Module FREN1061: THE INVENTION OF FRANCE

Department: Modern Languages and Cultures (French)

FREN1061: THE INVENTION OF FRANCE

Prerequisites

• Grade A in French at A level or an equivalent qualification

Corequisites

• Modern European Languages, Combined Honours and all Joint and 'with' programmes: French Language 1 (FREN1011). Others: see Chairman/Chairwoman of the Board of Studies in MLAC or his/her representative.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To explore the ways in which France evolved as a geopolitical entity, with a distinct language, cultural history and political traditions;
• To provide an introduction to French cultural, philosophical and political studies across medieval, modern and early modern periods, and hence to create pathways into Level 2 modules in these areas;
• To show how various kinds of cultural media, including literature, film, philosophy and architecture, can be used to explore cultural history and politics.

Content

• The aim of the module will be to analyse the creation of France and Frenchness through cultural objects that emerge at decisive moments in French cultural history.
• Students will study topics covering the medieval, early modern and modern periods, including, for example, the growth in the Middle Ages of a Francophone culture not defined by the territorial borders of France; the centralisation of power and statehood under Louis XIV; the origins of the revolutionary tradition and the values of égalité, liberté and fraternité that underpin France’s political culture; secularism and colonialism in the nineteenth century; and decolonisation, Americanisation and consumerism, which have arguably presented a challenge to French cultural heritage over the last fifty years or so.
• In so doing, they will receive a substantial introduction to the period modules, as well as to the broader study of culture and politics, at Level 2.
• This list of topics is indicative and may be changed for other objects of study in keeping with the aims of the module.
• By way of illustration, an indicative range of recommended works might include:
• La Chanson de Roland;
• Sixteenth-century sonnets around the theme of national identity and the glory of France, including Ronsard and du Bellay’s Les Regrets (1555);
• La Prise de pouvoir de Louis XIV (1966), dir. Roberto Rossellini;
• Voltaire (1734), Lettres philosophiques;
• Political speeches from the III République, covering themes such as France’s ‘mission civilisatrice’ and the developing discourse of ‘laïcité’ by, for example, Ferry and Clemenceau;
• Roland Barthes (1957) Mythologies.

Learning Outcomes

• Critical knowledge of a range of texts/objects giving a broad overview of France’s cultural history;
• An understanding of how specific objects of study provide perspectives on key stages in the evolution of French culture;
• A grounding in objects from multiple fields of study, including literature, architecture, philosophy and media studies
• An understanding of how France is not a homogeneous cultural entity and territory, but has been shaped by geographical, political and technological factors over the course of history.

• Critical analysis and close readings of multiple media, including literature, film, history, thought and architecture;
• Ability to draw links between different academic disciplines, relating primary cultural material back to its historical and cultural origins.

• Critical and analytical thinking
• Essay-writing and oral presentation
• Structuring of arguments
• Independent learning and research

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Lectures and seminars, plus two summative essays.
• Since the aim of the module is to analyse broad cultural phenomena, essays offer the most fitting form of assessment.
• In keeping with the intended learning outcomes, the exam paper should also include a comparative section, reflecting on the overarching themes of the module.
• Teaching will be in English, with the module capped at ninety students.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

One seminar presentation per term.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University