Contemporary French Film and Social Issues
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this seminar on French cinema of the 2000s, using feature films to examine how French society understands itself. Directors studied include Lelouch, Audiard, Doillon, Denis, Klapisch, Resnais, Rouan, Balasko, Collard, Dridi, and Kassovitz, with films shown in French and subtitled in English. Discussion topics range across national self-image, the women's movement, sexuality and gender, family and class structure, post-colonial immigration, and the influence of American culture on French life. The course pairs film screenings with readings drawn from French periodicals, and instruction is conducted in French, making it as much a language course as a cultural one. Materials include the syllabus, film list, and assignment readings typical of MIT's OpenCourseWare offerings, with no certificate but full access to the course structure and content.