French Modules
LEVEL 4
Semester A modules
EAL4202 Critical Thinking and Writing for Modern Foreign Languages
This module is offered at level 4 and responds to students' linguistic and discipline specific needs in terms of developing analytical skills, critical reading and note-taking skills, argument construction and incorporation of sources, citation and referencing, essay structuring and organisation, written English as necessary (grammar and vocabulary), and editing and proof-reading skills. Students joining this module are both L1 and L2 speakers of English and are studying the modern foreign language degrees in SLLF namely French, German, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Russian. These workshops help students to deliver what is expected from them in their essays. After consultation with their subject tutors and agreement on the academic skills needed to succeed in their degrees, the content is itemised and will be presented in strands of `study skills', `reading and demonstrating knowledge', and `critical thinking and writing'. Students will be given the tools to manage their time efficiently and plan their work accordingly. They will be guided through the process of understanding and successfully delivering assignments, in view of the implications their immediate context bestows upon them. Students will be encouraged and expected to reflect upon their own practice, and will be provided with formative feedback to ensure the learning outcomes are achieved. The module is needs driven and therefore the syllabus is necessarily flexible and the content delivered in workshop format.
FRE4023 Paris in Art
This module introduces students to the historical, political, social and artistic life of Paris (19th – 21st century), through the study of a range of visual media, including painting, photography, film, posters, 37 bande dessinée, as well as related texts. Topics will include: representations of Paris by artists from Impressionism to Surrealism; International Exhibitions; Paris as spectacle; Paris and revolution (1848, 1968); imagining Paris tomorrow. Students will acquire analytical tools to discuss visual documents in relation to historical and cultural issues. Assessment: One 2000-word essay (50 per cent); one two-hour written examination (50 per cent).
Full year modules
FRE4200 French I
Basic grammatical structures are revised and reinforced. Practice in comprehension and composition is given using a wide variety of source material in contemporary French, designed to develop appropriateness and accuracy in the spoken and written language. The entire module counts towards the QMUL model. Assessment: Continuous assessment (40 per cent); one 25-minute oral examination in pairs (20 per cent); one two-hour 30-minute examination (40 per cent).
FRE4201 French Foundations
This is a two-semester module designed to offer an introduction to various aspects of French studies. These include ideas/philosophy, linguistics, literature, visual culture, and political and cultural issues. Each year, four of the aspects listed above will be studied in half-semester blocks, with teaching consisting of a combination of lectures and seminars. The module aims to enable you to develop a broad understanding of (i) French texts, both verbal and visual, in their context, and (ii) socio-cultural and linguistic topics, and to develop your linguistic proficiency in written and spoken French. You will also acquire skills in analysing the texts and topics studied, as well as more general skills in presentation and communication; these will be of value to you not only within the academic institution but also in your future career. In addition, the module will help you get to know a number of members of staff of the French department, and to find out more about your own interests and strengths so that you can build on these in future years of study. Assessment: Two 2000-word essays (25 per cent each); one three-hour written examination (50 per cent).
Semester B modules
FRE4203 Translation into French
The module provides an introduction to translation into French. Through weekly translation exercises based both on sentences and on texts, students will learn to think systematically about language structure and language use in French (and English), and acquire a more in-depth understanding of register, style, idioms and cultural specificity and the ways in which arguments are constructed. Assessment: Two in-class tests (50 per cent each).
LEVEL 5
Semester A modules
FRE5001 Memories of WWII in Literature, Film and Art
This module introduces you to French experiences of the 'annees noires' (the 'dark years') of the German Occupation of France and more especially to the ways in which these have been remembered, represented and interpreted in the art, film and literature of post-war France. It examines the reasons for this period's uneasy status as 'unfinished history' and explores some of the creative representations and reinterpretations of events that have been produced from the aftermath of war through to the present day. The module also involves the study of contemporary theories about cultural memory, from France and elsewhere. It considers how these theories have evolved and explores productive ways of drawing upon them to interpret the primary works studied. Assessment: One 1500-word essay (40 per cent); one 2500-word essay (60 per cent).
FRE504 Twentieth Century French Thought: Violence and Values
This is a module on twentieth century French Thought. It focuses on a number of twentieth-century French writers who explore the nature and purpose of ethical values in a variety of contexts involving violence. It examines a range of issues including questions of political and cultural identity, totalitarianism, the role of gender in the shaping of ethical values and the implications of specifically colonial violence, with close reference to the French context but with wider European and global implications. The module traces a chronological approach starting with Simone Weil''s ethical 40 concerns in the earlier part of the century, then moves to Sartre''s analysis of anti-semitism and finally looks at Fanon''s analysis of violence in relation to decolonisation. Assessment: One 2000-word essay (50 per cent); one two-hour exam (50 per cent).
FRE5200 Translation into French
The module provides an introduction to translation into French. Through weekly translation exercises based both on sentences and on texts, students will learn to think systematically about language structure and language use in French (and English), and acquire a more in-depth understanding of register, style, idioms and cultural specificity, and the ways in which arguments are constructed. The module is not available to Erasmus students. Assessment: Two in-class tests (50 per cent each).
