FREN3221: AUTOBIOGRAPHY/FICTION: CONTEMPORARY FRENCH WRITERS

• French Language 2 (FREN2051) OR an equivalent qualification to the satisfaction of the Chairman/Chairwoman of the Board of Studies in MLAC or his/her representative, AND either FREN1041 or FREN2011.

• Modern Languages, Combined Honours and all Joint and 'with' programmes: French Language 4 (FREN3041). Other: see Chairman/Chairwoman of the Board of Studies in MLAC or his/her representative

• None.

• To develop final-year undergraduate students' skills of analysis with respect to a variety of contemporary literary styles and critical contexts and queries.
• To increase studentsawareness of contemporary themes and questions raised by studies of autobiography, the writing of the past, and the representation of a wide range of concepts linked to specific social issues addressed by the chosen corpus.
• To encourage independent study and enable the individual formulation of research essay questions, while maximising the benefits of the collective debates provided in the forum of seminars.

• This option, taught and assessed in French, focuses on a selection of contemporary French writers examined from the multiple points of view of diverse critical theories of Fiction and Autobiography, linked to feminist perspectives.
• It addresses key questions of identity, kinship, gender, memory (loss of, writing of) and censorship in the context of the contemporary literary landscape.
• Narrative strategies are related to issues such as the fluidity and plurality of identities, and the limits and potential of the genres of auto/fictions and other life writing experiments.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• Students will become familiar with a wide range of contemporary themes and questions raised by studies of autobiography, the writing of the past, and the representation of social issues.
• Students will develop a sense of distinction between literary genres and become aware of the variety of new trends in French prose writing.
• Students will develop an understanding of notions of authorship, autobiography and fiction, and therefore be able to do close textual analysis, following specific themes and stylistic devices.

Subject-specific Skills:

• Advanced critical analysis of narrative texts.
• Enhanced ability to apply critical tools to the study of primary texts.
• Enhanced ability to read complex primary and secondary texts in French with a sensitivity to context and genre, and to articulate critical arguments in French at an advanced level.

Key Skills:

• Extended development of general written communication skills.
• The ability to discuss topical or general issues with a high degree of fluency.
• Extended skills in the acquisition and interpretation of information through close reading and research.

• There will be a mixture of weekly lectures and fortnightly seminars.
• The module is taught and assessed in French. Students are expected to have taken one or both of the options taught in French at Levels 1-2, and to be able to take part in discussions in French.
• Independent study will be fostered by giving students the option to design their own essay topics in discussion with the tutor, as an alternative to the choice of prescribed essay topics.
• Seminars will include oral presentations in teams on topics announced at the beginning of the year.

Seminar presentations include active participation and preparation for summative assessment, via student-led group discussions, requiring independent reading and research, which benefits from ongoing feedback.

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