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2016/17 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

MEDV5007M Old and Middle French

30 creditsClass Size: 10

Module manager: Dr Catherine Batt
Email: c.j.batt@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2016/17

This module is not approved as an Elective

Module summary

This module will provide you with the linguistic and critical skills you need to study medieval French texts in the original, underpinning research in medieval history, literature, and culture, and in medievalism. By studying both Old and Middle French you will gain a deep and rounded understanding of the numerous varieties of medieval French and how an understanding of one informs another. The module will be responsive to the skills and interests of the students taking it, but an indicative list of genres to be studied would include: lyric poetry, fabliaux, lays, and pious texts.

Objectives

- To enable primary research at MA and PhD level using texts written in Old and Middle French
- The ability to read, translate and interpret texts from language varieties across the spectrum of medieval French
- A thorough understanding of how a knowledge of Old French informs the understanding of Middle French, and vice versa

Learning outcomes
- A thorough understanding of medieval French grammar and the metalanguage used to describe it
- Familiarity with major canonical texts and genres from the Old and Middle French periods
- Familiarity with the scholarly resources for advanced original-language study of Old and Middle French texts

Syllabus

- This is a research skills module, designed to be responsive to the abilities and research plans of the MA and PhD students taking it
- It will be delivered through 22 sessions (one hour per week for 22 weeks) which will comprise a mix of lectures and interactive seminars
- Lectures will provide a detailed introduction to the main aspects of Old and Middle French grammar, as well as to some of the key literary genres of the period; seminars will involve group discussion of texts that students will have worked on in advance from the online Medfrench language-learning package (http://medfrench.leeds.ac.uk/)
- The genres to be covered include: lyric poetry, fabliaux, lays, and pious texts.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Seminar	22	1.00	22.00
Private study hours			278.00
Total Contact hours			22.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			300.00

Private study

Students will learn grammar and vocabulary in a structured progression, making use of online resources such as http://medfrench.leeds.ac.uk/.

Students will prepare short translations and grammatical and stylistic exercises on passages from set texts, and read appropriate secondary literature in preparation for literary, historical, and linguistic discussion of the texts.

A substantial amount of private study will be devoted to work towards the assessments.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Students' weekly presentation of translations and exercises in language seminars will enable close monitoring of progress. This will be underpinned by submission of one unassessed linguistic/stylistic commentary in each semester.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	1,000 words, due by 12 noon Monday of teaching week 11, semester 1	20.00
Essay	2,000 words, due by 12 noon Monday of teaching week 6, semester 2	30.00
Essay	3,000 words, due by 12 noon Monday of revision week, semester 2	50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 20/04/2015

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