FREN 4080

Topics in French and Francophone studies: themes, movements, problems, artistic and cultural manifestations and their relationship to literary and intellectual developments. Topics can cover individual periods or several centuries, depending on instructor. Given in French.

Fall 2022 with Dr. Bell (In)Famous Affairs and Scandals in French History 

So, you think that the French are prim and proper, with etiquette that requires a Ph.D. to comprehend? Do you imagine that their closets (both personal and collective) are free of skeletons? If so, you’ve probably never encountered Gilles de Rais, or the Calas family, or Dominique Strauss-Kahn, or Nicolas Fouquet, or …

This course will look at a number of scandals and (in)famous affairs that occurred from the Middle Ages to the end of the 20th century. We will situate the scandals in their historical time period first, then examine exactly what took place (or is purported to have occurred) in a dozen or so well-known scandalous events in France. Each student will work in a group to present one of these scandals to the rest of the class. The final project for the course will be a project—be it traditional or creative—that presents a scandal that only you will have researched. There are a number of articles to read, but there is no official textbook for this course. The readings will all be posted to eLC, along with reading questions. So, come check out a side of the French that you (perhaps) never knew existed!