French Canada 2010
Introduction
The 2010 study abroad program to Québec Province, Canada, will be conducted June 5-20, with class time beginning May 24 at ASU and concluding June 25 on campus. It will provide about 25 undergraduate students with an opportunity to study the role of France and French-speaking immigrants in North America as well as the role of language in shaping national and ethnic identities and the effects of language legislation and policy.
Studying in Québec will also allowstudents to understand both the contribution of the French to North American history and the effects of language upon that history.
Québec is distinct in that the preferred language is French. With the possible exception of New Orleans in certain quarters, it is the only socio-political entity in North America where that is true. Further, the French colonial experience is quite different from the English experience, and traveling to Québec provides students an opportunity to study artifacts pertinent to the early fur trade and its practitioners, both native and French; Jesuit missionaries’ work among natives; and the French architectural influence that followed colonists down the St. Lawrence River.
Students’ daily experience in a Francophone environment will also inform a discussion of the role of language in the claiming of ethnic and national identity, of language policy and of language legislation. These topics are of interest to our students who are exploring issues of ethnicity, particularly Mexican-American identities, and currently in light of the "English as Official Language" movement.
Summary Facts
- Summer Session I
- Travel Dates: June 5-20, 2010. The class also requires time on the ASU campus beginning May 24 and will finish at ASU June 25.
- Six semester hours of undergraduate credit
- Application deadline: Nov. 20, 2009
Courses
Students will enroll in two courses and earn six credit hours.
ISTD 4381: French Colonization of North America, 1603-1763. A course considering an alternative to the English colonial period often studied carefully in both high school and college. Here, students will be introduced to French colonial ambitions and strategies, the interaction of French and native people in the fur trade and through Catholicism, and the fate of the French in North America following military engagement with England in the Seven Years’ War. Instructor: Dr. David Dewar.
ISTD 4381: Topics in Sociolinguistics - Language and Identity. An overview of the role of language in constructing identity, particularly the effect of language legislation on language use. Topics include language and the law in Canada, multilingual U.S.A., Spanish in Los Estados Unidos, code switching, indigenous/aboriginal languages, linguistic pride and prejudice. Leading question: What happened in history that one can be a Mexican-American without speaking any Spanish at all, but one can’t be Québécois without speaking fluently that particular variety of French? Instructor: Dr. Karen Cody.
Itinerary
The program schedule will be available as soon as details are formalized. The schedule is subject to revision as additional details of the travel schedules, excursions and special arrangements for meetings with business, government and university representatives are developed in consultation with faculty and administrative officers of the host university.
All program participants must have adequate health and accident insurance coverage in case of emergencies or other needed medical care. Students will be required to obtain International Student Identification Cards that will provide medical, death and discount benefits. Participants must provide the directors with a copy of the policy number and company name of their insurance policy.
Student Eligibility
Undergraduate Students:
- Must be a full-time ASU student for two consecutive semesters at time of application
- Must have completed 30 hours of course work at time of application
- Must have cumulative GPA of 2.75
Faculty Leadership
The program will be co-directed by Dr. David Dewar, assistant professor of history, and Dr. Karen Cody, associate professor of French and Spanish. Both co-directors have been actively involved in international education programs at other institutions.
While at the University of Kansas, Dewar directed a semester-long study abroad program to Florence and Paris as well as three spring break programs to London. He initiated the London program.
While Cody has never directed a program, she has participated in both summer and academic year study abroad programs and has facilitated summer programs abroad for high school students.
