Aims

In consonance with the overall aims of the degrees offered in the SML, to introduce students to the study of contemporary French politics, society and culture; to prepare students for future study of history, politics and society of France; and to introduce methods of study appropriate to socio-political and historical studies.

This module is for Exchange students studying at Newcastle University for Semester 2 only.

Outline Of Syllabus

This class provides an introduction to the history of France and of the francophone world since the Middle Ages. It initiates students to the major events and themes that have shaped politics, society, and culture in France and its former colonies between 1870 and 2002, paying special attention to questions of identity and diversity in a national and imperial context. Modules include a combination of lecture and seminar-style discussion of documents (in French).

Week 1 French Imperialism and the Civilising Mission
Week 2 The Dreyfus Affair
Week 3 The Great War
Week 4 The 1920s: Les Années Folles
Week 5 Occupation, Collaboration and Resistance: The Vichy Years
Week 6 Decolonization
Week 7 The Trentes Glorieuses and May 1968
Week 8 Fin-de-Siècle France

This course will be taught both in French and English and will be assessed in English.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Lectures will allow definition of the scope of the syllabus, an introduction to a body of knowledge, and modelling of the level of analysis required. Videos extracts shown during lectures will provide practical illustrations of the contents introduced. Seminars will give students the opportunity to discuss the information they have been introduced to in lectures through group work; presentation and directed personal reading. Extra resources as well as formative quizzes will also be available via Canvas.

Seminars will be in English to ensure that language problems do not hinder student expression and that the material covered has been fully understood by the students.

Lectures will be online. (Evaluation from last year showed that a majority of students appreciated the online elements as part of the module contact hours. This mode of teaching showed to be very effective as it allowed students to reflect in their own time, and students can replay the recording. The lectures contain a lot of material and the students will need to review it before their final assessment.)

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Summative essay: to encourage students to engage with a chosen topic in depth; to demonstrate understanding of the events and themes covered in semester 2; to encourage students to research beyond materials covered in class and to engage with secondary literature; to develop academic writing skills.