Walter Benjamin famously described Paris as the 'capital of the nineteenth century'. Nineteenth-century Paris witnessed an explosion of creativity as writers, painters, photographers, musicians and artists in every genre sought to give expressive form to the nature of modern life they saw developing around them.
In this course we will read and examine some of the most important writings and works of this era. Students will explore close reading of texts, art works and musical pieces and how that kind of reading can open up the questions and values of the era. The individuals and topics that will be considered in this course will include: Mercier's Le nouveau Paris and Paris revolutionnaire, the first texts to describe Paris as the epitome of modern life and as the model of revolutionary transformation.
We will also read selections from Balzac's Comedie humaine, Flaubert's L'education sentimentale, Baudelaire's Les fleurs du mal, Rimbaud's B%E2teau ivre, and selections from Proust's A la recherche du temps perdu. Other work we will examine will include the photography of Nadar, impressionism to surrealism and the music of Berlioz. Practical work to be included in the course will include the use of the French collection at the Courtauld Institute.
Period
04-07-2011 - 29-07-2011 (4 weeks)
Target group
The University of Sussex International Summer School welcomes applicants from a wide range of educational backgrounds. Although most of you will be currently enrolled at a university or college, we also welcome applicants who have been away from education for some years, as well as highly committed senior high school students - for some courses a good general education, an open mind and lots of enthusiasm are the main qualifications. For some other courses you will see that prerequisites are listed - applicants for these courses are expected to submit transcripts to demonstrate that they have taken, or are currently taking, the necessary precursors.
Course aim
This is a great opportunity for secondary school students to prepare for college and acquire college credit, which you will usually be able to transfer to a future undergraduate degree. The International Summer School provides an opportunity to meet and study with people from different countries and cultures, on a cosmopolitan campus. The large range of courses on offer allows you to get ahead with credit in core courses, or simply to experiment with something new.
Credits
9.0 ECTS creditsSummer School courses carry 18 credits and last for four weeks. Since the standard annual load for a Sussex student is 120 credits, this means that each course is equivalent to four and a half semester hours or nine ECTS credits. Students can take only one course per session, as the courses are intensive. You can expect to spend 25 to 35 hours each week on your course between attending classes, labs and workshops, as well as time spent outside class preparing the readings and assignments. You can find information about the courses offered by the International Summer School through our course directory or courses by subject pages of our website.
Course fee
GBP 1250Tuition only (one four week session).GBP 2350Tuition only (BOTH four week ISS sessions).
Course leader
Christopher Sykes
Scholarships
The University of Sussex offers a limited number of scholarships for participation in the ISS in the form of partial fee waivers to students from developing countries who have high potential for future leadership in their field of study or career.
University of Sussex
Address: University of Sussex Brighton
Postal code: BN1 9RF
City: Brighton
Country: United Kingdom
Website: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/iss/
E-mail: issoffice@sussex.ac.uk
Phone: 00441273678406
Paris: Literature and Culture 1780 - 1914
