academic program

Academic Program

Rock Creek Bldg. 3, Rm. 223 | 503-614-7151 | FAX: 603-614-7170 | studyabroad@pcc.edu

Courses

Students will take 12 credits of course work from PCC as well as offerings from other colleges participating in the program. Details of all the courses given in the Spring 2009 Paris program will be made available at the Paris information meetings, or you can contact the Study Abroad Office at (503) 614-7151.

The OIEC (Portland Community College, Central Oregon Community College, Chemeketa Community College, Clackamas Community College, Mt. Hood Community College and Rogue Community College) offers this unique program to enable students to study abroad while making normal progress toward their degree objectives, earning 12-15 transferable credits in courses taught by community college faculty and local guest lecturers. This program is offered in conjunction with other community colleges in partnership with the American Institute of Foreign Study (AIFS), which provides transportation, living accommodations, and a wide range of student and instructional support services, including an optional pre-program tour of Europe. Credits earned will appear on transcripts from these fully accredited community colleges.

Beginning Fall 2008, PCC will have standard prerequisites of reading, writing and mathematics for general education courses. The standard prerequisites are:

Successful completion (grade “C” or higher) of WR 115, or placement into WR 121, and
Successful completion (grade “C” or higher) of RD 115, or equivalent test scores, and
Successful completion (grade “C” or higher) of MTH 20 or placement into MTH 60

PCC strongly recommends taking care of any missing prerequisites right away, especially to avoid an issues with study abroad registration. Students can meet with an academic advisor at any academic advising office for help in planning classes and getting questions answered about classes taken at another school. For more information go to the Prerequisites Begin Fall 2008 web page.

Course Offerings:

Students must choose a minimum of 12 credits from among the following course options. Note that both Humanities 199 and French language are required courses that may comprise half of a student’s full load.

HUM 199, French Life and Culture, 2 Credits

All students are required to take this course taught by AIFS faculty in Paris. Two hours per week feature either lectures on French culture or, more often, field trips to historic and artistic sites in and around Paris. Topics include history of Paris, cultural differences, art nouveau walk, French cinema; and field trips to the Louvre, Musee D’Orsay, and Versailles.

French Language (Course number Still to be determined), 4 credits

All students are required to take college-level French four hours weekly at a beginning or higher level (perhaps 103, 201 or 203 will also be offered—depending on students’ prior experience). Taught by adjunct faculty contracted by AIFS in Paris. Emphasizing active communication in French, the first-year course develops students’ basic skills in listening, reading, writing, and speaking. At the 200 level, the course reviews, expands and perfects students’ pronunciation, structure and vocabulary for the purpose of active oral and written communication. Emphasis on writing and reading skills.

The following will be taught by Melissa Manolas, melissa.manolas@pcc.edu, of Portland Community College

Faculty Biography

Melissa earned an M.A. in Comparative Literature at Louisiana State University. Having lived in New Orleans and in France, she incorporates an interest in French colonial influences on American and Caribbean cultures into her teaching and is writing a doctoral dissertation (at LSU) on “Displacement and Creolization in Writings of the American South and the French Caribbean.” In July 2005, she published a collaborative translation of the complete poetic works of the Francophone, Martinican writer Édouard Glissant. She has also taught public speaking, debate, and dramatic performance skills at educational camps at Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley. She has traveled extensively, spending six months in Germany, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia; and two years traveling through England, Scotland, France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece and Turkey. Melissa currently teaches literature and composition courses at Portland Community College, Rock Creek.

Her Courses

WR 240, Creative Writing: Nonfiction, 4 credits

Focuses on creative nonfiction and the writing of essays which use creative writing techniques. The context of study abroad in Paris offers students the opportunity to explore the genre of travel writing in particular; by reading travel writers and working on their own travel narratives, students would gain an understanding of ways to process other cultures, to interpret their experiences as foreigners, and to translate their travels into real knowledge through writing. Some themes would include concepts such as the self and other, national versus cultural identity, and writing in exile.

ENG 254, Survey of American Literature, 4 credits

Concerns the writings about the interests, preoccupations, and experiences of the peoples creating and recreating American culture. By examining the works and lives of American writers who either traveled or relocated to Paris from the eighteenth century to the present, students could trace the French and European influences on American culture and identity through the last three centuries. Focuses on the “Lost Generation” of writers who lived in Paris after World War I until the Great Depression, as well as the large group of African-American personalities who fled to Europe in the 1920’s to escape the violence and racism of the American South and created what was known as “the Harlem of Paris.” Students will have the opportunity to visit the places where these writers created some of their most famous works, as well as benefit from a shared experience of living as an expatriate.

