Reading the Sea
S07
Jean-Frédéric Hennuy
In this course, we will study the significance of the sea in the shaping of French society. Indeed, France is almost completely surrounded by the sea (the Atlantic, the English Channel, the Mediterranean), and through the reading of writers from Rabelais to Loti, Voltaire to Hugo, Chateaubriand to Verne, Michelet, and many others, students will develop a deep and clear understanding of how, through the centuries, something as familiar as the sea has played an important role in France’s politics, history, and culture, as well as in its relationships with other European countries, and continents such as Africa and the Americas. In order to achieve such a goal, students will not only be exposed to different forms of texts (poems, fiction, and nonfiction) but also will have to complete, throughout the term, a variety of written and oral assignments. Emphasis will be placed on the development of interpretive and analytical skills. Students will undertake a final research project related to the course. Intermediate level.