In order for the study of French to survive in American higher education, it will be necessary to adopt a pedagogy that motivates learners as well as teaches them both language and culture. I argue that the judicious use of visual materials (film, video and graphic novels) is ideal for this undertaking. I further assert--based upon numerous sources from fields such as Second Language Acquisition, cognitive psychology, anthropology and sociolinguistics--that language and culture are inseparable, and that visual materials provide the necessary context to facilitate the teaching of both. Visual materials present both problems and opportunities. I discuss such difficulties as cognitive overload (i.e., students’ being overwhelmed by too much information in too short a period of time) and suggest practical solutions. I also present criteria for the selection of films, such as appropriateness, learning goals and appeal to US university students. I also show how authentic media such as video can be adapted for all proficiency levels (e.g., assigning beginners’ simple word recognition tasks). In considering graphic novels, I suggest a familiar comic strip, Tintin, which is appropriate for beginning to advanced students, and which is likely to appeal to all students, given its American film adaptation. In the appendices, I include applications of the points presented in this report. In the conclusion, I argue that, regardless of the length formal instruction in French, this pedagogy can support practical skills (for example, dealing with people from other cultures) and lifelong learning (for example, staying involved with French culture through the aforementioned media). / text

Les amours de l’ombre et de la lumière ont depuis longtemps hanté l’imaginaire chinois grâce à l’art des lanternes magique et bien avant, à celui des ombres chinoises. Dès la fin du XIXème siècle, le cinéma français est présent en Chine où ce « divertissement occidental nouveau-né » aux particularités techniques et artistiques inédites s’est fait accepter. La présente étude tente de découvrir, classer, analyser et synthétiser des documents historiques peu connus afin de montrer le processus de développement du cinéma en Chine et plus particulièrement la diffusion du cinéma français et son acceptation par les spectateurs chinois. Cette analyse sera menée ici jusqu’à l’éclatement de la guerre sino-japonaise en 1937. Comment, en tant que production artistique et ambassadeur culturel aux séductions multiples, le cinéma français a-t-il dépassé ses frontières nationales et influencé le cinéma chinois - voire la société chinoise ? Ce questionnement impliquera une étude approfondie de l’histoire du cinéma chinois des origines et abordera quelques spécificités des cultures chinoises. / In Chinese cinema, shadow puppetry theatre and magic lantern have long been their ancient form of storytelling and entertainment. By the late 19th century French cinema was present in China, whereby their 'new born occidental entertainment' with their particular techniques and artistic characteristics was accepted. The following study attempts to discover, classify, analyze and unify little-known historical documents; in order to demonstrate the developmental process of cinema in China, especially the diffusion of the French cinema, and its reception by the Chinese public. This analysis is conducted from between 1897 up to the end of the Manchurian war in 1937 - How, as an artistic production and a cultural ambassador pass beyond his national borders influencing the Chinese cinema, as well as the Chinese society? This question involves a thorough study of the origins of the Chinese cinema, exploring some specific features of the Chinese culture. / 对光与影的迷恋，让中国人自古就有了“灯影”，“皮影戏”等娱乐艺术形式。自19世纪末法国电影传到中国, 中国开始接纳“西洋影戏”这个带着科技与艺术特性的“新生儿”。本文试图发掘，梳理，辨析，整合历史文献资料, 结合中国电影从无到有的发展进程, 来考察1937年中日战争全面爆发以前法国早期电影如何在中国大陆进行传播，以及它们如何一步步被中国人接受。作为一种文化艺术的产物，法国电影又是如何在它跨国的旅行中，施展着它作为文化使者的魅力和影响, 并以此细化对中国早期电影史的认识。