French 230 - COLLOQUIUM IN FRENCH STUDIES

A gateway to more advanced courses. These colloquia develop skills in expository writing and critical thinking in French. Materials include novels, films, essays and cultural documents. Students may receive credit for only one section of 230. Enrollment limited to 18. Basis for the major. Prerequisite: 220 or permission of the instructor. In this course, students study fiction, memoir, slam poetry and hip-hop authored by residents of France's multi-ethnic suburbs and housing projects, also known as the banlieues and cites. We examine the question of whether banlieue authors can escape various pressures: to become native informants; to write realistic rather than fantastical novels; to leave the "ghetto"; to denounce the sometimes difficult traditions, religions, neighborhoods and family members that have challenged but also molded them. Often seen as spaces of regression and decay, the banlieues nevertheless produce vibrant cultural expressions that beg the question: is the banlieue a mere suburb of French cultural life, or more like one of its centers?

Topic: "Banlieue Lit".