reflection paper

Write an essay

Your presentation or paper should address a theme from the second half of the course that you find interesting.  For ideas, review chapters 9-23 of Nadeau and Barlow (N-B): French politics, government, culture, legal system, multi-ethnic challenges, and France in Europe.

Suggested topics:

1. From the time of Napoleon I, the French Civil Code placed the family at the center of French society.  Yet the family of today is quite different from what it was in the 19th century.  How is the French State handling these changes?

2. On May 12, 2006, the New York Times published an article entitled “Higher Learning in France Clings to Its Old Ways.” The journalist paints a grim picture of university education in France, quoting one disenchanted graduate of Paris-Nanterre who calls the universities nothing more than factories.  The complaints may be legion, but solutions do not come easy in a society used to having the state pay for everything. What sort of future do you see for young people in France today compared to their American counterparts?

3. A few years ago, a New York Times journalist asked the question: Has France become a museum? To what extent do you believe that France clings excessively to its past and cultural heritage or do you find evidence that the French have achieved — or can achieve — a balance between  preservation and innovation?  Be sure to cite references to document your opinion.

4. Nadeau and Barlow originally began their research in France with the goal of understanding why the French were anti-globalization. They quickly decided that the French weren’t against globalization and set about to discover more of what makes the French the way they are. Write an essay or create a project discussing France’s relationship to globalization. Would you agree with Nadeau and Barlow’s assessment? Why might it appear that the French are resistant to globalization? And what evidence or examples show that this characterization may not be true? What conclusions have you reached after studying French civilization? (Rereading the introduction to Sixty Million Frenchmen, as well as Chapter 23 and the afterword, will give you a good context for this topic.)

If you have another topic in mind, please clear your idea with me first.

Project requirements:

· Papers:  300-500 words (OK if longer) and have at least 3-5 references showing that you researched the topic