FREN3471: Migrations in Cultures of the French-Speaking World

• 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.

• 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 introduce students to key words, concepts, literary forms, and debates relating to the history of migration in French-speaking cultures since 1500
• To consider what critical methods are appropriate when analysing the topic of migration in a cultural and literary perspective

• This module explores migration in the languages and cultures of the French-speaking world.
• The focus will be migration as a theme and as a process of cross-cultural transfer.
• Students will study the vocabulary of migration in French and its shifting conceptualizations. They will consider how these have varied according to historical circumstance and to socio-cultural perspective.
• They will reflect on appropriate methods for constructing notions such as migration that enable non-reductive transhistorical comparisons in cultural history and literary criticism.
• They will explore the relations between migration and the literary. They will examine, in particular, how modern literary forms such as the essay and the novel have become central to literature in French as it explores the complexities of the migrant life.
• Through close analyses of primary texts, informed by the historical and critical insights of the secondary texts they will read, students will look forbut not necessarily findconnections between past and present in an era of global migration.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• By the end of this module, students will gain:
• Knowledge of significant French and Francophone texts
• Knowledge of a key cultural element in the history of modern France and other French-speaking countries
• Knowledge of approaches to analysing texts undertaking cultural, social, and philosophical reflection and performing rhetorical persuasion

Subject-specific Skills:

• By the end of this module, students will:
• Develop their critical skills
• Acquire language proficiency through close reading of primary texts in the target language
• Improve their ability to relate texts judiciously to overarching themes
• Improve their ability to analyse imaginatively and rigorously relationships between literature, history, and society
• Improve their ability to understand and analyse secondary material

Key Skills:

• By the end of this module, students will develop:
• Critical and analytical skills
• Essay-writing and commentary skills
• Ability to structure arguments
• Independent learning

• The module will be taught in weekly one-hour lectures in Michaelmas and Epiphany terms.
• Bi-weekly one-hour seminars will deliver relevant information about the module and will include guided discussions and student presentations (subject to instructors decision and group size).
• Students will be invited to select a topic on which to give a group seminar presentation, which will form the basis of one of the summative assessments.

Student-led group discussions requiring independent reading, research and study. On-going, individualised feedback and feedforward.

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