Paris on Screen
Course Description
Summary
In this course, we will study the representation of the city of Paris on film in order to examine modernityʹs challenges to tradition. In particular, we will focus on urban planning and design as well the question of how urban communities and city dwellers react to increasing disconnectedness, anonymity, and solitude. Films will include La Haine, Chacun cherche son chat, Playtime, Nous, and Paris, je tʹaime. Class discussions, activities, written assignments, and oral presentations will allow students to improve their linguistic proficiency and analytical skills. Conducted in French. Intermediate‐low level.
Learning Outcomes
- • Understand the critique of modernity and urban planning articulated by French film over the last 50 years.
• Examine closely several key elements of urban planning and their effects on the city of Paris : architecture, gentrification, housing, ghettoicization, race, and sexuality.
• Grow your vocabulary, particularly in respect to the lexicon of film studies
• Review fundamental grammatical structures and learn new linguistic forms.
• Improve pronunciation and intonation
• Develop strategies for recounting facts, describing ideas, creating arguments, drawing hypotheses
• Increase cross-cultural competence
Prerequisites
Instructor's permission: previous study of French equivalent to intermediate-low level. First-year students will be placed by faculty based on their previous study of French: adjustments can be made during the add/drop period.
Please contact the faculty member : sshapiro@bennington.edu
Corequisites
French table and Language Series.