FREN 356 - Discovering Champagne: The World in a Glass

FC ARHU CD

4 credits
This summer immersion course on Champagne–the drink and the region–is for students who wish to study the French language through an engagement with culture and the natural world. Students will learn the history of champagne production and consumption, the relevant sense of ritual and ceremony, the cultivation and use of the region’s natural resources, and the promotion of champagne as fashion and luxury. These discussions will address experimentation, gender politics, business and legal practices, tourism, and especially climate change–not to mention the historical personnages who called attention to them in the first place (i.e., Louis XIV and Napoléon). No other region in France has witnessed the same degree of bloodshed, disruption, and change as Champagne, particularly during the modern period since the French Revolution, and yet a regional identity endures. From our on-site perch among les Champenois, we will understand le terroir–France’s name for the sense of place through food and drink–that characterizes Champagne’s namesake sparkly delight. Taught in French. Field trip(s) required.

Prerequisites: FREN 301.

Sustainability