BA French Studies / Course details

Year of entry: 2024

Course unit details:
French Project

Course unit fact file
Unit code FREN10140
Credit rating 20
Unit level Level 1
Teaching period(s) Full year
Available as a free choice unit? No

Overview

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.

Aims

  • 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  

Learning outcomes

 

 

Syllabus

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.

Teaching and learning methods

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)

Knowledge and understanding

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 

Intellectual skills

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 

 

Practical skills

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. 

 

Transferable skills and personal qualities

.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. 

Employability skills

Analytical skills
Students taking this unit will be able to analyze and evaluate both existing literature on the texts studied and the primary set materials themselves. Above all, committed students will emerge from this course unit with a capacity to think critically, i.e. knowledgeably, rigorously, confidently and independently.
Innovation/creativity
On this unit students are encouraged to respond imaginatively and independently to the questions and ideas raised by existing literature on the topic and the primary corpus of texts studied.
Project management
Students taking this unit will be able to work towards deadlines and to manage their time effectively.
Research
Students on this unit will be required to digest, summarise and present large amounts of information. They are encouraged to enrich their responses and arguments with a wide range of further reading.
Written communication
Students on this unit will develop their ability to write in a way that is lucid, precise and compelling.

Assessment methods

Assessment task  Formative or Summative Weighting within unit (if summative) 
Commentary planFormative 
Commentary Summative40%
Essay plan and bibliographyFormative 
EssaySummative60%

Resit Assessment:

Essay

Feedback methods

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  

 

Recommended reading

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) 

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Project supervision 4
Seminars 5
Independent study hours
Independent study 191

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
Barbara Lebrun Unit coordinator

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