackets and boots to don summer garb and flock to the Seine banks and the gardens. The HCJYF group heads out on our last group excursion on April 20-21 to Brittany where we will spend the night at the fortified city Saint-Malo, hike the coast around Cancale, home of delicious oysters, and visit the worldfamous monument, le Mont-Saint-Michel. We will also take a guided walk at low tide in the bay surrounding le Mont. Currently busy with exams, exposés, and papers, students are gearing up for a late spring vacation that will take them to various destinations all over Europe. Most students cannot believe that their séjour comes to an end in just a month's time and are making the most of the final weeks here. On Thursday May 16, the Program hosts its annual farewell party for the host families who play a special role in the Hamilton in France experience. Students will display art work and photography; Ali Crivelli, Dan O'Kelly, John Boudreau, José Mendez, and Tim Hunt (Bowdoin) will sing some songs a cappela, and we will all enjoy the long spring evening in the wonderful gardens of Reid Hall.
Couscous dinner in Paris.
Choucroute dinner in Strasbourg.
Hamilton College Junior Year in France 2014-15 Professor Morgan and current HCJYF students on excursion in Strasbourg on a rainy January day.
Professor Guyot-Bender will lead Hamilton's program in France in 2014-15: when first year students will be juniors. She just held her first informational meeting with first year students, explaining the nuts and bolts of the program, and how it could fit in students' broader academic plans. Her main advice is for students to discuss with a permanent faculty of the department of their planned major which courses they should take before leaving for France --before registration if possible, or before the start of next semester. She urges students to plan early, and to contact her with questions (
[email protected]). Eight students who attended the program last year spoke to students about their rich experience in Paris.
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Faculty News Professor Joseph Mwantuali Professor of French Joseph Mwantuali recently published a book titled Tell This to My Mother, a novel based on the true story of war rape victim Coco Ramazani. Published by Strategic Book Publishing & Rights Agency, it is Mwantuali’s first book written in English.
Professor Martine Guyot-Bender Martine Guyot Bender published an article on Simone de Beauvoir's lesser-known novel Les belles images (1967). The article examines the place of popular media in the Sixties in shaping readers' view of the world. It suggests that Beauvoir, otherwise known as a fierce intellectual, was quite intrigued by the proliferation of political, philosophical and other, journals. Students who take Fr 200 in Spring will study Les belles images in depth. Guyot-Bender also did two public presentations on her most recent research on social film documentary in France. One in Utica, at the community cultural center, The Other Side, next to Café Dominico. The second presentation was for a more academic audience, at the 20th/21st century French Studies Conference, at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, in a panel on globalization and French cinema. This presentation is a short version of an article that will be published in the journal substance in December 2013.
Visiting Assistant Professor Aurelie Van de Wiele According to the publisher’s website, “the story is told by Coco Ramazani, an orphan who was tricked into the Congo rebellion, and was left to die in a military camp filled with thousands of drugged foreign soldiers. She escaped to America, where she is now fighting for her life. It is also the story of child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, about rape used as a weapon of war, and of the hope embodied by a tough young woman who refuses to go silently into the night.” In a review of the book, Felix U. Kaputu, professor at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, wrote that Tell This to My Mother is "a tragic African story told by an African by way of African storytelling techniques. This story reminds us of the movies such as Blood Diamond and books such as What is the What, but Joseph Mwantuali goes further as he explores ways to exorcise the seeds of evil. A poignant story told masterfully in a way that educates the reader in both African cultures and the history of what is called the Great War of Africa. But, at the end of the day, it is the voice of a young girl speaking for all the women of Congo, and coming across as an oracle."
