November 12, 2004: Volume 62, Number 10

'French Connection' explores election, more

Students and faculty have spent much of the last week analyzing the presidential election and wondering about the future. On Monday morning, Union students had a chance to hear what their counterparts in France thought, thanks to a trans-Atlantic teleconference dubbed the "French Connection."

"I thought it was a fascinating experience, some of the most intellectual conversation I've had," said Leigh Ann Holterman '07, a double major in psychology and French who is planning to study in Renne. "You don't often get a chance to hear another side of the world view."

The brainchild of Prof. Andy Feffer, the 80-minute session connected a dozen Union students with 18 French peers at the Universite de Haute Bretagne in Rennes, France. 

Union's students came mostly from Feffer's "History of the 60's" course and from Prof. Michelle Chilcoat's French literature class. The French students were in English and American studies programs. Most students on both sides were Kerry supporters. The exchange, in English, covered other topics including the economy, the war in Iraq, energy consumption, religion and politics, and the balance of world power.

The session was introduced by Keith Martin, a professor at Rennes and a coordinator of the Union-Rennes exchange, who showed several headlines from French tabloids lamenting the re-election of George W. Bush.

 The French students began the conversation, most expressing disappointment over the election results. "I don't understand how you could have elected him for four more years," one French student said. Another French student asked whether the nation's support for Bush was reflective of the youth vote.

It was not, a Union student replied, adding "our generation did not turn out the vote for Kerry." Another Union student said, "The Republicans worked just as hard for support."

Next, the conversation turned to politics and religion, a French student asking, "How does Bush, being a religious man, make him a good [political leader]?" A Union student responded that being a religious person does not make Bush a leader, but he has succeeded in making political issues into religious ones that appeal to a broad part of the electorate.

On the economy, a French student asked if Americans believe that political leaders affect the economy: "Did Bush simply not have economic trends in his favor?" Some Union students answered that presidents inherit economic conditions from their predecessors. Some argued that market forces largely dictate the economy. One student said that while a war can give a boost, Bush lost the opportunity to reinvigorate the economy by giving contracts to only one company, Haliburton.

Students in France said they felt the balance of power had tipped too far in one direction. "Be afraid," quipped a Union student. "Be very afraid."

Students on both sides agreed about the importance of involvement in the political process and said the election and teleconference had heightened their awareness. "I'm more interested in politics after this election and it makes me want to see if I can change the system as a whole," a Union student said.

A Union computer science major, citing the problem of electronic voting fraud, said "Someday, I can have an impact on that. I've been politicized in that way."

"Previous to this year, I'd never been very interested in politics," said Katie Crosby '07. "However, I feel a new excitement and eagerness to learn about it and contribute. I've written three times on weblog and I've gotten [a French student's] email address to ask him some questions."

One student said he was taken with the impact the U.S. election seemed to have on the French. "Some [French students] felt that they had a large stake in this election, that it would influence them as much as the average American," said Charles George '05.

Feffer said the idea for the teleconference was developed about four years ago with help from Doug Klein, director of the Center for Converging Technology, and support from the Keck Foundation. Other contributors to the project include Charles Batson, assistant professor of French; Bob Balmer, dean of engineering; and Ann Longwell, professor of English on the University of Rennes Law Faculty.

Feffer sees the teleconference as a way to connect students from different perspectives, and he is considering using the teleconferences as part of a bigger project in Franco-American studies. This kind of trans-Atlantic communication "happens a lot with [professional] conferences, but not much with classes," he said.

 "This has a lot of potential," Feffer said, acknowledging the challenge of fitting it into teaching plans. "What we're aiming for is to connect once a year an American studies class with French students."

Next Story >> Events