FRS 004 — Sec. 009 —
(2 units) — CRN 92660 — M 1:10-3:00pm — 263 Olson
Wine and War
Instructor: Simone Clay, Department of French & Italian, College
of Letters & Science
Description: During the 10 meetings of this course, we will discuss
the effects of WWII on France and on the French economy. The topics covered would
be organized as follows: We will discuss the events that led to WWII; the Occupied
Zone, the Vichy Government and the government in exile; the locations of the main
battles that took place on French soil; the effects of the battles on the major
French source of economy at the time: the wine industry; D-day, and the military
effects on viticulture; how France managed to save its wine industry; and the
effects of WWII on French culture and economy in general.
Format: The assignments would be as follows: Selected readings
would be based on the book Wine and War by Donald and Petie Kladstrup. The text
would lead to the investigation of France’s battle for its greatest treasure,
its wine industry. In this book, the authors have examined the effects of war
on French viticulture. They introduce the stories of five French wine-growing
families to illustrate the impact of the German occupation on the wine industry.
(The Huets of the Loire Valley, the Drouhins in Burgundy, the Hugels from Alsace,
the Miaihles in Bordeaux and the de Nonancourts from Champagne). The stories of
these people are representative of the various fates that awaited the French citizenry
after their country’s capitulation, and in fact, these stories also reflect
the families’ interactions with various people who needed help in order
to survive anti-Semitism and persecution or because they belonged to the French
Resistance. It is a book that gives history a personal and very approachable twist,
and I believe it makes the WWII period come to life. Grading:
Students would be responsible for: class participation (40%); two written assignments
(40% - 400 words minimum each) and one oral presentation (20%).
About the Instructor: Simone Monnier Clay has been a Lecturer
at UC Davis for over fifteen years in the Department of French ad Italian, where
she supervises the second-year language program and teaches advanced composition
and translation courses, Business French, Selected Topics in French Literature
and Literature and the Arts. Her interests include the cognitive development and
critical thinking abilities of students in writing and debating. She has an M.A.
in musicology and a Ph.D. in French literature. For her courses, she has also
researched extensively French culture and history. Simone Monnier Clay has published
several textbooks.