FRE4022 : Social Justice in French and Francophone Culture
- Offered for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Dr Sarah Leahy
- Co-Module Leader: Professor Shirley Jordan, Dr Gillian Jein
- Lecturer: Professor Guy Austin
- Owning School: Modern Languages
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 10 |
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
In consonance with the overall aims of the degrees offered in the SML:
- To develop critical reading skills in French for stage 4 students.
- To provide access to contemporary academic literature on literature, film and visual arts from France and other French-speaking countries.
- To develop understanding of the relationship between cultural production and social justice.
This module is taught and assessed in English. It will focus on the principles of social justice - access to resources, equity, participation, diversity and human rights - in relation to a variety of issues and characteristics (e.g. climate change, gender, race, migration, conflict and violence) using a range of case studies that will enable students to develop analyses of film, literature and visual arts from France and other French-speaking countries.
Students will work with texts and original sources in French.
Outline Of Syllabus
The syllabus may vary from year to year, but will explore key topics relating to social justice in relation to a variety of cultural outputs.
Key concepts we will cover include:
- What do we mean by social justice?
- Ethics, equity and distributive justice.
- Representation, advocacy, activism and cultural production.
- Forms of storytelling, agency and empowerment.
- Resisting judgment - engaging with the other.
The module may address issues relating to climate change, colonial pasts and post/decoloniality, gender, generations, marginality, migration, race, reproductive rights, conflict and violence, for example:
- the centre and the margins (e.g. urban space and the banlieue, urban/rural space, the metropole and l’outre-mer)
- migration ((post)colonial (im)migration; nationality; hospitality/terre d’accueil; France, the EU and the world)
- sexual/reproductive justice (sexual freedom and consent; natalism; access to birth control, IVG, FIV, etc;)
- economic justice and inequality (labour rights; social security; inequality and economic exclusion)
- climate change (environment; pollution; agriculture and food security; global inequalities)
- conflict and violence (bande dessinée in the Middle East; sub-Saharan Africa and testimonial narratives).
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 30 | 1:00 | 30:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 9 | 2:00 | 18:00 | PIP Lectures will alternate with seminars |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 30 | 1:00 | 30:00 | Guided independent study themed to the week’s lecture and seminar topic. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 9 | 1:00 | 9:00 | PIP seminars will alternate with lectures. |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 27 | 1:00 | 27:00 | Key reading and viewing tasks with questions to prepare for each seminar. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 2 | 2:00 | 4:00 | Workshops will focus on assessments. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 2 | 1:00 | 2:00 | Assessment surgery hours for individual queries. |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 80 | 1:00 | 80:00 | Other independent research and study. |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lectures will introduce and develop the key concepts and theories that underpin social justice and provide students with the essential context for engaging with the case studies. They will also help to develop the skills required for analysis of texts including film (fiction and/or documentary), bande dessinée, literature (fiction and non-fiction of various genres), visual arts. Lectures may include group work and other student-focused tasks.
Seminars will offer students the chance to engage with texts in detail, developing their critical analysis skills and knowledge of the concepts and theories underpinning social justice. Students will be expected to have completed preparatory tasks that will be set on Canvas in advance of the seminars; these will include prescribed reading and viewing, and may also include some writing tasks. Seminars will involve group work and class discussion.
Assessment workshops will further support students with skills development for the specific tasks they need to fulfil. Drop-in sessions will allow students the chance for one-to-one support with their assessments.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written exercise | 1 | A | 30 | 1000-word blog post focusing on a text that they will choose in consultation with the module teachers. The blog will address the text in relation to how it engages with social justice, taking account of context of production and form. |
| Essay | 2 | A | 70 | A 3000-word essay, exploring aspects of social justice in relation to at least 2 case studies studied on the module. |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
Written exercise 1
The blog will enable the students to develop skills in writing with a reader in mind. They will choose a specific text in consultation with the lecturer, and present this in relation to A) its purpose and context of production and its purpose and B) relevant principles of social justice.
The blog will be assessed on how well the students can synthesise the relevant information about the text, and demonstrate how it relates to wider questions or debates around social justice.
Essay
The essay will require students to frame an argument and support this with evidence from texts studied on the module. Students will critically engage with concepts of social justice, and will draw on a range of texts relating to at least two case studies. They will be expected to frame their argument and analysis in relation to a range of secondary sources. Essays will demonstrate knowledge of key concepts and theories as well as of specific case studies, and skills of argument and critical analysis.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- FRE4022's Timetable