Category: La Une in English Page 4 of 17

Editors: Elizabeth and Titi.

Does a Romantic France Exist? This is the big question of a large amount of students from Dickinson.

One student expressed her sentiments on the question by saying, “Before my trip here and trips within France, I absolutely kept an image of France like a country totally in rose [colored goggles], where everybody is in love and it rains baguettes.” In addition, we also thought that France was a country where the social aspect of politics was more to the left. Due to our education style in America, and the representations of France in the media, we also thought that the France was filled with art, large cathedrals like Notre-Dame in Paris, grand intellectuals, and Parisian style. The most significant example is the fact that we have an obsession with Paris, French fashion, the French language, and the French people – for example, take the fact that a lot of American women find the accents of French men to be very beautiful and romantic.

A French Racism and an American Racism?

In France, we often hear discussions around social inequalities rather than racism and discrimination. People often differentiate between American racism and French racism. But it is necessary that one understand that the ideology of racism was not only created in the U.S. Racism is just one of the many consequences of individuals using religion for their own selfish ambitions across the globe – it is the reason why Europeans sought to discover the world, because they believed it was their right to conquer unbelievers. This not only signifies that racism exists in France, that is why French racism seems to be different than that of the U.S. Many of the students at Caousou said that racism is not one of the topics incorporated into the curriculum they are taught. We can guess that this is because of the lack of statistical data concerning the representation of race and or ethnicities and religious groups found in the French population and on French soil and the conversations related to these details, hence why there are more evident examples of racism. At the Musée de l’homme in Paris, there were short general definitions of racism without solutions or new ideas. The problem with this kind of exposition is that it infantilizes the public without helping them to reflect and think deeply about their respective actions. Perhaps the reason there are, what one can consider, review definitions of racism is because there are not enough conversations about it in schools. In our opinion, it is important to have conversations about racism.

What is “European Hair?”

In particular, the experience of a Nigerian-American female student from Dickinson at a French hair salon opened our eyes to a different reality than that of the majority of students on our Dickinson program. Three weeks ago she went to the hair salon to get her hair blown out. She called the hair salon before going to find out if they did natural afro-black hair and they responded to her saying that they do. When she arrived to the hair salon, she was not welcomed to the salon and she ended up going home without having her hair done because they did not know how to do natural afro-black hair. She told us “One of the many comments the hairdresser made before I left the salon, was that “afro hair is too complicated to teach to our students, so if they want to learn about it they’ll have to do a special program after receiving their diploma here… We do European hair.”” Hence, the question of the day is: what is European hair?

Religious Identity and Secularism

France historically is Catholic, which you can see from the presence of Catholic holidays. It still remains a country fundamentally Catholic, but which calls itself “secular.” A more specific aspect is the physical presence of the Church and its effect on French daily life. The French are not just Atheists and Catholics, but also Muslims, Jewish, Protestants, Buddhists, etc. So a student met a man at a bus stop and he began to discuss at random with him. He recounted, “Almost immediately during our conversation, the man identified himself as being “rebeu” [this is a slang word to describe the third generation of the large wave of North African immigration in France] and that he was ex-French military. We talked about his military career and a few minutes later he asked me:

“Are you feuj?”

“Huh?” I responded.

“Feuj” he repeated.

“What does that mean?” I asked him.

“Feuj! Jewish!” He retorted to me. “You look a little Jewish!”

On paper, “laïcité” is meant to guarantee the republic equality in the government and in society as a whole. However, in the discussions that we have today it is clear to us that there is always a debate on the definition of this concept of “laïcité” and how it is being practiced in French society.

So… does the romantic conception of France exist? Yes and no. France is a more complicated country to understand than others for Americans who hold a very naïve perception. There are social challenges that are impressive according to the feedback from students who are living in Toulouse for a semester, because their approach to Toulouse life isn’t only that of an observer, but also that of an ethnologist. The students on the program have marking experiences during their daily life that open their eyes to the reality of French society.

Editors : Anna, Emma, Sophie, Charlie and Josh

Sine their arrival in France, the students have had the opportunity to explore Toulouse and sometimes other cities. Be it that they’re themselves from Boston, or from rural Pennsylvania, it’s always interesting to observe the urban space in France, and to notice the differences with the urban space in the US. Our editors have gathered their observations about Toulouse and some other Southern cities.

Public Parks and Sustainability in the City

During our time in Toulouse, we spend a lot of time in public gardens, specifically Compans Cafarelli Park and Grand Rond Park. Each park has its own identity, but it shares commonalities that influence and exhibit the values of Toulousain society.

