Modern Languages and Cultures

The information contained in this module specification was correct at the time of publication but may be subject to change, either during the session because of unforeseen circumstances, or following review of the module at the end of the session. Queries about the module should be directed to the member of staff with responsibility for the module.
Title BRIEF ENCOUNTERS: THE FRENCH SHORT STORY
Code FREN122
Coordinator Dr PE Bromilow
Modern Languages and Cultures
Pollie.Bromilow@liverpool.ac.uk
Year CATS Level Semester CATS Value
Session 2020-21 Level 4 FHEQ Second Semester 15

Pre-requisites before taking this module (other modules and/or general educational/academic requirements):

 

Modules for which this module is a pre-requisite:

 

Co-requisite modules:

 

Teaching Schedule

  Lectures Seminars Tutorials Lab Practicals Fieldwork Placement Other TOTAL
Study Hours   22

        22
Timetable (if known)              
Private Study 128
TOTAL HOURS 150

Assessment

EXAM Duration Timing
(Semester)
% of
final
mark
Resit/resubmission
opportunity
Penalty for late
submission
Notes
Exam There is a resit opportunity. This is an anonymous assessment.  2 hours    50       
CONTINUOUS Duration Timing
(Semester)
% of
final
mark
Resit/resubmission
opportunity
Penalty for late
submission
Notes
Coursework There is a resit opportunity. Standard UoL penalty applies for late submission. This is an anonymous assessment.  1500-1750 words    50       

Aims

This module will introduce students to a variety of short narratives in French written in a range of periods which may include the Middle Ages to the present day. Whilst providing a general historical overview of the importance of short forms in French-language literature, the module will concentrate on selected texts to develop students’ reading skills as well as their sensitivity to specific generic, literary, cultural, historical and social issues.


Learning Outcomes

(LO1) Read unfamiliar and challenging texts, showing specific knowledge about the contexts in which those texts were produced.

(LO2) Develop their French language skills, expanding their vocabulary and enhancing their sensitivity to issues of idiom, syntax, register and rhetoric.

(LO3) Identify and discuss major features of the short narrative in French and develop an awareness of related issues of genericity.

(LO4) Understand the social and historical situations from which the selected texts emerged.

(LO5) Detect affinities between the prescribed texts from different historical moments by analysing common themes whilst making comparisons between authors and contexts.

(S1) Improving own learning/performance - Reflective practice

(S2) Critical thinking and problem solving - Critical analysis

(S3) Information skills - Critical reading

(S4) Time and project management - Personal organisation

(S5) Communication (oral, written and visual) - Academic writing (inc. referencing skills)


Teaching and Learning Strategies

Teaching Method 1 - Seminar
Description: The module is taught by a team of members of staff from French, and is delivered entirely through seminars, some of which may adopt a more lecture-style format as relevant. On the one hand, sessions will provide essential background to the material studied to encourage consideration of the context(s) in which the discrete texts were produced, and the way in which they can be compared and contrasted with one another. On the other hand, sessions will involve students in the close reading and detailed analysis of the selected material according to the guidance provided by teaching staff. Feedback will be provided globally in individual sessions; in addition, a formative exercise will be set to allow students to consolidate their learning and receive individual feedback on their performance in advance of coursework submission.

Attendance Recorded: Yes


Syllabus

 

The module covers a range of short narratives in French which may range from the Middle Ages to the present day, late twentieth century. After an introduction to the short narrative as a genre and to its pre-history, the module tracks its French origins and charts its development through diverse stories. Texts will be read both individually and from a comparative and transhistorical perspective. The module syllabus will be provided on VITAL and in the module handbook at the start of the course.


Recommended Texts

Reading lists are managed at readinglists.liverpool.ac.uk. Click here to access the reading lists for this module.