FAS 101: Introduction to Franco American Studies
[fulfills the Cultural Diversity and Social Context gen ed requirements]
In this class, we learn about what it means to be French today.
FAS 240: French Exploration of the Maine Coast (on-line)
[fulfills the Population and Environment gen ed requirement]
In this class, we study the early French exploration of Maine
FAS 459: Colonial Canada
In this class, we explore the early French settlements in Canada
Franco American Studies is offering two new courses.
FAS 250: The Acadian Experience
This course gives a history of the Acadian peoples, from early settlement to today. Taught on-line, fulfills Cultural Diversity general education requirement.
FAS 270: Borders and Migration
This course places French Canadian migration to the US in the context of today’s debates. We’ll be reading both classic and recent writings on immigration and associated issues. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11am-12:15pm, fulfills Ethics general education requirement.
What is the significance of Franco American culture today? What is a Franco American identity? How is it experienced? How is it shared? The Living Past: Franco American Identity in the Modern World will explore the contemporary expression of Franco American culture through roundtable conversations, storytelling, dramatic performances, music, and art.
Some of the leading voices of the Franco American experience will share their work and invite participants to explore their cultural identity. In addition to scheduled events, there will be numerous opportunities for informal exchanges during our weekend together. It is our goal to build new foundations for the future of Franco American communities.
This gathering is generously funded by the Centre de la Francophonie des Amériques (Québec). There is a nominal registration fee of $100 which covers all dramatic performances, discussions, readings, receptions, lodging, meals, as well as the Saturday night dance party with live bands.
For further details concerning registration and a list of participants, see conference website.
Teachers, researchers, historians, genealogists and Franco-Americans, among others, have a new online bibliographical website to connect them to references and resources about everything Franco-American.
Created through and collaboratively managed at the University of Maine Franco-American Centre, the newFranco American virtual Library contains lists and links to journal articles, published papers, dissertation, biographies, fiction and non-fiction, periodicals, artwork and audio and video materials about Franco-American life, culture and history.
The project is a unique endeavor, according to Franco-American Centre Director Yvon Labbé, because it is designed for use by members of all communities, in addition to Franco-Americans, and scholars, who are invited to add to the website anything they believe to be of relevance to Franco-American culture and history. It becomes a much more diversified, collective and open-ended resource, he says.
“What’s unique here isn’t just the content,” Labbé says, “it’s the process, as well. I find this whole thing very exciting, because Maine has not always been successful in mirroring Maine for Maine.”
A third of the state’s population is Franco-American, according to Labbé and senior faculty associate of the Centre Tony Brinkley, also an English professor.
Brinkley says the new website is a significant transition for the Franco-American Centre because it is taking 40 years worth of work at the Centre and putting it online, where it is universally accessible.
“As things go out and are accessible, it will have an impact on teachers and students in public schools,” Labbé adds — a much quicker dissemination process than revising and publishing printed material like textbooks.
A catalog of resources for Franco-American studies that’s linked to URSUS and to the Maine State library, the website categorizes annotates in a virtual collection of items by genre and theme, assigns each item geographic tags, and indicates in which library or public collection each item might be found.
“Up until now, there has been no way to find things written about Franco-Americans,” says Susan Pinette, director of Franco-American studies at UMaine. “This resource has been sorely needed by everyone — both academic and community-based researchers.”
The Library of Congress recently came up with a subject heading a few years ago, Pinette says, but even so, “if you type in ‘Franco American’ into most library catalogs, you get books written about French-U.S. diplomacy. There is no way to find Franco-American authors. Even with the Library of Congress designator, it is tough to find Franco-American fiction.”
Pinette, Labbé and Brinkley have worked for the past year with independent researcher and website architect Jacob Albert of Augusta to create the comprehensive online bibliography. The Québec-based Centre de la Francophonie des Amériques provided the funding. The Québec centre is dedicated to developing a promising future for the Maine French language in the context of cultural diversity by enhancing relationships among Francophones and Francophiles of Québec, Canada and the Americas, according to its mission statement.
Albert says the resource currently is populated by materials relative to Franco-American interests in Maine, New England and pushing west, but will grow nationally through public use and user submissions. “Once this becomes more public, we hope folks will get excited about it and help us add to it,” he says.
Its production also was made possible by the support of Chez Nous, a chapter of Royal Arcanum-ACA, formerly known as Association Canado-Américaine.
January 29, 2008 Contact: Susan Pinette, 581-3791 Orono
A group of University of Maine faculty members who are among the authors of a recently published collection of essays, stories, plays, poetry, songs and art that reflect Franco-American life and culture in Maine will read from their work Feb. 14 at 12:15 p.m. at the Franco American Centre on the Orono campus.
Voyages: A Maine Franco-American Reader was published in 2007 by Tilbury House in Gardiner. Among the coauthors are Rhea Cote Robbins, adjunct professor of Women’s Studies and Franco American Studies; Yvon Labbe, director the Franco American Centre; Kristin Langellier, professor of Communication and Journalism; Jim Bishop, a Continuing and Distance Education faculty member; and Nelson Madore, a Thomas College professor and former Waterville mayor.
The book was edited by Madore and Barry Rodrigue, a professor at the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn College.
The Feb. 14 event also will celebrate the publication of French Connections: A Gathering of Franco-American Poets, a collection of Franco American poetry.
The public is invited to the Feb. 14 reading and book signing. Books will be available for purchase.
