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Warwick's 50th anniversary

2015 is the University of Warwick’s 50th anniversary and French Studies was one of the founding departments. To celebrate we are asking local schools to work with us to produce a timeline of events in France and the francophone world between 1965 and 2015.

The task

  1. First of all you need to choose a date, or an event to focus on. We have included some suggestions below, but we'd also be really pleased if you found other events to research.
  2. Secondly, you need to think about how you will present your chosen topic. We would like to put your presentations on our 50th Anniversary web page, so the more visually-appealing it is, the better. Here are some suggestions:
  •  
    • find an image (or more than 1) and write a c. 200-word text (in English or in French) to explain what the event was, when it took place, why it was significant and why it might be important for future generations to remember it. Present your material in an engaging way, perhaps as a poster, a powerpoint presentation, a prezi presentation...The choice is yours!
    • Create your own art work on the event / topic: pictures, paintings, collages and so forth...
    • Re-enact the event by creating a mini-drama and create a film of the performance.
    • Create a stop-motion animation of the event

Feel free to collaborate across year groups. For those schools who are local, we are happy to send out some of our undergraduates to help with the project work – just let us know as soon as possible.

What kind of event should I choose?

The event might be political, or it might cultural (the publication of a book or release of a film or the creation of a painting or song), or it might be a sporting moment.

Some ideas for primary schools (or those who are young at heart!)

  • France and Belgium's love affair with the strip cartoon or bande dessinée. See for more ideas about favourites that have become household names here as well as in France and Belgium, such as Astérix, Tintin and so on.(PDF Document)
  • Transport and travel: the TGV; Concorde; Channel Tunnel (see below for dates)
  • Food and drink: research the development of the classic French cafeteria chain Flunch (1971) and find out more about fast food à la française: http://www.flunch.fr/. Imagine eating in the restaurant at the top of the Tour Montparnasse (see below): http://www.cieldeparis.com/
  • Tourism: a trip to Eurodisney (http://www.disneylandparis.co.uk/) or Parc Astérix (http://www.parcasterix.fr/en)
  • Art and culture: go inside the Pyramide du Louvre and see what art you can find!

Showcasing your work


If you are local, we’d like you to present your findings at a special event at the University of Warwick on Weds 8th July 10am-1pm (we will provide lunch!).

We will be photographing or filming your work to create a digital archive for future generations.

If you are not local, we will add your work to our 50th Anniversary timeline.


Suggested landmark events

Politics

Mai 68

Legal right for women to work without the permission of their husbands 1965

Equal pay provision for women 1972

Mitterrand elected 1981

The Rainbow Warrior 1985

Edith Cresson becomes France's first woman prime minister 1991

Art and culture

Death of Jacques Prévert 1977

Berri's film Jean de Florette 1986

Jeunet's film Amélie 2001

Death of Simone de Beauvoir 1986

TF1 privatised 1987

Death of Serge Gainsbourg 1991

Sport/leisure

First televised football match in France 1965

First open tennis tournament Roland Garros 1968

Opening of Parc Astérix theme park 1989

Opening of Eurodisney 1991

France win the World Cup 2006

History

Médecins sans frontières founded 1971

SOS racisme formed 1984

Opening of Lascaux pre-historic cave paintings to public 1983

Opening of Channel tunnel 1994

Mai 68

Technology

France proposes the Ariane European Space project 1973, with first flight in 1979

Concorde 1976

Invention of minitel 1982

Architecture and buildings

Construction of the Tour Montparnasse 1969 - 73

Opening of the Pompidou centre 1977

Opening of the Pyramide du Louvre 1989

Opening of Lascaux pre-historic cave paintings to public 1983


 

Lascaux painting


mai 68

http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6532558s/f10.image


Concorde-JulianaAirport


Le musée du Louvre (4750261198)