- UCAS course code
- RR12
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Course unit details:
French Cultural Studies
| Unit code | FREN10070 |
|---|---|
| Credit rating | 20 |
| Unit level | Level 1 |
| Teaching period(s) | Full year |
| Available as a free choice unit? | No |
Overview
Pre/co-requisites
| Unit title | Unit code | Requirement type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Identity in Modern France | FREN10150 | Co-Requisite | Compulsory |
A-level French or equivalent
Aims
To develop a better understanding of French-speaking cultures across different periods
To develop critical thinking, conceptual reasoning and analytical skills
To develop the ability to read and analyse a range of cultural objects and media
To develop the ability to place cultural objects in social, aesthetic and political context
To inspire students to further explore the riches of French-speaking cultures
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this course unit, students will:
Be able to analyse and differentiate between various types of literary and audio-visual media;
Have further developed language competence through reading and viewing a range of cultural objects in French
Have furthered their socio-historical knowledge of French culture from the Ancien Régime to the present day
Have developed their powers of interpretation, argumentation and of oral and written self-expression in English
Teaching and learning methods
9 content lectures; 13 content-related seminars; 5 methodology/feedback lectures, 4 formative assessment seminars and. A total of 31 contact hours.
Language of teaching: English and French.
Extensive digitised material, links to relevant online resources, and all class slides will be placed on Blackboard. Students will also be set regular tasks via Blackboard as preparation for classes and assessment.
The Blackboard website for this module includes:
PowerPoint slides for all lectures
Instruction sheets for seminars
A selection of digitised resources (primary and secondary readings)
Knowledge and understanding
By the end of this course students will be able to:
- demonstrate knowledge and understanding of French cultural objects and key aesthetic movements within which these are inscribed
- write commentaries and essays discussing and analysing French cultural production
- place cultural objects in their socio-historical context
Intellectual skills
By the end of this course students will be able to:
- analyse and differentiate between various types of literary and audio-visual media;
- write commentaries and essays discussing and analysing a range of cultural objects from various periods.
Practical skills
By the end of this course students will be able to:
Use the library, electronic and online resources.
Demonstrate their ability to respond to instructions and work to deadlines;
Demonstrate understanding of French written and recorded spoken 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);
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 analyse and evaluate both existing literature on the material 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 materials 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 | Weighting within unit |
| Commentary plan | Formative |
Coursework (commentary) at the end of Sem 1 | 50% |
Essay plan and bibliography |
Formative |
| Coursework (Essay) at the end of Sem 2 | 50% |
Resit Assessment:
Essay
Feedback methods
Feedback method | Formative or Summative |
Written and oral feedback on the practice commentary essay plan in week 12 of Semester 1 | Formative |
Written and oral feedback on S1 coursework | Summative |
Written and oral feedback on essay plan and bibliography in Week 11 of Semester 2 | Formative |
Written feedback on the S2 essay | Summative |
Recommended reading
Set Texts:
Molière, Le Bourgeois gentilhomme (1670) – any edition
Maupassant, Boule-de-suif (1880) (a copy of the text will be provided)
Suggested further readings:
Austin, Guy, Contemporary French Cinema: An Introduction, Manchester University Press, Second edition 2008
Farrant, Tim, An Introduction to 19th-Century French Literature, Bristol Classical Press, 2007
Norman, Larry F.,The Public Mirror: Molière and the Social Commerce of Depiction, University of Chicago Press,1999
Frances Smith, Bande de filles: Girlhood Identities in Contemporary France (London¿: Routledge, 2020)
Study hours
| Scheduled activity hours | |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 14 |
| Seminars | 17 |
| Independent study hours | |
|---|---|
| Independent study | 169 |
Teaching staff
| Staff member | Role |
|---|---|
| Joseph Mcgonagle | Unit coordinator |
| Vladimir Kapor | Unit coordinator |
| Jerome Brillaud | Unit coordinator |