BA Film Studies and French

In this course we will study the ways in which we interact with nature, disagree on environmental issues, and imagine the future of the planet. We will see how the idea of nature has shaped the French national identity, how diverging views on nature have impacted politics in France, and how the future of nature is inseparable from the future of humankind. We will study French vs. English conceptions of nature, nature and the French colonial empire, as well as Green politics, Green activism, ecofeminism and collapsology. We will analyse the revival of natural spaces in major urban centres in the French-speaking world like Paris and Montréal. Finally, we will discuss nature as represented in climate fiction and nature documentaries. Sources will vary from historical documents, films, documentaries, literature, interviews as well as political texts and maps. See weekly syllabus below. 

Pre/Co/Antirequisite units: Reading knowledge of French required.

Medium of language: All lectures and seminars in English. Core primary sources (novel and graphic novel) are in French. 

To provide an overview of the idea of nature from the 17th century to the present 

To familiarize students with the idea of nature in French culture  

To provide students with key concepts of ecocriticism and environmental humanities 

To understand the concept of urban nature 

To introduce students to the history of ecology and politics in France 

Analyse a variety of sources related to nature and the environment¿ 

Study nature documentaries and literature related to the environment  

Understand the forces underpinning Green politics and green cities in the Francophone world 

Use appropriate terminology to study representations of nature in a variety of discourses

Use suitable skills and appropriate terms to analyse the construction of the idea of nature 

Develop a critical understanding of Green politics

Express ideas logically and elegantly in oral and written French

Communicate strategically 

Synthesise complex ideas 

Refine critical skills

Develop original ideas and engage with existing theories

Improve public speaking and group participation

A range of primary and secondary sources will be available in French and in English. Here are a few examples: 

Core primary sources: 

Nadia Coste, Rhizome (novel)

Thomas Cadène, Soon (graphic novel)

Jacques Perrin, Le peuple migrateur

Selection of secondary sources: 

Emanuele Coccia, The Life of Plants, Polity, 2018 

Bousé,Derek, Wildlife Films, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2000 

Posthumus, Stephanie, French Ecocritique: Reading Contemporary French Theory and Fiction ecologically, University of Toronto Press, 2017 

Rumpala, Yannick, Hors des décombres du monde. Ecologie, science-fiction et éthique du futur, Champ Vallon, 2018 

Vrignon, Alexis, La Naissance de l’écologie politique en France, une nébuleuse au cœur des années 68, Presses universitaires de Rennes, 2017 

All lectures and seminars in English. Readings available in English and French.