PARIS PROGRAM UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY Director: Sarah Roberts Summer 2012 French 43A: French History and Culture Instructor: Sarah Roberts Email: [email protected] Dates and Times In Berkeley (Week 1): June 25 – July 5, M-Th, 1:00pm-3:00pm. In Paris: July 9 – August 9, M-Th, 1:00pm-3:00pm. Course Description French 43A provides a comprehensive introduction to French history and culture from the Romans to the present day. The overarching goal of the course is to help participants observe, analyze, and interpret what they experience during their stay in France. This goal will be approached in three ways: 1) by providing an historical perspective on French civilization and culture; 2) by introducing participants to a number of historical and cultural themes relevant to Paris; and 3) by developing students’ curiosity and knowledge about French culture through field trips in the Paris region. The field trips include a tour of Paris by boat (bateau mouche), along the river Seine, and two all-day excursions outside of Paris, to impressionist painter Claude Monet’s house in Giverny, and to the Palace of Versailles. Other destinations, within Paris, include the Conciergerie palace and prison, the Garnier Opera House, the Pasteur Institute, the Cluny Museum, the Orsay Museum, and the Sainte-Chapelle. Towards the end of the program, we also go to the Théâtre de la Huchette to see a performance of Eugène Ionesco’s La Cantatrice chauve, the play students study in the Program’s language and conversation courses. French 43A is conducted entirely in English. It has no prerequisites. It satisfies the Historical Studies Breadth Requirement for UCB undergraduates in the College of Letters and Sciences. Required Texts 1. Platt, Polly, French or Foe?: Getting the Most out of Visiting, Living and Working in France, Third Edition. Distribooks, 2003. 2. Cole, Robert, A Traveller’s History of Paris, Third Edition. New York: Interlink, 2005. 3. Cole, Robert, A Traveller’s History of France, Eighth Edition. New York: Interlink Books, 2008. All the required texts will be available for purchase at the ASUC Textbook Store on campus. Please be sure to get the editions specified. PARIS PROGRAM UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY Director: Sarah Roberts Summer 2012 Course Requirements Students are required to attend every class session and all field trips. The final participation grade is based 50% on attendance, and 50% on participation in class discussions and activities. There will be one 2-hour midterm exam and one 2-hour final exam. The midterm will test students’ knowledge and understanding of material covered (in class, on field trips, and in reading assignments) prior to the exam; the final will test on material covered since the midterm. Final grade breakdown: Participation 40% Midterm Exam 30% Final Exam 30% .