SML209 Computers and Languages
This module is designed as an introduction to the application of technology in language education. Providing a balance of theory and practice, it will equip students with the knowledge and skills to make optimum use of computers in their studies and research activities. The module will cover key concepts in the use of digital technologies for language learning and humanities, as well as providing practical experience in the creation of digital materials using a variety of computer-based applications. Assessment: Two practical assignments (10 per cent each); one 1000-word evaluation report (30 per cent); one 1500-word project (50 per cent).
SML5201 Language Myths
Are some languages harder to learn than others? Are double negatives illogical? Do children lack grammar? Do dialects lack grammar? Did your parents teach you your mother tongue? In this module we explore commonly held views on human language from a contemporary, comparative perspective. The module is specifically designed with students taking a language (not linguistics) degree in mind. Assessment: Portfolio of work (100 per cent).
Full year modules
FRE5202 French II
This module develops French grammar, comprehension, oral, aural and analytical skills, with an emphasis on the appropriate use of register in both spoken and written French and preparation for the Year Abroad. Assessment: Coursework (40 per cent); one 25-minute oral examination in groups (20 per cent); one two-hour 30-minute written examination (40 per cent).
Semester B modules
FRE5002 The Story of my Life?: French Autobiography and Autofiction
The word ‘autobiography’ is often understood as the story of one’s life. But do our lives have a story, and can this story be told? This module will consider how writers grapple with the problems and possibilities of self-representation. You will be introduced to a range of critical reflections on lifewriting (eg. feminist and postcolonial perspectives), as well as learning to engage closely with the chosen texts. Over the course of the module, we will consider issues such as: the complexity of memory, the difficulty of representing traumatic experience, the role played by gender, culture and class in self-representation, and the meaning of fantasy and invention in life-writing. In the age of social-media, many of us are accustomed to producing our own public persona. This module will invite you to think about what is at stake personally and politically in acts of self-representation. Students will also have the opportunity to produce a short piece of life-writing themselves. Assessment: Participation (10 per cent); one 1500-word essay (40 per cent); one 2500-word essay (50 per cent).
FRE5003 Art in France: Manet to Early Picasso
This module explores early modernist painting in France from Manet to the beginnings of Cubism. It focuses mainly on the works of Manet (from his Déjeuner sur l’herbe 1863), Monet, Morisot, Gauguin, Cézanne, and Picasso’s early paintings (including Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, 1906-7). Paintings will be discussed both as an aesthetic and a social practice. Topics studied include: the spectacle of the modern city, gender and representation, the dialogue between art and literature, the influence of nonEuropean art forms, realism v modernism. No prior knowledge of art history is needed. Assessment: One 2000-word essay (50 per cent); one two-hour written examination (50 per cent).
FRE5203 Out of Place: Literature and Dislocation
This module explores a range of modern French and Francophone texts in which notions of dislocation are prominent. It considers how the 'out of place' motif works not just geographically but also in contexts to do with cultural, ethnic and social-class affiliation. With reference to works by Annie Ernaux, Albert Camus, Bernard-Marie Koltès, Mohammed Dib and Leïla Sebbar, the module explores class migration and the articulation of exile and loss, problems of cultural belonging, the power of the past to 'haunt' the present, and colonialism and its legacy. Assessment: One two-hour written examination (60 per cent); one 2000-word essay (40 per cent).
LEVEL 6
Semester A modules
FRE6010 Languages in the Classroom 1: Practical and Theoretical Approaches to Teaching
This module introduces you to language teaching at school. It is the first of two 15 credit modules, and it focuses on the theoretical aspects of language teaching - whereas the other one (FRE6012 which runs during the second semester) focuses on practical matters. Through the completion of this module, you will gain an understanding of key aspects of Applied Linguistics and Psycholinguistics. You will focus on theoretical aspects of second / foreign language acquisition and their implications for teaching approaches and the design of teaching materials. This will involve planning, producing and delivering teaching materials. This module will also enable you to develop a range of transferable and professional skills such as organisational skills, communication skills, team-work, time management and problem-solving skills. Important: If you are planning to attend the module FRE6012 (Languages in the Classroom 2: Teaching and Reflective Practice) in semester 2, you will be required to complete a placement in a local school and will therefore require clearance from the UK's Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) <https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/disclosure-and-barring-service/> towards the end of the first semester. Please contact the module organiser for further information. Assessment: One 1500-word lesson plan and commentary (40 per cent); one 15-minute demonstration of teaching techniques (20 per cent); one 1500-word essay (40 per cent).
FRE6029 Surrealism
This interdisciplinary module focuses on the art, literature, politics and theory of Dada and Surrealism. Students will study surrealist painting (Dali, Magritte, Kahlo), collage (Ernst), photography (Man Ray, Cahun), film (Dalí and Buñuel, Artaud, Dulac), poetry (Desnos, Eluard), and politics (Breton). Topics to be studied include: art and psychoanalysis, art and politics, art and revolution, gender identity, and representation. Assessment: One 1500-word essay (40 per cent); one 2500-word essay (60 per cent).
