Transnational Francophone Studies (367-0-20)

Instructors

Nasrin Qader
847/491-8263
1860 S. Campus Drive, Crowe Hall #2-129
Office Hours: Thursdays 1:30-3:30 or by appointment

Meeting Info

University Hall 312: Mon, Wed 11:00AM - 12:20PM

Overview of class

"Hospitality changes the ignorant into the sage," says a Serer proverb from West Africa. A special and arguably privileged position has been granted to the stranger in many, if not all, cultures and religions. Central historical, mythical, religious, and political figures are foregrounded in stories and histories as outsiders and strangers configured either as literal outsiders to a community or society, or as outsiders within a given social or communal configuration. The relationship to the stranger and the outsider constitutes our practices of hospitality, given and/or withheld. This course is dedicated to the exploration of various figures of the stranger and the attendant dynamics of hospitality in works by Albert Camus (Algeria), Mati Diop (France-Senegal), Maylis de Kérangal (France), and Tierno Monénembo (Guinea). We will begin with strangers as foreigners, around whom social practices of hospitality and hostility become visible and legible. We will then move to thinking these questions in broader terms. To do this, we will read works on organ transplants and consider the status of the body when it becomes host to a part of another's. We will begin with a sociological reflection on the stranger with a brief essay by Georg Simmel, before moving to Jacques Derrida's influential philosophical work, De l'hospitalité, and Jean-Luc Nancy's significant L'intrus, a philosophical and personal reflection on the philosopher's own heart transplant.

Registration Requirements

Prerequisite: FRENCH 271-0, FRENCH 272-0, or FRENCH 273-0, or consent of instructor and/or DUS

Learning Objectives

Observe the forms, genres, and styles of literary and cinematic expression through practices of close reading and analysis; Gain awareness of the philosophical, cultural, and historical factors influencing literary and cinematic inscriptions of the core question of the course; Enhance spoken and written skills in literary and cinematic interpretation, analysis, and commentary; Sharpen powers of interpretation, critique, and aesthetic perception; Enlarge conceptual vocabulary to understand and express abstract notions

Teaching Method

Class participation; Discussion; Lecture; Presentations; Readings; Research project; Seminar; Writing assignments

Evaluation Method

Attendance, participation, preparation: (10%); Weekly posting (10%); In class writing exercises: (10%); Midterm exam (20 %); Presentation (10-12minutes): 15%; Peer review of final paper (10%); Final paper: 25%

Class Materials (Required)

(Subject to modification is necessary) Albert Camus, « L'Hôte » (short story, pdf); Jacques Derrida De l'hospitalité (selections, pdf); Mati Diop Atlantique (film, Canvas streaming); Georg Simmel, "Digressions sur l'étranger" (pdf); Maylis de Kérangal Réparer les vivants (978-2070144136); Tierno Monenembo Le Terroiste noir (978-2757836002); Jean-Luc Nancy, L'intrus (978-2021604276) kindle acceptable

Class Attributes

Advanced Expression
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Prerequisite: Students must have completed FRENCH 271-0, FRENCH 272-0, or FRENCH 273-0. Other students may register with instructor permission.