Paris Fall Seminar - 2007

Icons of French Culture: Joan of Arc & Michel de Montaigne

The Place

All clichés regarding Paris fail in their attempts to capture a unique city that requires a substantial amount of time to explore and begin to appreciate. In its quirky wisdom, this major world metropolis has always been able to cultivate both a cutting-edge modernity and a singular attachment for a past constantly reinvented and reincorporated in the city’s ongoing life. The peregrine falcons nesting in the Gothic spires of Notre-Dame are protected by vigilant city government decrees and, in the heart of town, these spires are still the tallest structures because of strict limits set on building heights. A dazzling array of ethnicities mingle in fabled traditional quartiers that manage to preserve their French identity and specificity. A brand new museum, known as the “Quai Branly,” devotes miles of galleries to the art of “first peoples” while, in summer, thousands of tons of sand are strewn on the banks of the Seine opposite the Louvre and the Orsay Museum, a former railway station, in order to create “Paris Plage,” the strange equivalent of a would-be Malibu on the ancient river. To the south, near the giant concrete half-opened volumes of the Very Large Library, an Olympic pool with state-of-the-art equipment, open all year-round for a modest fee, has been built on the Seine itself, simultaneously using and purifying its waters. This pool is called Piscine Josephine Baker, celebrating the African-American singer, dancer and movie star who could not perform in the US but was Paris’ darling in the 1920’s and 30’s— the refrain to her most famous song: “J’ai deux amours : Mon pays et Paris.” (I have two loves: My country and Paris.”). Come share the creativity, the excitement and the wise Parisian “joie de vivre” with the Paris Fall Seminar.

The Seminar

Icons of French Culture: Joan of Arc & Michel de Montaigne will be directed by Professor Marc-André Wiesmann of the Department of Foreign Languages & Literatures. Each of Professor Wiesmann’s courses investigates an eminent French individual who has left lasting and profound traces upon Western and world consciousness, Joan of Arc (15th century) and Michel de Montaigne (16th century). Although both these figures lived in a distant past, they are still alive and well in our culture today, and they still contribute massively to its health and creativity. Furthermore, Paris’ magic reduces the chronological distance in question and provides living evidence of a Joan and a Michel who once were subjected to its unescapable aura. As students of these courses you will be expertly guided in order to make full use of the academic, cultural, filmic, museum, gastronomic and entertainment resources of the city and of its surrroundings. Students will live with French hosts to enhance their first-hand experience of French life. In addition to Professor Wiesmann, the Skidmore in Paris staff are available throughout the semester to provide support and assistance to all Seminar participants.

The Academic Program

The Seminar program is made up of the following four courses for a total of 15 credit hours:

JPFL 263 Jeanne d’Arc, the Virgin of Orléans (4)

Today, Joan of Arc is a female figure instantly recognizable in globalized culture. Her iconic versatility still inspires films, video games, the names of rock and roll bands and YouTube sequences. This course, through gender, cultural and historical analysis, seeks to illuminate this striking after-life of the divinely inspired French adolescent who became famous for manly military exploits that put an end to the Hundred Years’ War between France and Britain. Her heroism, however, was then rewarded with a trial convicting her of heresy and dealings with the devil, and also of transgressing gendered norms or behavior on account of her androgynous looks, her male clothing and her short hair. We first closely examine Joan’s accomplishments and trial in the light of fifteenth-century assumptions about womanhood, ranging from female saintliness to witchery. We then trace Joan’s changing iconic status in the cultural and political life of France until today, and we complement this study with a survey of European (Shakespeare, Schiller, Shaw) and American (Twain) representations of Joan. The final unit of the course addresses Joan’s international fame as a heroine in world cinema (Dreyer, Rossellini, Preminger, Bresson, Besson). Taught in English by Professor Wiesmann.

JPFL 363 Michel de Montaigne, Women, Body and Soul, Cannibals (3)

Introduces students to the writings and philosophy of Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592), a major figure of French literature and of Western philosophy. In the writing of his monumental Essays, Montaigne develops a notion of “the self” that still strikes our sensibilities as particularly modern, and addresses philosophical and cultural concerns that are quite topical today. The course will first establish the cultural, intellectual and literary context of Montaigne’s work, the belated Renaissance in France. We will learn how to read Montaigne’s essays, texts that put interactive demands on the reader because of their digressive nature and the myriad citations and anecdotes from the European past they constantly enroll. We will then concentrate our attentions on three topics Montaigne substantially broaches and which still fascinate us today: the status of women in society, the question of the separation between Body and Soul, and in, their sixteenth-century explorations of the Americas, the reactions of Europeans to indigenous peoples which they readily and conveniently degraded as unsouled "cannibals". Taught in English by Professor Wiesmann.

JPFL 325 French History & Society (4)

This course is a study of the institutions, customs, mentality, and priorities of the French people today. An attempt will be made to approach reality from the Frenchman's point of view and to understand the causes of incomprehension and prejudice between our two peoples. Newspapers, magazines, visual documents, on-site visits and investigations will provide up-to-date information for discussions and for the preparation of students' dossiers on a variety of subjects. On-site visits include: The National Assembly and other monuments of historical and cultural interest in the Paris area. Taught in English by a Skidmore Center professor.

JPFF195 Intensive Oral & Written French (4)

Introductory French language focusing on practical phrases and basic comprehension. This course will be taught in French by a Skidmore Center professor.

There is no language requirement for this program - students with little or no French language experience are encouraged to apply.

The Skidmore Center
Our program center is located in the heart of Paris, close to la Madeleine and the historic Opéra. The program center serves as your home base while in Paris. It houses Skidmore’s classrooms for program courses, study rooms, computer and video facilities, and a small library.

Housing & Meals
Skidmore offers students the opportunity to live with host families. This allows you to fully participate in French culture on a daily basis. The host family will provide breakfast daily and six dinners each week; you receive a cash allowance to be used for your other meals.

Costs
The program fee will be Skidmore's comprehensive fee. This fee covers tuition, housing and meals, orientation, all program-sponsored excursions and activities, a monthly Métro pass, international health insurance. The fee does NOT cover round-trip airfare, books and supplies, and your own personal expenses. We suggest you budget and extra US$2,000 to US$3,000 for personal expenses. Financial aid will apply.

Please direct any questions to Professor Marc-André Wiesmann, Faculty Director, or Karen Horn-Jansen, Program Coordinator in the Office of International Programs: