Eligibility and Course Descriptions

PREREQUISITES

Completion or exemption of the Carleton French language requirement. Preference will be given to candidates who have demonstrated their interest in Africa through previous coursework or living (volunteer, internship, etc.) experience in Africa or the developing world in general.

 

COURSE OF STUDY, 18 CREDITS

All courses will be taught in French. The following courses will be required of all the participants:

FREN 290-17: Directed Reading (2 credits) S/Cr/NC

Directed reading during the month of December 2011 (winter break) on Malian history and culture.
Instructor: Professor Chérif Keïta

 

FREN 250-07: Film and Society in Mali (6 credits)

This course will concentrate on the
dynamics of traditional orality within the art of cinema in Mali. Feature films and documentaries by award-winning filmmakers such as Souleymane Cissé, Cheick Oumar Sissoko, Adama Drabo, Dany Kouyaté, and Abderrahmane Sissako will be screened and analyzed. Discussions with some of these filmmakers will introduce the student to the challenges and successes of filmmaking in economically-challenged countries such as Mali and Burkina Faso.
Instructor: Staff

 

FREN 251-07: NEGOTIATING THE PAST: The Challenges of Nation-Building in Mali (4 credits)

This course will look at various issues in Malian history, (ancient and modern), and the process of political and economic change. A component of this course will be an introduction to conversational Bambara, the lingua franca of Mali.
Instructors: Faculty from local universities

 

FREN 252-07: LITERATURE AND SOCIETY IN MALI (6 credits)

This course will focus on the theme of social change in different genres of Malian literature, from the colonial period to the present. By studying oral and written works by traditional and modern poets, novelists, and playwrights such as Seydou Badian and Massa Makan Diabaté, Moussa Konaté, and Amadou Hampaté Bâ, the student will get an understanding of issues such as education, marriage, and traditional vs. modern political power in contemporary Malian society. Meetings will be arranged with many writers and oral performers.
Instructor: Professor Chérif Keïta with Malian teaching assistants.