Format: 16 course weeks, separated by Spring Break · Asynchronous coursework via Canvas · 15-minute individual Zoom final examination
Prerequisites: Junior standing; completion of GE Area 1 with grades of C- or better (GE Area A for the 2020–26 catalogs); completion of GE Area 2 with a grade of C- or better (GE Area B4 for the 2020–26 catalogs); and completion of one course in lower-division GE Area 3 (GE Areas C1 or C2 for the 2020–26 catalogs).
At first glance, the answer might seem simple. But the closer we look, the more interesting—and complicated—the question becomes.
WLC 3310: Cultures of France takes you beyond familiar images and stereotypes. Rather than treating French culture as a static collection of facts to memorize, the course approaches France and the culture/s of France as subjects of inquiry.
Through films, literature, journalism, visual culture, contemporary debates, and other cultural texts, you will encounter multiple—and sometimes competing—ways of understanding France, French identity, culture, and belonging.
Throughout the semester, we return to one central question: What might it mean to be “French”?
The course is organized into thematic modules that approach this question from different perspectives.
Foundations of Identity (Weeks 1–2): Begin by questioning broad claims about “the French,” considering relationships between past and present, and exploring how language, political authority, identity, and debates over linguistic change contribute to understandings of France.
Institutions & Society (Weeks 3–5): Examine tensions between egalitarian and elitist features of French education; investigate the distinctive meanings and cultural significance of L’État; and consider why laïcité—French secularism—remains both important and contested.
Friction & Flashpoints (Weeks 6–9): Investigate exclusion, belonging, protest, history, and workplace culture. Engage with cultural texts such as La Haine, consider the place of protest in French public life, examine relationships between French and colonial history, and question broad claims about French business and workplace culture.
Geographic Lenses (Weeks 10–13): Question the tendency to equate Paris with France. Move beyond metropolitan France through Guadeloupe and Maryse Condé; explore regional identity, language, and memory through Alsace; and reconsider France through its relationships with Europe.
Contemporary Culture & Synthesis (Weeks 14–16): Engage directly with contemporary cultural production, evaluate competing arguments about the international position and supposed “decline” of French culture, and return to the question with which the semester began: What might it mean to be “French”?
The goal is not to arrive at one predetermined answer—or even necessarily to change your mind. Instead, you will have opportunities to revisit, connect, interpret, and reconsider as the semester develops.
Flexible Online Format: Coursework is asynchronous and conducted through Canvas, making the course easier to combine with other academic, professional, and personal commitments. The one synchronous component is a 15-minute individual Zoom final examination.
Engaging Cultural Materials: Instead of relying on a traditional textbook alone, you will work with films, literature, journalism, visual and popular culture, scholarly perspectives, and other cultural texts.
Inquiry Rather Than Rote Memorization: There are no traditional multiple-choice examinations. The four major components of the course are Weekly Conversations, a Cultural Inquiry Journal, a Cultural Inquiry Project, and a 15-minute Individual Zoom Final Examination.
Develop Your Own Inquiry: For the Cultural Inquiry Project, you will begin with a critical question of your own and investigate it using scholarly research and primary sources or cultural texts.
Make Connections Across the Semester: The Cultural Inquiry Journal gives you opportunities to return to earlier ideas and materials, make connections, and reconsider them as you encounter new perspectives.
A Conversational Final: The Individual Zoom Final is a 15-minute live conversation about course materials and connections across the semester. It emphasizes understanding, interpretation, evidence, synthesis, and reasoning—not memorization of quotations, page numbers, or minor factual details.
Intercultural and Analytical Skills: Throughout the course, you will practice interpreting cultural representations, evaluating evidence and competing claims, questioning generalizations, making connections across different kinds of sources, and considering how ideas about culture and identity are constructed.
[updated 11 September 2026]