North America through French Eyes
MIT course examining how France and the French have viewed North American culture since the eighteenth century, taught entirely in French. Materials include literature, comics, television series, and political debates that trace France's shifting stance toward Canada and the United States, from praise to criticism. Themes covered include liberalism, entertainment and media, trade in cultural goods, transatlantic intellectual exchange, and translation. The course is led by Bruno Perreau, Cynthia L. Reed Associate Professor of French Studies at MIT, and draws on MIT OpenCourseWare's published syllabus and readings. It suits students with strong French reading and discussion skills who want to understand the long, ambivalent relationship between French intellectual life and North American society, rather than a general survey of French culture alone.