Compans Cafarelli Park is close to the Dickinson Center, and it that includes greens spaces, walking paths, benches, and a variety of flowers and trees; a stereotypical garden. On this day in late September, we went the to park around 1 o’clock and so there were many people who were eating their lunches outside thanks to the nice weather. The park goers represent a collection of humanity – people of all genders, ages, religions and races – who come together in the park. In the background, shopping malls and apartment buildings are visible, which function as a reminder that work is always present. Given that it was the afternoon and the weather was pleasant, people took advantage of spending time in the park before the winter weather came. Their actions highlight the importance of having time for oneself as well as the importance of communal spaces within French society.

Public gardens offer a variety of ways to live a holistic and sustainable life. By offering a juxtaposition between the fast-paced city life and an ecological way of life, public parks allow the possibility for us to respect ourselves, humanity in its entirety, and the earth.

We observed the public composting system in the Grand Rond Park in Toulouse. Composting is a system to reduce the waste inherent in food preparation or landscaping. In Toulouse, composters are installed in the Jardin des Plantes, Grand Rond Park, and Royal Park.

“Is the ‘Pink City’ Green?” is the title of a program that Prof. Ngong created with Dickinson, and it’s a question we ask ourselves often. The answer is complicated. The university and the city encourage us to use public bikes and to take advantage of farmer’s markets. Are the French aware of environmental problems? In general, yes.

The French are more ready to take public transport or to choose organic produce than Americans, but there are aspects of their daily life that do not correspond to the goal of a sustainable life. Smoking is a habit that produces a lot of waste; moreover, smokers often throw their cigarette butts on the sidewalk, rather than in a receptacle. Coffee to go is becoming more acceptable, but here we only rarely see travel mugs. Bring your own mug is an understood concept in the USA, but not yet here!

Is Toulouse green? No, because all modern cities have an enormous impact on the environment and the climate. But it is true that Toulouse makes an effort to minimize its footprint through increased public transport and various initiatives. This provides a model for others and offers possibilities for improvement. In coming together in a public green space with people of all ages, the French partake of communal life and think about the future.

Communal spaces play an important role in French culture because they bring together people for a common purpose. Of course there are different objectives for public parks and squares (such a Place Saint George and Place Saint Pierre), but there is the collective goal of reuniting people. Therefore, the display of humanity shows the richnesses as well as the challenges within French society. These spaces create occasions for people of all backgrounds to come together, which can generate conflict, but moreover promote contact and cooperation.

Popular Spaces: The Market and the Train Station

During our travels, we largely explored the Midi Region of France, Charlie to Biarritz and Josh to Narbonne. Although our destinations were different; both of us got the chance to see different elements of French cities that thoroughly illustrated the convivial aspect of everyday French life.

For Charlie, the market in Biarritz was first and foremost an excellent microcosm of differents aspects of the city. For those who might not know, Biarritz is well known throughout France as a premiere vacation destination, and a surfing hotspot. For him however; one of the main draws was the market in town, Les Halles of Biarritz. Upon visiting Saturday morning, it was very easy to observe the touristic side of the city, as they were one of hundreds of different tourists walking around the market. Secondly; however, the market provided him a chance to see, and obviously to taste, a few basque specialties. He especially like “le fromage de brebis”, and a glass or two of sagarno, a basque apple wine. Though its touristic side and its basque side were certainly on full display at the market, there could be no mistaking that Biarritz was through and through a French city to it’s core.

To elaborate, Biarritz offered Charlie a more positive side of “la mission civilisatrice” in France. Although the city has an undeniable Basque side, it was through the progressive building of classic French structures, la Corniche along the Beach, les Halles Marketplace, and the unmissable Hotel du Palais built for Napoleon III that quite literally cemented this city’s French character. More recently, France has been able to integrate the Basque region of France more fully into the rest of the country by the sheer exchange of French tourists every year that descend upon its beautiful beaches, spending in their stores, their restaurants, and booking their apartments. In other words, Biarritz seems like an excellent way to both balance traditional “French” culture with one of the many other cultures that are found in France, be they Basque, Catalan, or German for instance. The continued economic integration of a city seems to be an excellent blueprint for the harmonious coexistence of both. Who knew markets could be so educational!

During Josh’s trip to Narbonne, he met several French travelers both on the train and at the station. Overall, people were very friendly, frequently initiating and engaging in conversation. After the initial greeting, Josh would continue the conversation, explaining that he is an American spending two semesters in France and taking courses at Sciences Po Toulouse. At this point, the discussion would revitalize as the travelers would ask questions about American politics, economics or his overall experience living abroad in France. Despite the diversity of opinions, all of the travelers shared a common sentiment; that they were delighted to see an American speaking their own language.

Although both of them visited very different places, both locales provided them the opportunity to see a different side of French culture. In visiting Biarritz, Charlie saw the way in which cities can retain their local and regional personality, in this case Basque, all the while fully being “French”, just by visiting the market! At the Narbonne train station, Josh ran into several French people, providing a meaningful opportunity for cultural exchange on subjects like the economy, politics, and his time in Toulouse. Most strikingly, this was done in a way that was far warmer and friendlier than any stereotypes about the French would have you believe.

