Georgia Southern University Celebrates 14th annual French Week

October 30, 2012

Georgia Southern University invites community members to say “bonjour” to French life during its 14^th annual interdisciplinary French Week activities. Beginning Nov. 7, the campus will host several educational and cultural events celebrating French history and culture, including lectures, a film screening and a dance production.

“French Week allows students, faculty and staff and the community to learn about aspects of France that we don’t get to cover in class,” said Clara Krug, Ph.D., who has coordinated the event from its inception. “It’s wonderful to have the support from departments outside of foreign languages, as it really helps attendees appreciate the different aspects of French culture.”

The French Week celebration kicks off Nov. 7 with “Dada and Surrealism,” a presentation by Julie McGuire, Ph.D., of the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art, at 4 p.m. in the Arts Building. Other lectures include “Religion and the 18^thCentury Enlightenment in France” by Jeffrey Burson, Ph.D., of the Department of History, on Nov. 12; “The Arab Spring: Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia” by Simon Hawkins, Ph.D., of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, on Nov. 13; “Hemingway in Paris” by Dustin Anderson, Ph.D., of the Department of Literature and Philosophy, on Nov. 14; and “Jean-Paul Sartre on Ethics” by Beth Butterfield, Ph.D., of the Department of Literature and Philosophy, on Nov. 15. All lectures are at 4 p.m. in the Nessmith-Lane Conference Center.

Other special events during French Week include a screening of “Le Havre” – a French political fairytale with English subtitles that tells the story of Idrissa, a young African refugee, who is thrown into the path of Marcel, a well-spoken shoe shiner – on Nov. 12 at 7:15 p.m. in the Fielding S. Russell Union Theater and a performance of traditional songs and music from France, Louisiana, and Quebec by Professor Emeritus Jean-Paul Carton, Ph.D., and Dominique Carton on Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the Nessmith-Lane Conference Center.

All French Week activities are free, though there is a cost to participate in the two on-campus French buffets on Nov. 8 and 13 and the “La Table Française” event on Nov. 13 at The Nest. For more information, contact the Department of Foreign Languages at 912-478-5281.

French Week at Georgia Southern University is sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, the Center for International Studies, Eagle Dining Services and the Departments of Art, Foreign Languages, History and Literature and Philosophy.

Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University founded in 1906 offers more than 120 degree programs serving more than 20,000 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. The University is one of the Top 10 most popular universities in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report, and is the top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars. Georgia Southern is recognized for its student-centered approach to education. Visit: www.georgiasouthern.edu