Seeing Differently: Transcultural Approaches to Francophone, Italian, and Germanic Studies

1 Course Unit

Studying Francophone, Italian, and Germanic cultures is an exercise in seeing differently. It means stepping outside the norms and preconceived notions of our own culture and approaching the unfamiliar on its own terms. It means learning how the Francophone, Italian, and Germanic linguistic and cultural spheres each have their own histories marked by unique forms of cultural production such as literature, artworks, and films that shape how their speakers perceive and talk about everyday life. It means understanding why French advertising slogans often have 8 or 12 syllables, why Italians might say that something mediocre is "senza infamia e senza lode," and why German satirical cartoons might depict lying politicians as Baron Munchausen hurtling through outer space atop a cannonball. At the same time, these three spheres are continually shaped by exchange and by shared literary, philosophical, and theoretical traditions. To understand Francophone, Italian, and Germanic cultures, we need to understand how all three cultural-linguistic spheres influence each other, borrow from each other, and define themselves in relation to each other, how they see and are seen by each other. We also need to understand these linguistic spheres and their cultures as products of global exchange from the Middle Ages to the colonial and postcolonial eras. By fostering this understanding of foreign language learning as a transcultural enterprise, the FIGS Core Seminar trains students to see differently. Although it is open to all Penn undergraduate students, it is primarily intended to prepare FIGS majors for coursework at the advanced level and independent research. The seminar centers on the study of literary works, films, fine art, and places marked by transcultural exchange between the Francophone, Italian, and Germanic spheres while training students to develop key competencies for foreign language- based study in the humanities. These include close reading, philology, familiarity with relevant philosophical and theoretical frameworks, work with primary or archival sources at the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books, and Manuscripts, training with Penn Library staff in locating and evaluating secondary sources, and training in digital approaches and competencies with the help of Penn Libraries and the Price Lab for Digital Humanities. FIGS Core Seminars are taught in English, and, while FIGS majors will be given priority, enrollment will also be open to other Penn Students. In particular, prospective FIGS majors and French and Francophone Studies, Italian Studies, and German minors will be encouraged to enroll. While FIGS majors may complete the Core Seminar at any time prior to graduation, they will be advised to take it as early as possible, ideally in the spring semester of the first or second year. Spring 1 Course Unit