Erika Feinauer and Dr. Michael Bus, French and Italian Department

The purpose of this project was to obtain materials for a photo database to be used in French language instruction. This was accomplished by traveling to France and taking a myriad of pictures. I was in France from April 12 to May 8, 1996. My sister traveled with me and was my aide. We bought Eurorail Passes for the trains, and made it a backpacking excursion. I feel that we made significant contributions to the project in terms of volume of photographs, however, I was surprised at some of the difficulties that I encountered. I hadn’t foreseen some of the inconveniences inherent in the project. Throughout my travels, I was constantly finding myself in unique situations where I had to use interpersonal skills, organizational skills, and all sorts of improvisational skills to accomplish the goals that I had set. Overall, it was a great experience.

As a French language education major, I became very interested in an interactive instructional approach while attending my French teaching classes with Dr. Bush. He is an Instructional Science specialist who cannot hide his enthusiasm for technology in the classroom. An interactive instructional approach involves two basic components: images on video disc and accompanying structured activities. The many benefits for an interactive instructional approach are listed in my project proposal, yet I must reiterate that I feel very strongly that this approach is very effective in foreign language education. The National Textbook Company publishers have expressed a very serious interest in the project. They have provided encouragement and assurance that the time is right for such innovation in the field of foreign language education.

We began and ended our journey in Paris, France. I recruited my sister as my aide, and travel companion. Erin turned out to be my biggest asset. Her help in organizing our time and the photo shot list was crucial.

My responsibilities in the project were to take the pictures for six general categories off of the main photo shot list generated by Dr. Bush. They were: Media, Nature, Personal identification, Places and Political and Social Affairs. Under these general categories were several subcategories, and specific shot descriptions that I was to look for or create, and capture on film. Working with this shot list was one of the major frustrations of the trip. There was little room allowed to document shots that I considered culturally valuable, that did not fall into one of the preconceived categories. I found that it is next to impossible to plan beforehand how you will capture a certain idea on camera.

A lot our time was also spent trying to understand the organization of the categories, and the ideas behind the shot descriptions. In retrospect, I would have been more involved in the development of the shot list, so as to better understand the ideas behind the shot descriptions, and the organization of the list. Erin and I, however, became quickly familiar with the list and figured out a system that worked quite well. Again, here my sister was an invaluable aide, as she documented the pictures that I took as I took them, saving me an enormous amount of time and effort.

Time was the next factor that I had not fully appreciated. In my one month excursion, I took 1500 pictures. I would plan for at least twice that much time to complete a shot list that size. I felt severely pressured to fill the shot list, and severely handicapped because of time.

The other major handicap was our transportation method and itinerary. Erin and I purchased Eurorail passes and backpacked through France. We felt that we could see more of France this way, in a more economical fashion. In retrospect, however, a lot of unforeseen inconveniences accompanied this mode of transportation, and it really wasn’t that much more economical. We realized that we really didn’t need to see MORE of France, as much as we needed to see it more in depth. We ended up staying in places longer than we had planned, and staying in hotels, rather than hostels. This ended up being a preferable way to accommodate the logistics of large volume picture taking. If I were to replan my itinerary from an experienced perspective, I would plan on going to two or three cities only, and staying for a couple of weeks in each place. In this way, I would be able to get to know a city better, and better capitalize on this understanding for specific pictures. I would also be able to spend the time necessary to meet the right people.

The other major obstacle was that the French people often saw us as a threat, and refused to have their pictures taken. This was a complete surprise to me. I think this could have been overcome by spending more time in one place, without the backpack/tourist approach. By spending more time in one place, I could cultivate the confidence necessary among the people we met, to really delve into the French culture.

I discovered that this project meant more than merely going to France and taking pictures of what was there. It became more an art of discovery than of observation, and an attempt try to capture the French lifestyle from a Frenchman’s perspective, rather than from the typical tourist point of view.

I discovered also, from the shot list, that even though all of us involved in the project have spent time living in France, we all have different ideas of what French culture encompasses. This was a valuable lesson to me, personally, and a reminder never to generalize from my own personal experience. The overall benefit to me, other than my contribution to a project that I believe strongly in, was the greater appreciation I gained for the wonderful diversity and intense differences that I rediscovered among the French culture. It is this fascination that I have with cultural diversity that led me to my field of study in the first place.