Critical Approaches to the Study of French in the 21st Century FREN 840 (3)

With the understanding that French as a national language is a political construct and the result of a historical process that stems from a colonial past, this course examines current research in French studies and/or on French language in a critical way. Taught from different perspectives (linguistics, literary and film studies, interdisciplinary theories and methodologies, etc.), the course's topics may include varied subjects such as the politics of French language planning, the understanding of French culture's role in various institutional contexts, the meanings of the concept of 'Francophonie' in different parts of the world, current sociocultural and theoretical controversies in French-speaking countries (such as anti-woke debates), etc.