French 408

Literature and Cinema of Immigration

Prof. Joëlle Vitiello
Humanities 107C
vitiello@macalester.edu

Literature and Cinema of Immigration explores the diversity of France through its immigrant population. After studying and discussing the history and composition of immigration in France, we will look at cultural productions, especially literature, films, music and art as well as documentation about contemporary issues in French society associated with immigration. We will look at various cities in France (Marseilles, Lyon, and Paris as well as their suburbs), and contextualize the current situation regarding French and European laws as well as study the 2005 youth riots in France. We will take into account gender, class, and race issues as well as language issues.

• We will read the Poets of the Negritude movement, essays and texts by and about former tirailleurs, novels by Congolese, Algerian, Cameroonian writers as well as literature by second and third generation immigrants (Beur literature) as well as Caribbean and Asian texts.
• Films will include Les gens des baraques, La Ballade des sans-papiers, Douce France, Le Gône du Chaaba, La promesse, Samia, Welcome, and La dette.
• Music will include rap, slam, and raï.
• We will also study the importance of images in particular in ads as well as laws of immigration and newspapers articles.

This course is taught in French.
Prerequisites: French 306 or instructor's signature.

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