Mothers, sisters, fathers, brothers, cousins. Orphans, illegitimate children, runaways, exiles. As Leo Tolstoy wrote in the opening of his 1877 novel, Anna Karenina, "All happy families resemble one another; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own fashion." The Francophone world, stretching across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas, has often been described as an unhappy family, joined by a shared language, but also by a problematic history. Through novels and films, this course will examine how writers and filmmakers from the Francophone world have approached the idea of family both literally and metaphorically, using the idea of family to explore questions of identity, origins, colonialism, resistance, nationhood and interconnectedness in a global community. Authors we will read include: Mariama Ba (Senegal), Leila Sebbar (France), Driss Chraibi (Morocco), Dany Laferriere (Haiti), Maryse Conde (Guadaloupe), Assia Djebar (Algeria). Conducted in French. Format: lecture/seminar. Requirements: active class participation, reading journal, two short papers, an oral presentation, and a one-hour exam. Prerequisites: French 105 or above or results of the College Placement Exam, or permission of instructor. Enrollment limit: 22 (expected: 22).