REQUIRED TEXTS:
Jean-Pierre Jeancolas, Histoire du cinéma français, 4e édition (Armand Colin)

III. COURSE DESCRIPTION:
French 170 explores the rich history of French-language cinema in terms of larger issues in French and Francophone cultures and politics. We will examine some of the major movements in French film style from poetic realism to the Nouvelle Vague. In addition to the study of seminal French-language films, we will also read works of film theory, which ask how film is a distinctive medium of expression and can take up issues of gender, class, and race. This class also provides an introduction to the study of the moving image.
Students will learn how to analyze a film closely through examining how all the film elements work together to produce meaning.
This course is a prerequisite for French 177 and 178, though students who have taken French 177 or 178 may take this course. This class is open to both French and Film majors, though a knowledge of French is required (Film students will not be assessed on their competency in French). Students counting this course towards the major or minor in French must submit all written work in French. Class discussions are in French.
Additional information:
All films will be available for streaming. Students will watch films independently before class on Thursday.
The in-person screenings on Tuesday at 4 will not take place this semester.