Associate Professor Cheryl Morgan On March 21, Cheryl Morgan delivered a paper entitled “’Je suis une cocotte légale’: mariage, argent, et fiction chez MarieBonaparte Wyse” at a journée d'études at the Université Michel de Montaigne Bordeaux III. Scholars from France gathered to explore the role of money in women writers' fiction from the 1789 Revolution-1914. Morgan's paper examined the objet monétaire in several Second Empire novels written by Bonaparte-Wyse, the flamboyant society figure who was Napoleon I's great niece and Napoleon III's black sheep cousin. Morgan's work on Bonaparte-Wyse is one piece of her larger book project Bad Press, which examines celebrity, the literary culture of women in journalism, and humor in the writing of "eccentric" 19th-century French women from the Bourbon Restoration (18151830) through the Belle Epoque. On leave for the academic year 2013-14, Morgan will deliver a paper at a conference on French women writers in Lille, France in October and spend some time in France completing research and writing.
Alors, quelques nouvelles sur mon enseignement et mes projets du semestre. Autre que Français 120, j'enseigne actuellement un nouveau cours sur la perception française des Etats-Unis (Français 255). Nous discutons de différentes visions politiques, historiques, sociologiques et anthropologiques de la France sur les Etats-Unis à partir de documents historiques, théoriques ou bien encore tirés de la culture populaire (films, vidéos, chansons, BD). Par exemple, nous avons lu une analyse sur les innovations du système démocratique américain créé à l'indépendance; nous avons aussi réfléchi sur la définition, les causes et les conséquences de l'anti-américanisme et la francophonie. La dernière partie du cours se concentre surtout sur des analyses anthropologiques: quelles différences culturelles entre le mode de vie américain et français peut-on rencontrer au quotidien ? En quoi ces divergences conduisent-elles à des malentendus et des tensions dans les interactions entre des individus des deux pays? Au niveau de mes recherches, je me prépare à participer au Colloque de Cerisy-la-Salle sur Albert Camus en août prochain. Cette retraite intellectuelle d'une semaine au cœur de la Normandie (France) a pour but de discuter la pensée du philosophe dans le contexte de l'art et des artistes. A cette occasion, je présenterai une communication intitulée “Le Poète baudelairien : un Homme révolté ? Réflexion sur l'esthétique du mal comme révolte métaphysique”. Cette étude porte sur la manière dont le Poète, tel qu’il est présenté dans les textes de Baudelaire, s’apparente au révolté moderne que décrit Camus dans son essai L’Homme révolté. J'affirme que le Poète baudelairien possède les qualités d'un révolté métaphysique par sa capacité à s'opposer au mal-être existentiel: à travers sa poétique dans laquelle le négatif est valorisé, il tire du monde qui l'entoure un sentiment de stabilité et un plaisir esthétique inédits. Cependant, je conclus que l'élitisme qui caractérise la démarche perceptive baudelairienne et l'échec final de l'art à dépasser le malaise existentiel du Poète conduit plutôt à considérer le Poète baudelairien comme une figure précurseur du révolté métaphysique au sens camusien. (continued on pg. 5)
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Faculty News (continued from pg. 4) Professor John C. O’Neal John C. O'Neal presented a paper at the Modern Language Association meeting in Boston in early January. His paper, titled “The Potential Convergence of Religious and Secular Interests in Voltaire’s Traité sur la tolérance,” analyzed the famous affaire Calas, a court case in which a Protestant was tortured and finally executed because of his religious beliefs. From Voltaire's anti-clerical perspective, this was clearly a case of religious fanaticism, not unlike that of the Inquisition. In intellectual history, the case gave rise to what later became known as the political activism among notion of engagement or writers. Sartre, of course, is one example, among others, that comes to mind in the 20th century.
Congratulations to Hamilton College’s Class of 2013 French Majors!
The department is delighted to announce the appointment of Pamela Diaz as Visiting Instructor of French for 2013-14; in the Fall, she will teach French 130 and a senior seminar, Medieval Beasts. Pamela Diaz is a doctoral candidate at the University of California, Berkeley; she is writing her dissertation on the *Roman de Renart*, a lengthy thirteenth-century narrative satirical poem featuring crafty Renart the fox and his foes and friends of the animal kingdom, which strikingly resembles the social and political world of medieval France.
Kelsey Burke Emily Delbridge Dee Doucette Lisa Faraci
Professor Diaz received her B.A. from Cornell University and studied in Paris as an undergraduate with the EDUCO program; during graduate school, she studied paleography and codicology (manuscripts) at the Ecole des Chartes in Paris. She also speaks Spanish fluently, enjoys learning new languages, regularly begins new cooking projects to explore cuisines from around the world, could listen to opera and baroque music all day long, and is looking forward to snowboarding more regularly while at Hamilton.
Noah Ford Iris Greenquist Emily Heckman Jasmina Hodzic
The French Department bids a fond farewell to Camille Hanuise , this year’s Teaching Fellow from the Université de Paris III. Camille worked closely with students in French 200, was a regular presence at our two weekly French tables, and animated the Radio Francophone as well as other francophone activities. She returns to complete her Masters at Paris III, where HCJYF students hope to see her next year. The students and faculty in Clinton will miss her!
Katie Joyce Louisa Savage Fred Spencer
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French Club : Actualité Résumé des dernières activités Concert « Le Vent du Nord »
Atelier cuisine
Juste après le Spring Break, le French Club s’est lancé dans un atelier cuisine pour recréer sur le campus une atmosphère 100% bretonne, avec une recette de crêpes de froment, qui font des desserts (voire des repas complets) délicieux, accompagnées de beurre, de sucre, de miel, de confiture… On vous en livre la recette. A refaire chez soi !
En novembre, le groupe québécois « Le Vent du Nord » était en tournée aux Etats-Unis pour présenter leur album « Tromper le Temps », avec une date au Nelson Odeon, dans la petite ville de Cazenovia. Sponsorisé par le Dean Of Faculty, 15 tickets ont été acheté, un Jitney organisé, et un groupe enthousiaste mêlant étudiants et professeurs s’est rendu dans cette petite salle chaleureuse d’une centaine de place, où ces 4 musiciens multiinstrumentalistes nous ont régalé de chansons traditionnelles nourries par les légendes. Un grand moment de musique, qui s’est soldé par des danses et une rencontre des plus sympathiques avec les membres du groupe. Courtney Kaplar, Camille Hanuise, Henry Rittenberg, and Turner Trapp
Films : Paris, Amélie, Les Misérables Pendant l’hiver, vous avez eu l’occasion de voir… Paris – un film de Cédric Klapisch, avec Romain Duris et Juliette Binoche. Klapisch propose un panorama de la capitale française à travers une série de personnages originaux aux vies différentes, parfois opposées, qui ne cessent pourtant de se croiser et de se recroiser, et tentent quotidiennement de trouver le bonheur. Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain ou Amélie – un film de Jean Pierre Jeunet, avec Audrey Tautou. On ne présente plus ce film culte datant de 2001, qui a fait connaitre Montmartre et les photomatons au monde entier !
Turner Trapp with Camille Hanuise
Les Misérables – adaptation américaine du roman de Victor Hugo.