Editors: Andrea, Gisele, Julien, Rafaela and Emily.

“If everything’s determined at school, it’s time we heard the distress call
Let’s not let there be the gap of a two-tier education system.”
Grand Corps Malade, “Éducation nationale” (2010).

Here we are! The Dickinson Center has reopened for Fall 2017, and the students are discovering a new school system step by step. Between registering, chosing classes, and visiting the various campuses and the city, they are already actively immersing themselves in the famous labyrinth of French back-to-school days.

For some, hoxever, the start of classes is a bit slow to arrive. To remedy the impatience of finding themselves in the classroom with their French peers, they’re making use of their free time to do some volunteer work at the Caousou school. For two weeks, they have been stepping in English classes and running “English Tables” with the students, all the while discorvering the French educational system. Thanks to this rewarding experience, our editors have been able to gather some insightful observations on the cultural aspects of French scools, as well as on the social realities that charactarize them.

Cultural differences up to our plates

Last week we helped English teachers at the Caousou, a Jesuit private school which is located in a mainly residential neighborhood of Toulouse. The Caousou is comprised of an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school, but for our volunteer work, we focused mainly on students attending the middle and high school. Each day at the school involved different activities, but we often went to English classes either alone or with another American student where we would speak in English with students. The students would ask us questions regarding our lives in the United States, our families, our studies, and our preferences. At certain points, we would help students to study for their exams for a program entitled “Academica,” in which French students would receive their baccalaureat degree as well as an American high school diploma at the end of their studies.

We noticed several cultural differences between the Caousou and US schools. One of them is the way lunch breaks and meals are organized in both countries, since they represent cultural habits that vary from one country to another. In contrast to the United States, where lunch breaks are usually 30-45 minutes, students in France often get up to two hours to eat and chat with friends. Further, they even have the option to return home before coming back to class. Almost all the students that we observed ate at the cafeteria rather than bringing a sandwich from home. The cafeteria meals at the Caousou were fairly balanced and varied, with a choice of salad, cheese, and baguette, as well as a choice between two main dishes and a dessert or fruit. On the other hand, students in the United States often have fewer choices and the meal options are often greasy or too sugary, like hamburgers or chocolate pudding.

The importance of learning languages

Another main difference that we noticed is the importance given to foreign language education at the Caousou. Throughout our time there, it was easy to see Caousou’s appreciation for learning foreign languages. In the school, students begin to learn a foreign language at a young age. In general each student in the Caousou learns at least two languages. But the most shocking thing, is the amount of options given to the students to become better at these languages. In this way, the Caousou is a bit of an exception compared to other schools in France. Caousou offers not only immersive language classes but also a big selection of language options. Students can choose between Chinese, German, Latin, Greek, English, Spanish, and Italian.

Because of all these options, students can learn up to three or four languages! However, it is very common for the students at Caousou to choose English for one of their languages. This choice of English shows the value the school and French society place on it. This can be seen not only in the education structure, but also in how the students regard the English language. Many students at Caousou believe that it will not only help in the future, but also that it is a universal language.

The way of teaching is consequently very different compared to the United States. In the United States, the students start their second language such as French or Spanish in elementary or middle school. The students are not required to take a third language. Therefore, at the end of highschool, if you compared the level of language between the American students who learn to speak French and the French students who learn to speak English, there is an enormous difference.

Not a “typical” French school

To say the least, we were very impressed with the quality of education at the Caousou. However, our conversations with the teachers made us realize that schools like the Caousou are an exception in France. Even though French schools place a high level of importance on the mastery of another language, the Caousou is unique because of its large range of options due to programs like Non-Linguistic Discplines (NDL). The objective of NDL courses is to offer a specialized course in a subject, which is taught entirely in another language. These are meant for high school students with a high level of language who want to take these courses as electives. The benefit of NDL courses is that the student can recieve honors when they take the baccaleaureate exam (equivalent of SAT in the USA). The Caousou also organizes educational trips for the students who study another language to help them improve their language skills.

The experience of a typical student at the Caousou is very different from the experience of a French public-school student, which slam-poet and rapper, Grand Corps Malade, explains in his song “Éducation nationale.” According to him, the schools in his disadvantaged Parisian neighborhood lacked resources, the students were less respectful towards their teachers, and the general attitude towards education was rather negative. The Caousou school is unique in the sense that it has more resources and opportunities than poorer or less privileged schools. When comparing public and private schools in France, we can see the educational inequalities that exist in the country. In a future study, it would be interesting to compare the differences between public and private schools in the United States, as well as the differences between public and private schools in France, as there also exists multiple inequalities between American schools.