BA French Studies

Running parallel with the level-1 course units FREN10150 Identity in Modern France and FREN10070 French Cultural Studies, and building on the techniques of textual analysis that they introduce, this course will enable students to deepen their appreciation and understanding of French literature and cinema, and develop their reading skills in French. Through a combination of workshops, small group tutorials and private study, students will acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to write commentaries and essays on texts chosen from a prescribed list. The workshops will focus on a range of tutor-led and student-led activities designed to develop understanding of French literature (and other cultural forms), together with methods of analysis and critical discussion. The tutorials will provide individualized help with assessed coursework preparation.

• To develop critical thinking, conceptual reasoning and analytical skills 

• To develop the ability to read and analyse literary texts 

• To develop the ability to place literary texts in social and political context 

• To develop a better understanding of the historical and social realities of the Lusophone world 

• To develop a better understanding of literary texts in French  

 

 

The first semester will be devoted to developing close reading skills on shorter excerpts (e.g. poem, scene from a play). It will also fine-hone students’ commentary skills.

In the second semester, students will turn to the study of longer narrative forms (e.g. novels, films and novellas). With the help of their Academic Advisor they will formulate a topic and a research question about the text/film of their choice, identify the secondary literature and write an essay about it.

This unit provides an intensive learning experience centred on small group teaching and one-to-one supervision with an Academic Advisor. There are 20 one-hour interactive workshops. In addition, there are 6 small group tutorials of 20 minutes each (meetings with Academic Advisers) spread across the year. One hands-on seminar will be held in the Library.

The Blackboard website for this module includes:

-PowerPoint slides for all workshops

-Instruction sheets for workshops

-A selection of digitised resources (primary readings)

By the end of this course students will be able to: 

• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of French literary texts 
• write commentaries and essays discussing and analysing French literary texts and films 
• place the texts and films in their historical context 

By the end of this course students will be able to: 

• conceive their own commentary and essay topics 
• write commentaries on French texts and essays discussing and analysing French literary texts or films 

 

By the end of this course students will be able to: 

• use the library, electronic and online resources; 
• use reporting skills during student-led in-class activities; 
• demonstrate understanding of French written language. 

 

.On successful completion of course units in French Studies, students will have developed their ability to: 

• manage time, and work to deadlines; 

• use information and communication technology (ICT); 

• undertake independent learning and reflect upon their achievements; 

• participate constructively in group/team work and group discussions; 

• assess the relevance and importance of the ideas of others; 

• demonstrate powers of analysis; 

• display good literacy skills in English and French; 

• show an awareness of and a responsiveness to the nature and extent of intercultural diversity. 

Assessment task	Formative or Summative	Weighting within unit (if summative)
Commentary plan	Formative
Commentary	Summative	40%
Essay plan and bibliography	Formative
Essay	Summative	60%

Resit Assessment:

Essay

Feedback method	Formative or Summative
Written and oral feedback on the commentary plan in week 12	Formative
Written feedback on the commentary	Summative
Written and oral feedback on essay plan and bibliography	Formative
Written feedback on the essay	Summative

 

Set Texts: 

Semester 1: A selection of short stories, poems and plays will be made available on Blackboard 

Semester 2: A list of selected novels, novellas and films with short summaries will be made available on Blackboard. All texts suggested are available in the University of Manchester library and in affordable pocket editions. All films will be available at the University language centre library. 

 

Suggested further readings 

Chambers, Ellie, and Andrew Northledge, The Arts Good Study Guide (Milton Keynes: Oxford University Press, 1997) 

Cuddon, J. A., The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory (any edition) 

A la lettre.com (http://www.alalettre.com) 

Études littéraires (http://www.etudes-litteraires.com): ‘le commentaire littéraire’; ‘le commentaire composé’; ‘la dissertation littéraire’ 

Magister (http://www.site-magister.com): esp. ‘Notions’ (‘les genres littéraires’); ‘Vocabulaire’ (‘les champs lexicaux’); ‘Les corpus’ (‘le personnage de roman’); ‘le commentaire’; ‘la dissertation’ 

Reardon, Denis, Doing Your Undergraduate Project (London: SAGE, 2004)