This module is discontinued in the selected year. The information shown below is for the academic year that the module was last running in, prior to the year selected.

2021/22 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

FREN2190 The Age of Extremes: Culture, Crisis and Commitment between the Wars

20 creditsClass Size: 16

Module manager: Dr Nigel Saint
Email: n.w.saint@leeds.ac.uk

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

Year running 2021/22

Pre-requisite qualifications

Satisfactory completion of Level 1 French or equivalent

This module is mutually exclusive with

FREN2195

The Age of Extremes: Culture, Crisis and Commitment between

This module is approved as a discovery module

Module summary

The inter-war period was an era of extremes in culture and politics. Revolutionary techniques in the visual arts, literature and music, commonly known as the avant-garde movement of modernism, challenged the orthodoxies of realism. On the political and ideological levels, bourgeois democracy was challenged by the extremes of communism and fascism. This module deals with both cultural and political extremes. It approaches both through the media of text and film to demonstrate how writers and intellectuals responded to the historical and ideological extremes of the period. In the first half of the module we deal with the revolutionary formal techniques of modernism, including surrealism, to show how art challenged conventional concepts of time, space and identity. The second part of the module will deal with texts and film which show how bourgeois democracy and values are increasingly under attack from proponents of communism and fascism. We will see how, during the 1930s, intellectuals of both extremes use art to explore the crisis of western civilisation and the desire for the construction of a new order. Pre-requisite: Completion of Level 1 French course or equivalent at the discretion of the Course Director

Objectives

On completion of this module, students should be able to:

- Analyse various forms of cultural expression and explore the ways in which they relate to the social, economic and political realities from which they emerged
- Examine the ways in which writers and intellectuals responded to the historical and ideological extremes of the period.
- Relate the major cultural developments of the inter-war period in France to the contemporaneous political and social developments in France and Europe
- Read, discuss and write about challenging examples of avant-garde and politically committed discourse in the light of their understanding of wider historical and cultural developments

Syllabus

The inter-war period was an era of extremes in culture and politics. Revolutionary techniques in the visual arts, literature and music, commonly known as the avant-garde movement of modernism, challenged the orthodoxies of realism. On the political and ideological levels, bourgeois democracy was challenged by the extremes of communism and fascism. This module approaches culture and politics through the media of text and film to demonstrate how writers and intellectuals responded to the historical and ideological extremes of the period. We deal firstly with the revolutionary formal techniques of modernism and then consider surrealism. The second part of the module deals with texts and film which show how art becomes increasingly politicised in the inter-war period. We will see how, during the 1930s, intellectuals of both extremes use art to explore the crisis of western civilisation and the desire for the creation of a new 'Man' and a new order.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lecture	20	1.00	20.00
Seminar	10	1.00	10.00
Private study hours			170.00
Total Contact hours			30.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			200.00

Private study

50 hours background reading for lectures and seminars;
90 hours preparation for seminar presentations;
15 hours researching for essay;
15 hours revision for exam

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Progress is discussed in the seminars and there are opportunities to submit unassessed essays.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	2,000 words (in English)	50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		50.00

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

Exams

Exam type	Exam duration	% of formal assessment
Online Time-Limited assessment	48 hr 00 mins	50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)		50.00

The format of the exam may be subject to change should the situation surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic allow. Students will be informed well in advance if this becomes the case.

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 06/07/2021 11:58:13

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