Module FREN2091: Revolutionary Works in French Politics

Department: Modern Languages and Cultures (French)

FREN2091: Revolutionary Works in French Politics

Prerequisites

• French Language 1 (FREN1011) OR French Language 1 B (FREN1012) OR an equivalent qualification to the satisfaction of the Chairman/Chairwoman of the Board of Studies in MLAC or or his/her representative.

Corequisites

• Modern European Languages, Combined Honours and all Joint and 'with' programmes: French Language 2 (FREN2051) OR French Language 2B (FREN2111). Other: see Chairman/Chairwoman of the Board of Studies in MLAC or his/her representative.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• The political history of France is famously unstable, punctuated by civil wars, revolutions and other moments of near-collapse. The history of these events has been dramatically shaped by a long tradition of political contestation that cuts to the heart of the ways in which the French have thought about the central questions of politics: How should we be governed? Why should we be governed? What do we mean by liberté, égalité, fraternité? Who is included in the body politic – and who is cast to the margins by default? The aim of this module is to engage with ideas that have emerged from France’s distinctive political history with a view to working through where we might go from here. Students will study the foundational ideas of French politics in context, and also consider the ways in which fundamental political ideas like anarchism, socialism and democracy, tolerance and freedom, transcend the circumstances that occasioned them, and continue to inform our understanding of contemporary politics. The works studied anticipate, stem from or respond to a range of events across France’s political history and present, ranging from the revolutions of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, colonialism and its legacies, to the present pandemic and climate collapse. Recurrent themes will also include the legitimacy of political authority and violence, the status of individual rights, nature, ideology, and the exercise of power.

Content

• Although texts will vary from year to year, depending on staff availability and the effectiveness of putting specific works into dialogue with others, the range of texts studied will include recognised ‘classics’ of French political philosophy (for example, by authors such as Christine de Pizan, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Louise Michel and Michel Foucault); works covering themes such as gender and sexuality, race, colonisation and decolonisation, revolution, communism, anarchism; as well as climate change, capitalism, and other factors influencing the future of society. Care is taken to ensure that a representative range of figures are studied, with current authors on the rota also including Alain Badiou and Jacques Rancière, Achille Mbembé, Étienne de la Boétie, D.A.F. de Sade, Catherine Malabou, Barbara Stiegler, Isabelle Stengers, Bruno Latour and Mehdi Belhaj Kacem, among others.

Learning Outcomes

• Specific and critical knowledge of key texts and ideas across the history and present of French politics;
• Understanding of how political events are informed by thought, and how thought is informed by its historical and material contexts;
• Understanding of how historical ideas continue to inform contemporary political debates;
• Knowledge of key concepts and methodological approaches (Marxism, feminism, discourse analysis) to political, literary and cultural studies.

• By the end of this module, students should have improved:
• Critical analysis and close readings of political-philosophical texts;
• Ability to draw links between different periods in French history;
• Ability to situate textual studies in relation to broader political debates;
• The ability to apply political philosophy to an analysis of contemporary events.

• By the end of this module, students should have improved:
• Critical and analytical thinking;
• Essay-writing and oral communication skills;
• Structuring of arguments;
• Independent learning and research;
• The ability to discuss topical or general issues with fluency;
• The ability to seek out and identify appropriate sources of evidence and information.

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

• This module is taught across one term by means of two weekly lectures, or a single two-hour lecture slot, and weekly seminar. Students are required to attend all lectures and seminars and are expected to prepare themselves for classes and participate actively in discussions. .
• Teaching will be spread over five set texts or groups of texts, with four lectures and two seminars on each.
• Students will complete two summative essay assignments, one of which will focus on students' ability to put studied texts into dialogue contemporary issues in politics and society.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

None.

■ 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