2023/24 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

FREN2215 Forms of Subversion

15 creditsClass Size: 100

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

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

Year running 2023/24

Pre-requisite qualifications

Level 1 French ab initio

This module is mutually exclusive with

FREN2210

Forms of Subversion

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Module summary

This module, taught primarily in English and through a combination of fortnightly lectures and weekly seminars, uses the guiding themes of subversion and form to develop the study of the cultures, histories, literatures and societies of selected French-speaking countries that students began at Level 1. A representative sample of the forms to be explored includes poetry, fiction, painting, photography, song and film, which could be studied in the following way: an introduction to reading modern French and Francophone poetry through its formal constraints, creative innovations and subversive (or otherwise) social resonance; the 19th/20th/21st Century novel or short story, exploring forms of narrative and the subversive potential of representation; a period from 19th/20th/21st Century art and photography, looking at movements, markets and geopolitics; subversive French song and its engagement with colonial and/or postcolonial histories; post-1950s French cinema, through an example from the New Wave or a more recent period, exploring the power of cinema to subvert norms and present changes in French society and culture. We will also offer two study skills lectures and a tutorial designed to develop analytical skills and to prepare for the assessments. The module offers a pathway to several of the areas in French studies covered by the Final Year programme and available for further study as Final Year Projects.

Objectives

On completion of this module, students will be able to:
- demonstrate an enhanced understanding of the development of selected French-speaking cultures and histories, with particular reference to those periods studied in more detail;
- analyse works from literature, cinema and other genres coherently and with due attention to questions of context and form, both orally and in writing;
- discuss aspects of the history and culture of the French-speaking world clearly and coherently in written form;

Learning outcomes
1. increased understanding, beyond the outcomes of FREN1023, of some key developments in selected French-speaking cultures during the periods studied in detail;
2. knowledge of some key aspects of the history of France, including colonial and post-colonial history;
3. in-depth knowledge of selected cultural texts from the French-speaking world;
4. ability to understand and analyse a source or resource in French as a key example of increasing competence in the study of French-language texts.

Skills outcomes
- Enhancing beginners’ language skills in French (reading and listening) after having already completed one year on the programme
- Analysis of different genres of cultural production (poetry, film, song, fiction, painting, photography).

Syllabus

The module adopts a theme-based approach, in the first instance using the potent and multi-faceted concepts of 'form' and 'subversion' to make connections between different periods and between themes that weave through selected French-speaking cultures. The cultural forms to be explored include poetry, fiction, painting, photography, song and film, examined through the lens of their potential to subvert established power structures, social norms and dominant attitudes, while other themes may be used to connect the cultural forms in the future.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lecture	10	1.00	10.00
Tutorial	18	1.00	18.00
Private study hours			122.00
Total Contact hours			28.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			150.00

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Progress is monitored by
a) participation in and immediate oral feedback on seminars;
b) written feedback on two practice assessments;
c) essay plan tutorial.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	1500 words in English	65.00
Assignment	Review: 750 words in English, with 50% devoted to a French-language source or resource	35.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

A short formative review (350 words) will be submitted in week 9, with feedback provided by week 11. Review (summative) submitted during semester 1 exam period. An essay plan (500 words max) will be submitted by week 19. The tutorial (timing flexible but by week 20) will consist of feedback on the essay plan.

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 05/05/2023

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