In the nineteenth century, Paris reigned supreme as the cultural capital of Europe. The cycles of revolution and the social instability resulting from industrialization served as backdrops in the city to the most important artistic and literary movements of the century, ranging from Romanticism and Realism to Impressionism, post-Impressionism, and fin-de-siècle decadence. This course will investigate the birth of modern Paris by using the city as its laboratory. Visiting monuments such as Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower and Sacré Cœur, as well as museums, including the Louvre, Orsay, and Musée de Montmartre, will prove central to this exciting intellectual odyssey. Students will focus on representative artists, such as Delacroix, Courbet, Manet, Monet, and Toulouse-Lautrec, and read some of the most exciting literary texts by Hugo, Zola, and Huysmans in the context of exploring the City of Lights.

Analysis of several novels and screenplays of different periods in comparison with their film versions in order to examine various modes of interpretation of the two media. Conducted in English. Students wishing to obtain credit for the French major, or the minor, must consult the instructor at the beginning of the course. For majors, novels must be read and papers must be written in French. No prerequisite. 1 unit.

This course will survey the major works of French cinema from the outset of filmmaking to contemporary films. The French made the first films and we will examine various different genres and styles of French film in relation to their representations of French culture.