FREN3333: City of Light and Darkness: 300 Years of Imagining Paris

This course explores how the idea of Paris has changed and stayed the same, from the 1700s to today. We will examine how different generations have imagined Paris as a center of art, modern life, political change, and global culture. Rather than studying each period separately, we will trace connections across time: how earlier images of Paris continue to shape later ones, and how old myths return in new forms. Through literature, film, and historical and cultural essays, we will study how writers and filmmakers have tried to represent the modern city. Topics include urban life, capitalism and consumer culture, revolution and resistance, memory and nostalgia, immigration, terrorism, and debates about national identity. By the end of the course, students will see Paris not simply as a place, but as an evolving idea that reflects broader questions about modernity and today's most pressing global issues. The course is taught in French. prereq: FREN 3101W or instructor permission

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