Réunion
Le French Club se réunit le lundi soir à Mc Ewen, une fois tous les quinze jours. Rejoignez-nous ! Yoshi Hill
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Student Essay Brendon Kaufman: "Les mœurs contradictoires des Américains" (Français 255) Il y a plusieurs mœurs américaines qui peuvent apparaître ambigües ou contradictoires à un étranger. Par exemple, la façon dont les Américains perçoivent leur corps, à la fois avec une distanciation et avec un besoin de contrôle, apparaît comme un contraste curieux. De plus, les attentes américaines des conversations interpersonnelles en personne et au téléphone ne concordent pas. Enfin, la fragilité de l’amitié américaine paraît contre-intuitive en relation avec leur attitude aimable envers les inconnus. Toutes ces situations peuvent rendre un étranger perplexe, percevant une certaine ambiguïté dans le comportement américain. Tout d’abord, les idées américaines du corps sont quelquefois contradictoires. D'une certaine façon, l’Américain semble créer une mise à distance du corps. Il perçoit le corps comme une entité différente à lui-même. De cette manière, il peut le blâmer, en disant par exemple: « I need to have my head examined » ou « don’t talk to me I have bad PMS » (Monsaint-Baudry 290). Ces déclarations soulignent le fait qu’il y a une distance entre le corps, une entité qui agit séparément et hors du contrôle de la personne. Cependant, les Américains expriment aussi un désir de manipuler le corps, notamment dans le domaine de la contraception. Au lieu de se servir d’une autre méthode, les hommes américains « ont […] tendance à subir une vasectomie » (Monsaint-Baudry 290), ce qui est un choix définitif. Ainsi, l’Américain veut manipuler son corps d’une façon qui lui est utile. On peut donc dire qu'il y a un rapport ambigu de l'Américain envers son corps.
relation. Cependant d'un autre côté, trop d'attention menace aussi l'amitié: « une relation de dépendance qui devien[t] trop forte signalerait la fin de l’amitié » (Carroll 124). En d'autres termes, même si les Américains se disent meilleurs amis, il faut une égalité dans la relation, ce qui suggère une fragilité qui est contradictoire au sens de la phrase « meilleur ami ». Il y a certains aspects du comportement américain qui soulignent des contrastes curieux qui peuvent rendre un étranger perplexe. Ces contrastes résultent des perceptions américaines qui diffèrent de celles des autres pays sur certains aspects sociaux. Quoique la compréhension de ces ambigüités puisse aider un étranger à comprendre les malentendus culturels, on doit remarquer qu’aux États-Unis, les mœurs diffèrent aussi dans chaque région. On doit, peut-être, regarder plus près chaque région américaine pour mieux comprendre les malentendus qui peuvent arriver. Bibliographie: Carroll, Raymonde. Evidences Invisibles: Américains et Français au quotidien. Paris: Seuil, 1987. Monsaint-Baudry, Nathalie. Cristallisations culturelles, Être française et américaine. 2010. Web. 13 avril 2013.
Il y a ensuite des attentes contradictoires dans les conversations américaines. Dans la rue, il semble que l’Américain s’attende toujours à une rencontre vivante et amicale: « il y a de fortes chances, s’il croise le regard de l’autre, qu’il va lui sourire » toutefois « sans que cela ne mène plus loin » (Carroll 54). Si ces signes s'adressent à un inconnu étranger, cela pourrait le rendre perplexe en se demandant si l’Américain veut discuter ou juste le saluer. Quant aux conversations au téléphone, cependant, l’Américain peut paraitre froid parce que la conversation « reste souvent […] très courte, ou du moins ne dure que le temps nécessaire pour expliquer la nature de l’aide demandée » (Carroll 54). Même s'ils sont amis, un Américain peut sembler brusque à un étranger pour qui la conversation téléphonique est une manière de renforcer le lien d'amitié. Dans les conversations, soit au téléphone, soit en personne, le but d’un Américain peut sembler flou et contradictoire: il parle à son ami mais d'une manière courte et non engageante. Il existe aussi une ambigüité qui résulte des comportements américains dans les rapports amicaux. Les Américains se servent du mot « friend » librement, c’est-à-dire qu'ils peuvent être bons amis où des personnes presque inconnues. Cependant, les Américains sont pourtant très sélectifs avec leurs bons amis et ceux qu’ils considèrent comme « meilleur ami » sont limités à deux ou trois (Carroll 128). Il peut y avoir un malentendu parce que l'utilisation du mot « friend » est ambigu: le mot représente un lien proche mais est utilisé pour tout le monde. De plus, l’idée américaine de meilleur ami peut sembler contradictoire. Même si on donne ce titre rare et important à un ami, on s’attend toujours à une sorte d’égalité, de retour dont le manque peut détruire la La Gazette 7
