I was living in France in 1999-2000 when the millennium was all the rage. On the occasion of the turn of the new century (yes, a year early), I picked up a copy of a compilation CD called Les plus grandes chansons du siècle. I still have it and indeed, it has many classics, one...Read more »
Sometimes the objectives of a course require the viewing of a full-length film in class. For example, in a writing class I have used La Fille sur le pont (1999) and Vipère au poing (2004) as the basis for an assignment on writing a critical review. But in the language classroom, where it’s more...Read more »
It was recently brought to my attention that the journal Modern & Contemporary France is offering articles for free. Many of the subjects are relevant for a course in French civilization, post-revolutionary French history, or literature. In preparing for a civilization course I’ll be teaching in the spring, I was particularly drawn to the following...Read more »
Michel Fugain’s 1972 song “Une Belle Histoire” has become a classic ballad of summer vacation, travel, and youth. The musical style is pretty dated, but that only adds to the kitchy fun of the song. It also happens to use several forms of the past tense, so I created one of my signature fill-in-the-blanks...Read more »
Using crossword puzzles in the classroom can run the risk of seeming too juvenile. I picked up a couple of crossword vocabulary books in Paris and admittedly, their target audience is probably around the age of ten or twelve, with cartoon illustrations and very basic topics (safari animals, going to the movies, etc.) But as...Read more »
Have you noticed that something as quotidien as handwriting can vary dramatically between those schooled in France and in the U.S., even though we use the same characters? It seems so trivial, but a font can immediately remind you of a particular cultural milieu. If you want to nurture your inner graphic designer, lend...Read more »
In spite of the very public criticism of Google Books by the administrators of the Bibliothèque Nationale, the latter has engaged for years in a similar digitization project called Gallica. Ironically, you can often find texts on Gallica that are not available on Google Books because Google cannot publish full-text documents if there is...Read more »
You may want to file this one under “The Obvious,” but this was a revelation for me: After many years of piles collecting and covering every flat surface in my surroundings, I’ve finally settled on a way to keep my course materials, lesson plans, and grading all in one place. This is my table-top...Read more »
The Google Books project – like that of the Bibliothèque Nationale’s Gallica site – has revolutionized the way we find and access texts, particularly those with expired copyright and available in full-text format. To make the most of this tool, the Advanced Book Search function is invaluable, so that you can sift through the...Read more »
