Introduction to French Culture
Code: 103361 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2501913 English and French | FB | 1 | 2 |
| 2502533 French Studies | FB | 1 | 2 |
Contact
- Name:
- Maria del Mar García López
- Email:
- MariaMar.Garcia@uab.cat
Use of Languages
- Principal working language:
- (fre)
- Some groups entirely in English:
- No
- Some groups entirely in Catalan:
- No
- Some groups entirely in Spanish:
- No
Teachers
- Maria del Mar García López
Prerequisites
Not applicable.
Objectives and Contextualisation
The Introduction to French Culture is a subject considered UAB Basic Training, scheduled for the first year of following undergraduate programs: French Studies and French and English Studies.
The aim of the course is to provide an introduction to historic, cultural, socio-economic, and political issues of the French-speaking world, and to the legacy of colonialism and post-colonialism, with particular attention to issues of linguistic, national, and racial identity.
This overview is illustrated with a range of texts and films hailing from French-speaking countries that allow students to adquire a relativistic and critic perspective of “francophone cultures”.
Competences
- English and French
- Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
- Students have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (normally within their study area) to issue judgments that include reflection on important issues of social, scientific or ethical.
- Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
- Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
- Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
- French Studies
- Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
- Students have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (normally within their study area) to issue judgments that include reflection on important issues of social, scientific or ethical.
- Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
- Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
- Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
Learning Outcomes
- Analysing a contemporary fact and relating it to its historical background.
- Communicating in the studied language in oral and written form, properly using vocabulary and grammar.
- Establishing relationships between science, philosophy, art, religion, politics, etc.
- Identifying the context of the historical processes.
- Interpreting the meaning of unknown words thanks to its context.
- Relating elements and factors involved in the development of historical processes.
- Submitting works in accordance with both individual and small group demands and personal styles.
Content
I. THE FOUNDING MYTHS OF THE NATION
1. “Our Ancestors the Gauls”
2. Construction and francisation of a plurinational kingdom
3. The “Ancien Régime” and the French Revolution
4. The Third Republic: celebrations, symbols, monuments, and commemorations
5. The French Colonization
6. “The Great War”
7. The Second World War
8. "Thirty Glorious Years"
9. Contemporari challenges
II. FROM SILENCE TO HISTORICAL CONSCIOUSNESS
1. Postcolonial France: from the colonial fracture to “the Other France”
2. The “Indigenous of the Republic”
3. Sites of oblivion
4. The Francophonie: definitions and practices
III. NATIONAL NARRATIVE AND CONTEMPORARY FRENCH SOCIETY
1. The regional diversity
2. The republican model
3. Public spaces and social institutions
4. Changes in economic structures
5. Changes in life styles and attitudes
IV. CULTURAL INDUSTRIES
1. What is the "french cultural exception"?
2. Cultural policies and institutions in the age of digital revolution
3. Francophone literatures, cinemas, and musics.
Methodology
-
All activities have a deadline that must be met, according to the proposed schedule.
-
Work by students mainly consists in assisting to the lectures, research and analysis of information, assignments and participation in guided discussions.
-
The readings are aimed to enable academic discussion, and thematic assigments.
-
The different exercises will be returned with comments and guidelines for further improvement.
-
The main tools used will be: course materials, complementary readings material, and course schedule.
Activities
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Lectures | 10 | 0.4 | 3, 4, 6 |
| Oral and written productions | 20 | 0.8 | 1, 3, 2, 4, 5, 7, 6 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Supervising oral and written productions | 44 | 1.76 | 1, 3, 2, 4, 5, 7, 6 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Personal study | 60 | 2.4 | 1, 3, 5, 6 |
Assessment
The following information concerning student evaluation is only a general orientation. The lecturer will provide a detailed description at the beginning of the semester.
Revision
Prior to formally entering final marks, the lecturer will publish the date / time for assessment revision and the final mark.
Recovery
Students have the right to resit or make up evaluated work providing they have submitted a minimum of 66.6% (two thirds), or more, of the formally assessed work, and who have an average of 3.5 or more.
The lecturer will inform students of the procedure for resitting or making up evaluated work. The lecturer may require an individual assignment / test to make up for each failed evaluated task, or task not performed, or choose to combine failed assessed tasks for the same purpose.
"No-evaluable" mark
A mark of (N/A Not Assessable) will be awarded if a student fails to hand in less than 30% of the assessed work.
Plagiarism, copying, identity theft
In cases of plagiarism, copying, identity theft, etc. in an evaluation activity, a mark of "0" will be given. If such a case is detected over more than one of the evaluable exercises then the student will be given a final mark of "0" for the course.
A student does not have the right to resitting or making up work in cases of plagiarism, copying or identity theft.
Special cases
Students whose mother tongue is French will have to achieve the same assessment conditions than the rest of students.
Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classroom participation | 10% | 2 | 0.08 | 1, 3, 2, 4, 5, 6 |
| Oral exercices and tests | 30% | 6 | 0.24 | 1, 3, 2, 4, 5, 7, 6 |
| Written exercices and tests | 60% | 8 | 0.32 | 1, 3, 2, 4, 5, 7, 6 |
Bibliography
Bibliography
Adoumié, Vincent (dir.). Géographie de la France. Hachette, 2013.
Avezou, Laurent. 100 Questions sur les mythes de l'histoire de France. Paris: Les Éditions de La Boétie, 2013.
Bancel, Nicolas. et al. Ruptures postcoloniales. Les nouveaux visages de la société française. Paris. La Découverte, 2010.
Blanchard, Pascal et al. Décolonisations françaises. La chute d'un empire. Éditions de la Martinière, 2020.
Boucheron, Patrick. (dir.). Histoire mondiale de la France. Le Seuil, 2017.
Citron, Suzanne. Le mythe national. L'histoire de France revisitée. Paris: Éditions de l'Atelier, 2008.
Être Français. Le Monde, hors-série, mars 2016.
Noiriel, Gérard. Une histoire populaire de la France. De la Guerre de Cent Ans à nos jours. Agone, 2018.
Prédal, René. Histoire du cinéma français. Des origines à nos jours. Nouveau monde éds., 2013.
Webography
Media
Le Monde: http://www.lemonde.fr/
Libération: http://www.liberation.fr/
Courrier international: http://www.courrierinternational.com
Le Figaro, http://www.lefigaro.fr
Les Inrockuptibles: http://www.lesinrocks.com/
L'Express: www.lexpress.fr/
Le Point: www.lepoint.fr/
Le Nouvel Observateur: http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/
Marianne: http://www.marianne.net/
Charlie Hebdo: http://charliehebdo.fr/
Africultures: http://www.africultures.com/
France Culture : https://www.franceculture.fr/
France Inter : https://www.franceinter.fr/
Radio France Internationale : https://www.rfi.fr/fr/
Arte: http://www.arte.tv/fr
TV5 monde : http://www.tv5.org/TV5Site/enseigner-apprendre-francais/accueil_apprendre.php Arte: http://www.arte.tv/fr/70.html/
Institut National de l'Audiovisuel (INA): http://www.ina.fr/
Varia
Atlas sonore des langues régionales de France : https://atlas.limsi.fr/
BNF: http://classes.bnf.fr/index.php/
Encyclopédie Larousse en ligne : https://www.larousse.fr/encyclopedie
Hérodote. Le média de l'Histoire : https://www.herodote.net/
L'Histoire pour tous : https://www.histoire-pour-tous.fr/
La documentation française : www.ladocumentationfrancaise.fr/
Lumni enseignement : https://enseignants.lumni.fr/