Information Session:
Want to study abroad in France? Participate in the Global Seminar “FREN 395: The French Revolution: History, Myth, and Fiction“.
Attend the Information Session to learn more on Wednesday, October 30 from 1-2 PM in Buchanan Tower, Room 726.
About the Global Seminar:
FREN 395—The French Revolution: History, Myth, and Fiction (3 credits)
Location: France (Paris, Lyon, Vizille)
Dates: May 12-June 8, 2025
Language of instruction: French (students must have a minimum proficiency level of A2 to enroll, i.e. FREN 202 or equivalent)
Application deadline: December 5, 2024
The French Revolution of 1789 left a profound mark on the French imagination. As a foundational rupture, it inspired a considerable amount of discourse aimed at recounting, explaining, and commenting on this event, which sought to break free from the old order and build a new world. Novels, poems, songs, plays, newspapers, engravings, and pamphlets published during the decade of 1789-1799 attempted to capture this revolution as much as they contributed to its mythologization. More than two centuries later, the representation of this political and social upheaval remains a significant aspect of French identity. Historians, writers and filmmakers continue to share the duty of questioning these years of euphoria and violence to give them meaning for the present.
Through a combination of visits of historical landmarks and museums, and the study of authentic 18th-century documents and contemporary fictions, this course aims to equip students with the necessary tools to better understand this event, its legacy, and the debates around its diverse interpretations. It also seeks to provoke a general reflection on the relationships between history and fiction and on the recurring debates surrounding the representations given to the origins and repercussions of this period in French history.
