Description  |  Registration  |  Application  |  Eligibility  |  For More Info

DESCRIPTION:     This institute for teachers of French will be conducted entirely in French.

"Frontières: Hier et Aujourd'hui will offer a unique combination of academic presentations and seminar-level discussions, as well as tailored briefings by site curators and interpreters, environmental scientists, historians and folklorists.

Focusing on the concept of frontières (borders), participants will be invited to explore the interplay of space and the environment, and the human presence over time, particularly as the paradigm applies to the St-Lawrence/Great-Lakes Watershed. Through the examination of works of fiction (Jacques Poulin’s Volkswagen Blues and Jack Kerouac’s On the Road), oral literature (tales and legends from Québec) and films, the participants will reflect and comment on the phenomenon of trans-border migration and the artificiality of the U.S.-Canada boundary. Beginning with an investigation of the North American space before the arrival of Europeans, the participants will contrast this pristine world and its natural frontières with the contemporary decoupage that restricts the movement of men and goods but not other phenomenon of life.

The Institute will explore the unique resources of the Saguenay-Tadoussac Marine Park to focus on the borderlessness of nature. The group will visit four historical sites associated with the Amerindian presence: the Amerindian Longhouse at the Cartier-Brébeuf National Historic Site in Quebec City; the Maison des Jésuites Interpretation Center in Sillery; the village of Wendake, home of the Hurons-Wendat; and the Chauvin Fur Trading Post in Tadoussac. Participants will also travel through the Charlevoix Region to meet authentic informants and sample the breathtaking landscape that inspired Quebec’s rich oral literature.

The Institute will assemble and disperse in Montreal, and will be based in Quebec City.  Participants will travel daily to nearby sites and will spend three final days in the Tadoussac and Charlevoix Regions.

REGISTRATION:
Participants who are accepted to the institute will be charged a registration fee of $750.  The fee covers all transportation during the institute starting from institute point of origin in Montreal with return to Montreal, some meals, lecturers' fees, admissions to educational sites, and double-occupancy in the lodgings.  (Participants who wish single occupancy shall pay an additional fee of $250).  Participants pay for transportation to and from Montreal, and for most meals.

APPLICATION PROCESS:
Interested applicants must fill out and send the Application  / Inscription   by March 28, 2003.  Notification of acceptance will be in April, and selection will be based on the strength of the applicant to meet the criteria listed below.
Those accepted will be expected to read two works of fiction prior to the institute.  Details will be provided in the acceptance packet.

ELIGIBILITY: Participants must be fluent in French at the ACTFL Advanced Level or above
Preference will be given to applicants currently teaching French, who are:
a) willing to implement Québec studies in the classroom
b) capable of and willing to provide outreach to colleagues about Québec culture

PLEASE NOTE:
1)  A certificate of contact hours will be awarded to each participant. 
For an additional cost, a participant may arrange undergraduate or graduate credit  through University of Maine, University of Vermont, or Plattsburgh State University.  Click here to arrange credit.

2) We regret that we are unable to accommodate spouses.

FOR MORE INSTITUTE INFORMATION:  
Manon Bradley  (518) 564-2385

MAIL or FAX APPLICATION MATERIALS by March 28, 2003 TO:
Plattsburgh State Center for the Study of Canada
c/o Manon Bradley
133 Court St.
Plattsburgh, NY 12901
    Phone: (518) 564-2385  /  Fax: (518) 564-2112
    E-mail: Manon Bradley   (bradlemn@plattsburgh.edu)

CO-SPONSORS: Northeast National Resource Center on Canada
Plattsburgh State University - University of Vermont - University of Maine

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