Readings:

See description.

Course Description:

This course is shaped by the tragic events that recently took place in France. On January 7, 2015 a terrorist attack on the satirical paper “Charlie Hebdo” left twelve people dead. It was followed, two days later, by an attack on a kosher supermarket that left four Jewish people dead. In reaction to this bloodshed more than a million people marched in the streets of Paris as a show of unity, claiming “Je suis Charlie”.

We will first retrace these events in their historical context. We will then examine the complex situation of Islam in contemporary France as well as questions such as:  freedom of speech, satire and secularism. We will also focus on the question of political Islam as instrumentalized by both the French government and fundamentalist groups. The material for this class ranges from articles, essays, media footage, films and documentaries

Prerequisites: French 102 or equivalent.

Additional information: This course satisfies one “Culture” or one “Elective” requirement in the French major. This course also satisfies College of Letters and Science breadth in Historical Studies or in Social and Behavioral Sciences.   Priority enrollment for declared French majors.

Section times and locations in the Schedule of Classes