To provide students with an outline of the major aspects of Urban Studies and Globalized City Studies both in general and as they pertain to French and Francophone societies and cultures;

To broaden and deepen students’ historical and geographical knowledge of the French-speaking world and encourage them to understand France and the Francophone world in ways that are both transnational and comparative;

To encourage students to engage with a variety of genres and media produced in and about Francophone cities, through which students will be able to examine different aspects of French and Francophone societies and cultures;

To provide students with skills appropriate to a range of areas in French and Francophone Studies and to assist them in developing generic study skills, including information skills training and anti-plagiarism training.

(LO1) Demonstrate knowledge of key events and issues in the development of the wider French-speaking world.

(LO2) Demonstrate knowledge of key issues in Urban Studies and Global City Studies as they relate to the French-speaking world.

(LO3) Demonstrate an ability to analyse closely a range of material in different genres and media and to produce a coherent and cogent argument based on this analysis.

(LO4) Analyse unfamiliar and challenging texts and other relevant material, showing specific knowledge about the contexts in which those texts were produced.

(LO5) Read critically in both French and English, write or present for a variety of audiences, constructing a coherent argument and creating transnational and comparative connections between cities.

(LO6) Develop French language skills, expanding vocabulary and enhancing sensitivity to issues of idiom, syntax, register and rhetoric in examples drawn from across the French-speaking world.

(LO7) Develop and use a range of multimedia skills to produce and edit audio recordings, make advertising flyers, and produce a webpage.

(LO8) Find and use appropriate materials and gather data from secondary works using library and IT resources, and understand the rationale behind the proper and consistent use of bibliographic citation.

(S1) Improving own learning/performance - reflective practice

(S2) Communication (oral and visual)

(S3) Communication (written and visual) – writing for general audiences

(S4) Communication (written and visual) - academic writing (inc. referencing skills)

(S5) Critical thinking and problem solving - critical analysis

(S6) Global citizenship - cultural awareness

(S7) Understand a text of the target language within its broader historical, cultural and social context

(S8) Demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the cultures, linguistic contexts, history, politics, geography, and social and economic structures of the societies of the country of the target language and other countries around the world where French is used.

(S9) Demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the cultures, linguistic contexts, history, politics, geography, and social and economic structures of the societies of the country of the target language and other countries around the world where French is used.

Teaching Method 1 - Lecture
There will be a weekly lecture in which the topic or city under examination will be presented to students through a range of examples. Lectures will be interactive, allowing students to comment on materials under discussion and to create connections between different Francophone cities and their cultures. PowerPoint slides of lectures will be made available on the VLE along with supplementary learning materials. Students will be encouraged to follow up these sources as part of their additional study hours.

Teaching Method 2 - Seminar
The weekly lectures will be complemented by a student-led seminar in which authentic material provided in a module dossier (literature, films, maps, legal documents, advertising material, artefacts, photographs, extracts from travel writing, etc.) will be analysed. The aim of each seminar will be detailed commentary on and analysis of the material prescribed for discussion.

Teaching Methods 3 - Workshop
Two workshops will be held to support the assessment of the module, with the goal of giving students practical guidance and the opportunity to ask questions and try out ideas in a supported environment.

In addition to lectures and seminars, students would be expected to undertake 124 hours of self-directed learning. This will be made up of preparation for seminars; further reading following lectures; preparation of assessment.

The module opens with an introduction to cities, space, the francosphere and identity. After an overview of this context, the module uses a combination of lectures and student-led seminars to provide a comprehensive understanding of the Francophone city both individually and from a comparative and transhistorical perspective. Alongside a ‘reader’ on globalized cities and urban studies, students will examine a dossier of materials across seminars.

An indicative syllabus may cover the following cities, or others depending on staff availability:

• Algiers
• Beirut
• Brest
• Brussels
• Cayenne
• Kinshasa
• London
• Marseille
• Montréal
• Noumea
• Pondicherry
• Port-au-Prince

The module syllabus will be provided on the VLE and in the module handbook at the start of the course.