Reader Response 11

Respond to the film, Le Hérisson, screened in class.  How does this film inform your understanding of French culture? Does it change your opinion of French culture? Do you see any similarities between French culture as depicted in the film and your own?

Reader Response 10

Assignment: In Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong, read the chapter assigned below. Write a response, following the Reader Response Guidelines (above). React to and comment upon at least two of your classmates responses.
Chapter 11: “Since local powers are seen as a threat to France’s unity, the French government systematically strips local communities of their political liberties” (146).  Why? How does this statement fit in with what you have learned in previous chapters? Compare and contrast this model with your knowledge of the US.

Reader Response 9

Assignment: In Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong, read the chapter assigned below. Write a response, following the Reader Response Guidelines (above). React to and comment upon at least two of your classmates responses.

Chapter 10:  What did you learn about jobs in France?

Reader Response 8

Assignment: In Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong, read Chapter 9 (omit Ch. 8) . Write a response, following the Reader Response Guidelines (above). React to and comment upon at least 2 of your classmates responses.

 Chapter 9:  How is the French state absolutist?

Reader Response 7

Assignment: In Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong, read the chapters assigned below. Write a response, following the Reader Response Guidelines (above). React to and comment upon your at least 2 of your classmates responses.  In your response, please ALSO include a response to the article by Elmhurst French minor, Emily Winkler: https://www.theodysseyonline.com/foreign-language-helped-anxiety?ref=fb   

Chapter 7:  How is the policy of assimilation related to France’s experience in World War II?

Reader Response Instructions

Over the course of the semester, you are required to submit a series of reader responses pertaining to the assigned cultural readings in English about France. The responses (written in English) are short literature reviews in which you are expected to analyze the text in the context of other class materials. You will turn in these assignments on the class Reader Response Blog, at no later than 9:15 am on the dates indicated on the syllabus schedule.   

The responses will be 250-300 words in length. Grammatical accuracy is expected; therefore, carefully proofread your copy before submitting it. It is highly suggested that you first type your response in Microsoft Word or Google Docs (SAVING it in Google drive or another safe storage location) before copying and pasting your work into the blog. You must submit the assignment through the blog; no emailed or hard-copy versions will be accepted.  The assignments are worth 5% of your overall course grade.

In order to receive full credit, your responses must contain the following five parts:

1. Briefly outline the main points in the reading. This introduction to your response should be no longer than a sentence or two.
2. Discuss and critique the author’s thesis. Is the argument valid? Is there enough supporting evidence for the claims?
3. Compare and contrast the text with what you have learned in class or any previous knowledge that you have about France. How is the vision of France in this text similar or different?
4. What is your reaction to the reading?  What have you learned? What surprises you? What would you like to learn more about? Would you recommend this passage to others?

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5. Critical Engagement and Community Discussion:  read and respond to posts from at least 2 classmates.

If you are short on inspiration (or simply stuck!), the discussion questions will help guide your critical reflections.

Reader Response 1

Assignment: In Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong, read the chapters assigned below. Write a response, following the Reader Response Instructions (see previous post). React to and comment upon at least 2 of your classmates responses.

Introduction and Chapter 1: Nadeau and Barlow write on page 4: "One of our first breakthroughs in understanding France: it is impossible to disassociate the past from the present." Explain this statement in the context of what you have read.