Detail from mural in honour of Abenaki filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin, by Atikamekw artist Meky Ottawa
Photo credit: Olivier Bousquet for MU
Overview
This online course offers opportunities to engage with Francophone Indigenous artists and communities, in Canada and beyond. In accordance with Indigenous methodologies, learners will explore a wide range of examples of contemporary Indigenous artistic expression in literature, the visual arts, and the performing arts, as well as multidisciplinary works. Indigenous artists featured in the course include Tomson Highway, Alanis Obomsawin, Joséphine Bacon, Yves Sioui Durand, Louis-Karl Picard-Sioui, and several others. Students will engage with artworks through close readings of texts, active listening, reflecting on their personal impressions of an artwork, engaging in group discussion, and collaborating on group projects. Learners will learn to examine Indigenous artworks within their broader cultural context by examining key documents and other materials relevant to Indigenous contexts, including the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, and the UNESCO report on the international year of Indigenous languages. Students will acquire and develop context-specific vocabulary, speak and write in grammatically-correct French, and improve their writing style by taking advantage of linguistic resources, such as Antidote. Students will develop the communication skills necessary to work effectively in bilingual settings, whether workplace communication is in French and English or French and an Indigenous language.
NOTE: This course is not intended for fluent French speakers.
NOTE: This course credit will not apply towards a degree program in French Studies.
Learning Outcomes
After successfully completing this course, students will be able to
- Use context-specific French vocabulary related to Indigenous arts and contexts
- Demonstrate that they have understood the meaning of texts, videos, and audio recordings in French.
- Express an opinion and offer a personal reflection or commentary in written French.
- Express ideas clearly and coherently during an oral presentation in French
- Actively participate in a conversation in French on a topic of interest
- Apply the rules of grammar at an intermediate level (as defined by the DELF-B2)
- Use reference works and applications to improve their writing style and edit their work in French
- Identify common themes explored by Indigenous artists
- Identify reference works written in French regarding art and Indigenous contexts