FRE605 French Feminist Writing
All students will have some opinions on what it means 'to be a woman’. This module will encourage you to examine these opinions in the light of French feminist thought from Simone de Beauvoir's seminal 'Le Deuxième Sexe', to Virginie Despentes raucous manifesto 'King-Kong Théorie'. Through close readings of both philosophical and literary texts we will explore questions such as: is one born, or does one become, a woman? how do the stories we tell shape our understanding of gender roles? From whose perspective are these stories told and what do they exclude or repress? How have writers and thinkers reinvented these stories? What is the role of reading and writing in processes of social change? Assessment: One 1500-word close textual analysis (30 per cent); one 2500-word essay (70 per cent).
FRE6200 Language and Society in the French-Speaking World
This module focuses on questions of language and society in the French-speaking world, both from the macro and micro sociolinguistic perspectives. Topics include: the emergence of French as the national (standard) language of France; the expansion of French abroad and the notion of la Francophonie; so-called language policy and planning, including policies towards other (minority/regional) languages spoken in France; varieties of French spoken in regional areas and in other countries (e.g. Canada); French-based creoles (e.g. Mauritian Creole); and social and stylistic variation in French according to factors such as age, register and social class. Assessment: One two-hour written examination (50 per cent); one 2000-word essay (50 per cent).
Full year modules
FRE6202 French III
This module is compulsory for final-year students of French, and provides advanced training in comprehension, composition, textual analysis and two-way translation as well as developing a high level of competence in written and oral French. Students are trained in the management of formal discussion in French. Assessment: Coursework (40 per cent); one 20-minute oral examination (20 per cent); two two-hour examinations (20 per cent each).
FRE6207 Advanced Oral Competence in French
This module aims to develop oral comprehension and language production skills to a very high level. You will study authentic extracts from a wide variety of French and Francophone sources (radio, tv and the internet) and will be trained in language competence in both formal and informal situations ranging from debates to recorded formal oral communication. Assessment: Coursework (20 per cent); one-hour 45-minute examination (80 per cent).
SML005 Modern Languages Research Project
Entry to this module will not be automatic. All students wishing to take this module must meet the entry requirements, present an approved topic and have an agreed supervisor. It is designed to enable suitably qualified final-year students to pursue a sustained piece of individual or group research on an agreed topic which may not necessarily be covered in the taught modules. Introductory group sessions on research methods will be followed by individual supervision. You should note that failure to provide evidence of satisfactory progress will lead to de-registration. Assessment: One 1500-word Project Progress Exercise (10 percent); one 8000-word Research Project (90 percent).
Semester B modules
FRE6001 Photography: The Self and its Image
This module examines how photographic images and processes are used to understand and give accounts of the self. Focusing on experimental self-narratives and specific image types (e.g. selfportraits, family photography, art photography, phototexts), it considers the shifting meanings of photography as a tool of self-knowledge. It explores tensions between self-documentary and selfinvention, and the ways in which these tensions are inflected as photographic technologies change. Students will be introduced to key theories and concepts for the analysis of photography in selfnarrative. Examples are derived from France and beyond. Where feasible, advantage will be taken of relevant resources/events/exhibitions in London (notably the Photographer's Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery and the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize exhibition). Assessment: One 1500-word essay (40 per cent); one 2500-word essay (60 per cent).
FRE6004 Proust
Proust is one of the major European novelists of the last century, whose work A la recherche du temps perdu has been a constant inspiration to readers, other writers, and thinkers about literature. The module will concentrate on the first volume (Du côté de chez Swann) and the last (Le Temps retrouvé), initially offering a general presentation of these main subdivisions and considering a number of major themes and atterns that recur from one volume to another, such as love, desire, and sexuality; history; and social structures. Assessment: One 1500-word commentary (40 per cent); one 2500-word essay (60 per cent).
FRE6012 Languages in the Classroom 2: Teaching and Reflective Practice
This module introduces students to language teaching at school. It is the second of two 15 credit modules, and it focuses on the practical aspects of language teaching - whereas the other one (FRE6011 which runs during the first semester) focuses on theoretical issues. Through the completion of this module, and building upon the theoretical knowledge which you have acquired in FRE6011, you develop practical knowledge of how to design and deliver materials for the purpose of teaching foreign languages. You focus on practical aspects of second/ foreign language acquisition and their implications for teaching approaches and design of teaching materials. You complete a teaching placement in a local primary or secondary school, where you have an opportunity to apply the theoretical knowledge gained in FRE6011 in the actual teaching and learning context. This involves planning, producing and delivering teaching materials. The module also enables you to develop a range of transferable and professional skills such as organisational skills, communication skills, team-work, time management and problem-solving skills. Important: As you are required to complete a placement in a local school, you will have to provide clearance from the UK's Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) <https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/disclosure-and-barringservice/> towards the end of semester 1 BEFORE this module in semester 2. Please contact the module organiser for further information. Assessment: One 2000-word teaching plan (50 per cent); one 2000-word critical reflection on teaching experience (50 per cent).