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2016/17 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

HIST2079 The Republic in Crisis: Conflict and Identity in France since 1870

20 creditsClass Size: 28

Module manager: Dr Claire Eldridge
Email: C.Eldridge@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2016/17

This module is approved as a discovery module

Module summary

The Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris in January 2015 generated a lot of debate about free speech, secularism, the integration of minorities and even the durability of the Republic itself. As this module will demonstrate, these are not new themes in French history. In the modern era, France has undergone a series of crises that have repeatedly tested the strength of the republican model of government at the same time as posing important questions about who belongs to the nation and what it means to be French. This module will explore these critical moments starting with the founding of the Third Republic in 1870, amidst humiliating military defeat to Prussia and the civil unrest of the Commune, moving through the Dreyfus Affair, which exemplified the religious tensions that the formal separation of church and state in 1905 did little to resolve, through two World Wars and into recent decades where the rise of the far right has helped fuel fierce debates concerning urban violence, anti-Semitism, immigration and the place of Islam. Students will be encouraged to think about common themes over time such as political polarisation, religious conflict, processes of integration and exclusion, and the implications of all of these for contemporary French identity.

Objectives

The objectives of this module are:
1. To assess the nature of religious, social, cultural and political change in nineteenth and twentieth century France
2. To explore notions of French identity and French republicanism, including how these have changed over time
3. To evaluate key historiographical debates in relation to the history of modern France
4. To critically analyse a range of primary sources, both written and visual, relating to these issues
5. To formulate sophisticated and nuanced arguments in relation to these issues, in written and verbal form
6. To further develop generic, transferable and subject specific skills.

Learning outcomes
On completion of this module, students will be able to:
1. demonstrate a good awareness of the key events, people and themes relating to the social, cultural, political and religious history of modern France
2. demonstrate an ability to think critically about the relationship between contemporary debates about French identity and their historical context
3. demonstrate proficiency in assessing and evaluating a range of primary sources in relation to the study of modern France
4. read critically and engage with secondary sources and historiographical debates, using these to develop rigorous historical analysis
5. show analytical and critical skills in oral presentations and written work


Syllabus

Lectures
1. Introduction: from Revolution to Republic
2. 1870: rising from defeat
3. Religious tensions and the Dreyfus Affair
4. World War One: a moment of consensus?
5. An age of extremes: political polarisation, 1919-39
6. World War Two: occupation, resistance and collaboration
7. The end of empire
8. May '68
9. The rise of the far-right
10. The banlieues: marginalisation and urban unrest
11. Conclusion: debating French national identity

Seminars
1. Introduction: from Revolution to Republic
2. 1870: rising from defeat
3. Religious tensions and the Dreyfus Affair
4. World War One: a moment of consensus?
5. An age of extremes: political polarisation, 1919-39
6. World War Two: occupation, resistance and collaboration
7. A new society? After empire and May '68
8. Responding to the rise of the far-right
9. Conclusion: debating French national identity

Teaching methods

Delivery typeNumberLength hoursStudent hours
Lecture111.0011.00
Tutorial91.009.00
Private study hours180.00
Total Contact hours20.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)200.00

Private study

Students will prepare for each seminar by reading texts and primary sources supplied by the Module Leader. They will also be expected to undertake further, self-directed reading for each class using the module bibliographies. Students will additionally research and prepare an oral presentation (10% of module assessment), research and write a 2000 word assessed essay (30%) and prepare for the final exam (60%).

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

-Participation in class discussion
-Essay consultations
-Evaluation of written and oral assessments
-Feedback on written work

Methods of assessment


Coursework
Assessment typeNotes% of formal assessment
Essay1 x 2,000-word essay, due by 12 noon Monday of teaching week 830.00
PresentationGroup presentation10.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)40.00

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


Exams
Exam typeExam duration% of formal assessment
Standard exam (closed essays, MCQs etc)2 hr 00 mins60.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)60.00

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: 10/02/2017

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