FREN 349B France and Europe:  Ambiguities, Obstacles and Triumphs

In this course, we will investigate the tensions that arise as France commits more deeply to membership in the European Union.   Readings will be drawn from a variety of disciplines, including texts by historians, political scientists, sociologists and economists.

We will begin with an introduction to various social, cultural and political aspects of contemporary France and the French, with a focus on certain “Franco-French” concerns that may not be readily understood from an American perspective.

As anyone who has recently visited a French bookstore can attest, France has become increasingly introspective, wondering what role it can and should play in the twenty-first century.  Faced with the pressures of globalization, many French people are wondering whether France can remain an important force in international commerce and a significant voice in international politics without jeopardizing traditional French ways and the “exceptionalism” of French culture.

These growing anxieties will set the stage for our analysis of France’s role in the European Union.  This is a particularly exciting time to be studying France’s role in Europe, as the following pressing issues come to the forefront:

1. What effect has the incorporation of ten new member-states in summer 2004 and two more in January 2007 had on France’s role in the European Union?  In discussions with the United States over the war in Iraq, ideological splits within Europe became increasingly pronounced, primarily between Eastern Europe and the “Old Europe” of the West.  How does this affect the character of diplomatic relations between Europe and the rest of the world?  Is it possible for the expanded European Union speak with a single voice?

2. How will Europe deal with issues of immigration and citizenship as borders become longer and more remote and as the economic divide between Europe and poor countries outside its borders grows?

3. With Europe’s focus on commercial exchange, are environmental policies, civil rights issues, social programs and cultural policy being neglected?

4. Finally, to what extent are the campaigns for the French presidential elections of 2007 being shaped by European issues?  What attitudes will the new administration have toward its relationship with Europe? 

In the end, we will see that many of France’s anxieties and hopes for the Union are shared by other European nations, but that France is also experiencing membership in the European Union differently from its neighbors, in ways that reflect its unique history and culture.

Works studied will include:
L’Europe en perspective. La Documentation française, 2000
La construction européenne, 4ème edition, André Gauthier, 2005
L’Europe pour les nuls, Sylvie Goulard, 2007
Regards croisés sur l’Europe, Michel Albert (dir), 2005

Because much of the course will focus on current issues, many of the readings will come from the internet.  The class meetings will be organized in a seminar format, which means that group discussions will be just as important as lectures.