Aims

-To provide students with a broad knowledge of the history of Paris and its role in French national identity through the study of a variety of cultural texts representing the city.
- To introduce students to the detailed study of a variety of cultural texts representing Paris.
- To introduce students to theoretical ideas associated with notions of social geography, cultural memory and urban topography

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

Outline Of Syllabus

This module covers two topics which may include, for example: Modernisation, Marginality, Revolution, Visions of the City, Politics of the Town Hall and Language. There are also two essay-writing seminars and a feedback session, as well as a concluding overview session.

The lectures for this course will be taught mostly in French and the seminars in English.

The module will be thematically organised into an introductory overview followed by four sections. In lectures, students will be given historical background and introduced to theoretical work which they will be encouraged to apply to the study of texts from a variety of different media. The module will be assessed by one essay written in English.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Lectures (in the form of video recordings) will provide the essential historical context and introduce students to theoretical ideas around urban experience, marginality, modernisation, and Paris-based social and cultural movements amongst others. Lecture materials will also model the application of this historical and theoretical knowledge to the study of specific periods, events and texts. Students will be expected to work through the lecture materials and accompanying directed reading/viewing which will be clearly signposted on Canvas.
Evaluation from last year showed that a majority of students appreciated the online elements as part of the module contact hours and the blended learning mode of teaching showed to be very effective as it allowed students time to reflect in their own time.

In seminars, students will analyse a range of materials (including, potentially, art, photography, film, poetry, essays, maps/plans) in detail, working through the issues raised by the lectures with support and added clarifications or examples where needed. Students will be expected to carry out guided independent reading and to prepare questions – of a simple but also more extensive nature – in advance of seminars.

The module talk will provide an introduction to and benchmark of the module and its teaching methods (that students can refer back to) and the Q&A will facilitate debate around the key topics and issues in the module.

The drop in sessions will be mainly to go through assessment queries in person.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The summative essay assesses students’ ability to apply knowledge about a period of Parisian history, as well as
theories of urban experience and cultural histories, in order to carry out detailed analysis of a selection of materials representing Paris (these vary depending on the topic chosen). The summative essay is written in French and a formative essay plan precedes it so that students can practise essay-writing skills and receive feedback before going on to write the summative essay. There will be specific essay writing classes.