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Toulouse and Bordeaux History
and Civilization in Southwest France, with trip to France (May 12-20,
2009) This course will be an introduction to French literature and civilization in the lesser-known but fascinating region of Southwest France, including the ancient provinces of Languedoc and Aquitaine. Emphasis will fall on writers and movements connected to this historical region: the troubadours of medieval France, Montaigne, Montesquieu, Paul Valéry, and François Mauriac. We will become acquainted with the history of the French Cathars and the Albigensian Crusades as well as more modern French history, and we will discuss the art of Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, in preparation for our visit to his birthplace and the museum dedicated to his work At the end of the semester, we will study the writers sur place, (in the place where they lived or were born) during a study tour to the major cultural centers of Toulouse and Bordeaux. In Toulouse, we will discover churches and castles dating from the Middle Ages and then experience twenty-first century technology by visiting Airbus, the headquarters of the European aerospace industry. There will be excursions to the medieval fortress towns of Albi and Carcassonne, and visits to the picturesque villages of Gaillac and Cordes-sur-Ciel. We will then travel to Bordeaux, with its famous Garonne River, beautiful churches and the Château de la Brède. We will include a stop in the medieval town of Saint-Emilion, world-famous for its vineyards and one of UNESCO's "world heritage" sites. The tour will take place immediately following exams in the spring and will return in time for graduation. Open to graduate and undergraduate students. Students may choose to participate solely in the foreign-study portion of the course, but will receive less credit.
Price approx. $2709; $400 by 12/15, add. $400 by 1/15, balance by 2/15
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