Class DescriptionÂ
French 2101.01H – Introduction to French and Francophone studies
I took this class to fulfill 3 categories in my undergraduate studies: my minor, honors requirement, and GOBUS. This class, taught by Professor Danielle Marx-Scouras, dove into answering questions that are pertinent to understanding French and Francophone culture. We studied how seventeenth and nineteenth century literature, present-day musicians, film, and gender & ethnicity play a critical role in understanding how the cultures of France, Quebec, Algeria, Martinique, and other Francophone countries developed and are continuing to evolve. This was an incredibly hands-on class where students were expected to engage in lively class discussions, give oral presentations, and write literary pieces. The class was fully taught in French and, due to its small size, it was focused on developing students’ conversational skills and reading lengthy French texts.
This method of instruction has greatly improved my ability to have uninterrupted French conversation and challenged me to not only learn about French language, but Francophone culture. This class built upon my appreciation for a language that I have been studying for years. I am excited to have studied a language that I will hopefully be able to apply in my future endeavors and use my knowledge in French to learn other romance languages of interest.
Class Reflection
Amongst all the French classes I have taken at OSU, this was one of the most enjoyable classes. The class pushed me to become a better speaker through the rigorous course load. The constant discussions and presentations helped me become more fluent in French. By the time I reached this class, I was finally past the stage of learning basic grammar and writing loads of French papers. Instead, this class tested my conversational ability amongst my peers since conversing in a language is one of the most difficult obstacles to face.
The exercises in this class included daily analysis of literary texts and other media materials and bimonthly quizzes. We not only analyzed historical pieces but current radio and TV news via Al Jazeera and TV5Monde. This was an important attribute to the class because there is a large difference between listening to native and non-native French speakers. Although I improved my French by conversing amongst my peers and professor, since my class was not actively taught in France or a Francophone country, students have difficulty of ever reaching the level of a native speaker. By listening to music, radio, and TV, our French levels improved significantly. Writing was also an essential component to the course. We wrote lengthy papers analyzing a variety of literary works, poems, and songs. Since listening to French music; along with music from a variety of languages: Arabic, Spanish, Hindi; has always been something that I have enjoyed, it was improved through the analysis of how music can affect the culture of a country. Topics for the final presentation were centered around how cultural elements impact Francophone nations.
Throughout high school, I was taught about French through a France-lense. I was unaware of the cultures and practices of other French-speaking countries. In my final year of high school, I had the opportunity to travel to Quebec. This experience showed me a small sliver of French-speakers outside of France. Once I joined university, my French classes opened my eyes to the varying dialects and cultures of French-speakers across the world.
After this class, I had the opportunity to connect with a student in France so I could teach her conversational English while she could teach me conversational French. This was a great opportunity for me since practicing speaking or even texting in French with a native speaker would greatly improve my French ability. I am lucky to still be friends with this pen pal and hope for the opportunity for future business ventures or travel to a Francophone region to practice and improve my French.
I highly recommend this class for students that are interested in fast-tracking their French speaking abilities. I was taught non-textbook French, but instead, the way French might be spoken on the streets of Paris. I learned slang and terms that made me a more legitimate French speaker. Although this class may take you out of your comfort zone, it greatly improved my French and appreciation for the variety of cultures of Francophone nations.