The Rise of France: French Literature, Culture, and Society from the Beginnings to 1789

This course is designed to give a historical overview of Early Modern France while providing advanced language training. Studying period documents, as well as literary and artistic material, we will examine the complex four-century period known as "Ancien Régime", during which France experienced major changes in its social and political structure: a series of civil wars, the rise of a centralized government, deep shifts in social hierarchies, and the milestone event of the French Revolution. Topics include: courtly love, the Wars of Religion, the Enlightenment, the French Revolution and terror.