ENG 105, Introduction to Literature: Drama, 4 credits

Enhances enjoyment of plays as literature, increases understanding of the conventions of drama and the theater, and encourages exploration of human experience. For the Paris program, focus on French playwrights from Moliere to Jean Genet. Since Paris has been the epicenter of French drama for centuries, visits to historical sites, museums, and theaters in Paris would enhance students’ understanding of the conventions, history and cultural context behind each text and its playwright.

The following will be taught by Patricia O'Neill, poneill@cocc.edu, of Central Oregon Community College

Faculty Biography **coming soon**

At COCC since 1985, Patricia is now Professor of History, as well as adjunct professor for the University of Oregon at Bend, teaching such courses as Western Civilization, World History, East Asian History, Culture of the Enlightenment and Historiography. She earned a Master’s in Asian History from SUNY, Buffalo, and a Ph.D. in Comparative History (Europe & China) from the University of Washington. After leaving Buffalo, she lived in Taiwan, studying Chinese and teaching English to Chinese businessmen. Patricia met her Dutch husband on Christmas Eve in the hot springs of a Catholic missionary's hostel in the Swiss Alps. They traveled together for several years, through Asia, the Middle East and Europe, and then rambled across the U.S. until they found Bend and decided to stay. Fall quarter she is on a another adventure, teaching for the Semester at Sea program. Look at the link: http://www.semesteratsea.org/ (Fall 2008 voyage) to see details about where they are going now.

Her Courses

History 103, Western Civilization/Modern Europe, 4 credits

This class is designed to be a survey course of the 19th and 20th centuries of Western civilization. The course begins with the Belle Epoque of the late 1800s and then proceeds to look at other changes in European society and culture such as the Depression, totalitarianism and world wars. This course concludes with an analysis of the emergence of the social welfare state in post-World War II Europe.

WS 201, Women of the World/Women in 20th Century European History, 4 credits

History 236 is designed to be an introductory examination of European women’s history in the 20th century. We will focus on a number of selected topics, including the changing meanings and understandings of gender, of family, motherhood and marriage; demographic changes and shifts in female employment; women's involvement in political movements and women's relationship to the state; and women and popular culture. The course readings will provide an overview of women in many European societies, but they will particularly focus on France. Students will examine the ways in which gender shaped the religious experiences, family life, economic roles, and political and legal status of women in 20th century Europe.

HST 298 (**course number still in progress), French Culture and Cuisine, 3 credits

The association between France and food is legendary. A key to understanding French society and history is to explore the way in which French culture is intertwined with the culinary, and has been since the court society of the Ancien Régime. After the French Revolution, French cuisine became a truly modern affair in the public sphere. The invention of the restaurant, the practice of gastronomy, a literature of food, and strong links between French cuisine and national identity all came together in the 19th century. Since the 19th century, French food, featuring both haute cuisine and regional culinary specialties, has been widely considered one of the world’s best, and 20th century nouvelle cuisine kept French culture and cuisine on the world stage.

The course will provide an overview of the history and geography of France, using French cuisine to highlight the cultural and regional differences. It will explain how the geographical, climatic and historical circumstances have shaped and defined culinary frontiers in France.

Weekly Class Schedule

Still to be determined

Time	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday
9:00	ENG 254 9:00-10:40	HST 103 9:00-10:40	ENG 254 9:00-10:40	HST 103 9:00-10:40
10:00	ENG 105 10:50-12:30	WS 201 10:50-12:30	ENG 105 10:50-12:30	WS 201 10:50-12:30
11:00	ENG 105 10:50-12:30	WS 201 10:50-12:30	ENG 105 10:50-12:30	WS 201 10:50-12:30
12:00	Lunch 12:30-1:30	Lunch 12:30-1:30 French 1:50-3:30	Lunch 12:30-1:30	Lunch 12:30-1:30 French 1:50-3:30
1:00	Lunch 12:30-1:30
2:00	WR 240 2:00-5:30
3:00			French Culture 3:00-5:00
4:00		HST 298 3:50-5:30		HST 298 3:50-5:30
5:00
6:00

* There are no classes on Friday.