Tufts in Talloires

2012 Course Listing

CLS 187: The History and Archaeology of France under the Roman Empire
This course will explore the legacy of the Roman Empire in the shaping of France through a combination of primary source readings ranging from (but not limited to) Caesar's Gallic Wars, Cicero, Tacitus, to Gregory of Tours, and visits to a range of Roman archaeological sites and museums. The course will conclude with an exploration of the continuing political and ideological impact of the Roman Empire as manifested in the idea and institutions of the European Union. BRUCE HITCHNER
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EC 30: Environmental Economics and Policy
This course introduces students to the uses and limitations of economics in formulating effective environmental policies. Economic theories related to natural resources will be discussed, emphasizing that economic concerns do not necessarily conflict with, and can be complementary to, environmental goals. Alternative approaches to environmental regulation will be contrasted, with a focus on the policy variations between the United States and European Union. Specific applications in the course include global climate change, environmental taxation, the management of renewable and non-renewable resources, and pollution policies. Student projects provide an opportunity to further explore an environmental policy topic of one's choosing. BRIAN ROACH
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ENG 06: Creative Writing: Poetry
This course will provide students an opportunity to translate their experiences in Talloires into art. The primary focus will be on the poetry students will write while in France. We will read as models, poems by other English-speaking travelers. Students will find that this coincidence of experience is quite direct when both writers are writing, for instance about the experience of being in a walled medieval city. As in any poetry-writing course, a goal will be to discover that the subject at hand is only part of the subject. It is the alchemy between what is encountered, who encounters it, and how that is rendered that makes each poem unique. For six weeks, we will invite and encourage the evocative experience of Talloires to move into poetry. REBECCA KAISER GIBSON
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ENG 10: Non-Fiction Writing
In this course we will work on our writing by composing and discussing weekly papers on subjects that take advantage of our life in Talloires. Students will write autobiographical papers on aspects of their experience, descriptions, profiles of individuals they have met, and reflective pieces. They will be called upon to interview and profile a member of their host family, for instance. They might describe a particular walk or mountain. For inspiration and as a guide to writing about the self, and about the Annecy area, we will read the first six books of Rousseau's Confessions, and handouts of readings about the region by other writers. By writing, reading and discussing our work, we should be able to improve our capabilities as writers, and deepen our experience in France. MICHAEL ULLMAN
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ENVST 105: Flowers of the Alps
The Talloires region is home to hundreds of floral species that shape human culture as sources of food, medicine, environmental indicators, and inspiration in art and architecture. This course enables students to answer the perennial question "What plant is that?" We cover the bases of plant identification, drawing on plant life history and flower architecture to key out local species and recognize major plant families by sight. Traveling to world-class wildflower displays in the Talloires uplands, we get first-hand experience with alpine flora, ecology, climate change, and the basis of scientific evidence. Students become adept at spotting important plant families, recognizing plant uses throughout the world. GEORGE ELLMORE
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ES 60: Appropriate Technology in Sustainable Engineering
This course addresses the selection of culturally appropriate technology and the attainment of economic sustainability. Topics include community needs assessment, green manufacturing, societal issues, and sustainable implementation strategies. We will take an interdisciplinary approach, considering the intersection of community resource allocation, engineering technology, and government policy.
DOUGLAS MATSON
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FR 21 or FR 22: Communication, culture, et couleur locale: Français 21/22 en France
This course aims to promote oral and written fluency in French. Thus, careful preparation of written assignments for the course and active class participation are essential. Consistent application in spoken and written French is the focus of the continuing grammar review at this level. Students will cover the grammar lessons of French 21 or French 22 separately, but will work together on readings, discussions, and projects. For insight into contemporary France, the readings will come primarily from the local media to highlight the historical, social, and cultural aspects of the Haute-Savoie region as well as the rest of the country. Prerequisite: French 4 (Intermediate French II) or equivalent for French 21; French 21 or equivalent for French 22. Taught in French. TRACY PEARCE
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FR 32 or FR 191: Readings on Alpine Nature in French Literature
This course exploits the natural beauty of Talloires by focusing on the theme of Alpine Nature in modern French literature. Beginning with eighteenth-century meditations by Rousseau, students read selections that examine the connection between human beings and their natural environment. Owing to Rousseau's pastoral "Reveries", many writers such as Lamartine, Hugo, Nerval, Rimbaud and Sue derived their inspiration from sublime or scenic settings such as those found in the Alps surrounding Talloires. This return to nature, however, is often derided and thwarted by satirical tendencies enhancing the banality and even bestiality of rural life, as evidenced by Baudelaire's allergic reaction to Nature. Prerequisite: French 21 or equivalent. This FR 32 course can be taken as FR 191, with an Independent Study option for those students who have already taken French 32 at Tufts. Taught in French. GÉRARD GASARIAN
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ML 96: Romance Linguistics
Our modern Romance languages are spoken by nearly 700 million people worldwide, and so they constitute (after Mandarin Chinese) the most successful and widespread family of languages on earth. Because of their shared descent from ancient Latin, these languages have a lot in common, especially in their grammars and vocabularies, even though they may differ a lot in pronunciation. Our aim will be to study these similarities and differences, so that interested language students will not only learn more about their chosen Romance language but also develop the linguistic skills they need to more easily acquire a second or even third language in the Romance family. In addition, we will consider how the Romance languages fit into the greater Indo-European group, and we will examine the social, geographical, political, and cultural factors which hastened the fragmentation of Vulgar Latin and the development of its modern descendants. Special emphasis will also be placed on the ways in which Romance languages become part of a speaker's cultural identity and on the many advantages and disadvantages that this mosaic of languages poses for the newly enlarged European Union. JOHN JULIAN
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PHY 06: Physics for Humanists
"Physics for Humanists" is intended for those who are intellectually and emotionally curious but do not intend to specialize in the natural sciences. This course will explore facts and concepts of classical and modern physics, and their development through the history of mankind. We will consider the interaction between mathematics and physics. The question "What is the world made of?" will be answered from a point of view of elementary particle physics. Current ideas about structure of space-time and matter, quarks, leptons and their interactions - gravitational, electromagnetic, weak and strong, and their connection with cosmology will be presented. We will examine current unresolved problems in particle physics.
PIERRE–HUGUES BEAUCHEMIN and KRZYSZTOF SLIWA
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