Paper to be written
Possible structure of your paper: No subtitles
Title: Country you have chosen and France
P. 1/2 Overview of the non-European country you have chosen. (1 to 2 paragraphs). This should include basic data on the country, geographic, and political info.
P.2 Information on its French speaking background. How did it become a French speaking country? What historical events led to this? What is the current status of French speaking in the country? How is it taught in schools? How do the people view this connection, etc.
P.3/4 General culture of the selected country. (1-2 paragraphs)
P.4/5Comparison: Write about some of the concepts learned in class about French European culture. Identify a few that you will discuss in your paper. You do not need to cover all of them, but the ones you do chooses must be compared with both countries.
Note: Do not introduce these ideas with “In class we learned…” but rather more like “In France……” and cite sources. Some of the concepts are outlined below. Again, you do not have to cover all but it should include at least 4 of the concepts below (from book)
Aborigines
Private space
Good manners
Conversation
Language
Democracy
Eloquence
Grandeur
Paragraphs 5/6/7, etc. (The essay is 1600 words minimum) …. Separately identify each concept (or even traditions) and compare each with France and the non-European French speaking country you have selected. With each comparison, you should state the similarities and the differences and why you think they are similar or different. You can speculate as to why you think they may similar or different. For example there may be cultural reasons, economic reasons, even geographic reasons.
Thesis statement:
Generally you present a thesis in your 1st paragraph. In this case you will present it after you have compared the 2 countries. After you have compared them in regard to the similarities and differences regarding the concepts you have chosen, decide whether the similarities on the whole outweigh the differences or vice versa. Create a thesis statement that reflects their relative weights. The examples below are so you can have an idea of how to construct your thesis, depending on if you see major differences or you see more similarities.
For example, if the differences outweigh the similarities you would write a thesis statement that reflects that. Examples (you must decide the content…these are just examples of how you might structure the statement. You do not have to use the same words.
Despite ______ (country)_____ and France’s common history and language, their development, traditions and culture have deviated greatly from many of the aspects that define France such as XXXXXXX (concepts you are comparing) public and private space, due to their interactions with other Europeans countries in the European Union.
Although ______ (country)_____ and France share a linguistic and cultural history, they have developed different attitudes and traditions in regard to other aspects such as how they view ____________________ (concepts you are comparing) vocations, journalism and democracy.
Even though ______ (country)_____ have a shared history and language, and some aspects such as XXXXX (concepts you are comparing), the experiences and interactions of the native people of XXXXXX with the French have made their traditions and quite different than the democratic traditions of France. Because of the economic and embattled political situation of the country, they have not had the opportunity to develop and enjoy such concepts such as (concepts you are comparing), democracy, enjoyment and a relaxed attitude toward work.
While ______ (country)_____ have a shared language history and France did establish some traditions in the country such as XXXXXX (concepts you are comparing), over time (country you are comparing), has developed into a different country with its own unique perspective on XXXXX (concepts you are comparing), making the experience in the country quite different than France.
If the similarities outweigh differences you would write a thesis statement that reflects that.
Examples:
On the whole, France and ______ (country)_____ share a common history, language, development in traditions, making their cultures very similar with a similar experience in regard to how they approach ___________XXXXXXX (concepts you are comparing)
______ (Country)_____ and France both share a language and many historical events. While they may differ on ideas related to vocations and work, their views on democracy, journalism, and privacy are similar, and shapes many of the cultural traditions of both countries such as ____________XXXXX (concepts you are comparing).
Conclusion:
Express what you have concluded in comparing the two countries. This is basically a summary of restating why you think your thesis is what it is.
References:
List your sources, MLA or APA, whichever you have most experience with.
Sources: Must be reliable sources. No Travel sites. NO WIKIPEDIA. If you use book, I MUST be able to access the book.
You will submit your paper as a draft. You will receive feedback and then can resubmit for final grade.
