Interpersonal
- While this 7 minute video is entirely in French, the creator of the video made her own English subtitles. She and her sister are talking about what is considered to be polite or impolite in French culture–such as how to use to metro, sneezing in public, greeting everyone you meet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RQvzBtBKQQ - This TED talk about an American woman raising her children in France reveals some key concepts about what respect looks like to the French versus America. This is more social based, but humorous and fascinating nonetheless. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlMfzeV048U
- Did or do you experience any of these ideals in your household?
- Where do you think these expectations stem from? Do you think that these expectations were different before the events of 1968?
- Sixty Million Frenchmen Can’t Be Wrong, “Private Space”
Customs and Traditions
- French Connections made this 7 minute video about celebrating the New Year in France, and talk about some of the traditions that they have–King’s Cake, anyone?
http://www.france24.com/en/20160114-french-etiquette-rules-happy-new-year-bonne-annee-la-bise-kissing-king-cake - Bastille Day commemorates the end of the French Revolution and the beginning of the French Republic.
https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/france/
bastille-day- Why, if Bastille Day is like our Fourth of July, do the French get this day off and Americans don’t?
- La Toussaint, or All Saints’ Day, occurs on November 1st every year, and it is the day when people pay their respects to the deceased.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/all-saints-day-2015_us_562fd16ee4b06317990fc8d6
Work Culture
- The French are notoriously called out for taking so much time off of work and for only having a 35-hour workweek; however, their productivity levels are amongst the highest.
https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2015/jun/05/french-more-holidays-work-less-productivity - On the topic of the 35-hour workweek, this law was only implemented in 2000, and it isn’t as cut and dried as it seems.
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/03/paris-france-workweek-protests/473088/- If American workers were given a 35-hour workweek, do you think that workers would take advantage of it, or would they work 40+ hours anyways?
- A cheatsheet for general etiquette and courtesies–from gift-giving to arriving late to business negotiations.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatlife/9267868/Getting-to-grips-with-French-etiquette.html