A Message from Susan

Wednesday, Oct. 29
Please read the following. The first URL is for Daniel Chandler's book, Semiotics, which he has put on the web free of charge. The second is from Roland Barthe's Mythologies. It will be easier to understand after reading Chandler because you will one of the images that Barthes discusses on Chandler's site, AND you will have some background.

• http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/
  Read the Introduction, the chapter Signs, and the chapter Denotation, Connotation and Myth.
• Read at least Parts I & II of the following selections from Barthes' Mythologies.
  http://www.ic.ucsc.edu/~ltmo128/barthesmyth1.html
  If the background is bothersome, you can "select all" "copy" and "paste" onto a word document for easier reading.

You Need These!
These are large PDF files, so you may want to come to campus or use a computer with a fast connection to download and print these. Also, you need Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or higher to view these files.

• Outram, Dorinda. (1987). Le langage mal de la vertu. In: Peter Burke and Rox Porter. The Social History of the Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Blanchot, Maurice. (1965). Sade. from Justine, Philosophy in the Bedroom, and Other Writings. New York: Grove Press.

These links will soon be moved to their respective due dates below. The article by Blanchot above is already linked below. Also, these PDF files are passwork protected. Contact a member of the faculty for the password.

Also, here's a link of general interest: http://www.pollyplatt.com/pages/USFrenchFriction.htm

Due Dates: Week One Monday: "The Gods Will Have Blood" Week Two Monday: "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" Chapters 1 & 2 Wednesday: selection from Roland Barthes Week Three Monday: "Marat/Sade," "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" Chapter 3, and "Sade" by Maurice Blanchot. {This is a very large file, so download it at a computer with high-speed internet.} Week Four Monday: "Black Jacobins" by CLR James, and "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" Chapter 4 Week Five Week Six Monday: Romantic poetry handouts Week Seven Monday: Baudelaire selections, TBA Wednesday: Linguistics reading TBA Week Eight Wednesday: Take-home exam will be distributed today in class. Week Nine Monday: "Madness and Civilization" by Foucault. EXAM IS DUE TODAY AT 9:00AM. Week Ten Monday: "The Village of Cannibals" by Alain Corbin.

Assignment Information: The following assignments are the specific work for the all-program sessions. There will also be seperate assignments for french sections and seminars that you will need to keep track of and complete. Readings: Each week there will be all-program readings. These must be completed by the date indicated in the syllabus. Failure to complete readings or participate in workshops will jeopardize credit. Attendance: Attendance is mandatory. Students who miss more than 2 all-program lectures/workshops during the quarter will jeopardize their credit. You are responsible for signing the sign-in sheets each day. Written Workshop Assignments: Workshop assignments will be announced each week. These assignments must be completed each week and typed up and placed in a folder to be turned in with your portfolio at the end of the quarter. Late or incomplete workshop assignment folders will not be accepted. Take-Home Exam: The take-home essay exam will handed out to be completed during Thanksgiving Break. It will consist of questions to be answered in 2-4 typed pages each. The questions will cover All-Program material, and one additional question specific to the seminar to which you belong. This exam is due Monday, December 1, at 9:00am. No late exams will be accepted.