BA Modern Language and Business & Management (French)

Adored, reviled and scrutinized by mass audiences, stars are mediatised figures that reveal important trends and values in national popular culture. As well as being real individuals, stars are intricately constructed ‘media texts’ that often reconcile opposites (publicity and intimacy, idealism and ordinariness, Zeitgeist and legacy), and which constitute complex systems of significations that illuminate the ambiguities of a given society – in this case, France.

This course unit focuses on French celebrities from different time periods and from a range of artistic domains (literature, cinema, popular music, visual arts …), with varied gender, class and ethnic profiles, holding both mainstream and niche appeal. This diversity enables us to interrogate the production and consumption of popular culture in France, and to illustrate and problematise key issues shaping French society. These may include, depending on staff specialism and the stars studied, intellectual engagement, feminism, subversion, resilience, irony, cultural heritage...

After an introduction to star theory in the French context, the course examines a selection of stars through the combined vantage points of artistic achievement, critical reception, official discourse and fandom.

The principal aims of this course unit are: 

• To know and recognize major French stars across a range of media and time periods 
• To interrogate the notions of ‘stardom’, ‘mainstream culture’ and ‘legacy’ in France 
• To explore the relationship between stardom and wider socio-cultural contexts 
• To analyse critically a range of media (films, songs, books…)  

Weeks 2, 3, 4: theme 1

Weeks 5, 6, 7: theme 2

Weeks 8, 9, 10: theme 3

Week 11: methodology for final assessment

• Three weekly hours in class for 11 weeks.
• A blend of lectures and seminars.  
• Voluntary individual and group presentations on favourite stars.  
• Two consultation hours per week.
• Further consultation on demand.
• Extensive online resources via Blackboard. 

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

• Relate the close textual analysis of films, songs or other art forms to wider socio-historical processes and contexts 
• Understand the impact of social and attitudes on stardom 
• Understand the potential of stardom for socio-political commentary 
• Analyse star texts across genres, time periods and intellectual issues 
• Apply theories and secondary reading to their understanding of stardom in France 

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

• Engage in independent reflection and enquiry. 
• Conduct in-depth research into key stars and the context of their success.  
• Engage in the discussion and critical evaluation of star theory, and critically evaluate the place and meanings of key notions in French society, including gender, ethnicity, intellectualism, popular success and the construction of ‘authenticity’. 
• Analyse primary sources and provide a synthesis of the most relevant findings. 

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

• Conduct close textual analysis of ‘star texts’ 
• Construct a persuasive argument in clear language, grounded in research 
• Work individually and collaboratively to deadlines 
• Improve their reading and speaking skills in French 

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

• Engage in independent reflection and enquiry. 
• Explain complex findings with precision and concision, across a range of media.  
• Communicate effectively about intellectually grounded topics, notions and materials. 
• Write a report or essay on a piece of original research. 
• Engage in group discussion. 
• Take initiative. 

• Formative feedback on students’ in-class participation (oral) 
• Formative individual feedback on essay plans (written) 
• Summative feedback on both assessment tasks (written) 
• Additional one-to-one feedback during consultation hours or by appointment (oral). 

Gaffney, John and Diana Holmes (eds). Stardom in Postwar France (Oxford: Berghahn, 2007)

Harris, Sue. ‘Degraded divinity? Sacred monstrosity? Gérard Depardieu and the Abject Star Body’, Screen, 2015, 56/3, pp. 319-334.

Looseley, David. ‘ “Une passion française”: the mourning of Johnny Hallyday’, French Cultural Studies, 2018, 29/4, pp. 378-388

Taylor, Alison. ‘Who the hell is Isabelle Huppert? A French star in America’, in Nick Rees Roberts and Darren Waldron (eds), Isabelle Huppert. Stardom, Performance, Authorship (New York: Bloomsbury Academic), pp. 197-216

Vincendeau, Ginette. Stars and Stardom in French cinema (London: Continuum, 2000)

Further reading will be recommended in class.

Please Note: This unit is largely delivered in French.