ATS3249 - French individualism - 2019

The unit takes as its starting point French films of comedy and drama from the late 20th century and early 21st. These films open up a discussion of the way French culture defines individuality and its relationship to social coexistence. Written texts (literary, philosophical, critical) are used to explore the historical roots of contemporary French culture in the court society of monarchy, notably in the 17th century as it established the cultural parameters within which French individualism developed and later shaped the creation of a Republican national culture.

Upon the successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:

1. explain French individualism and its cultural specificity;
2. analyse the historical circumstances that have shaped French culture, namely the influence of monarchical absolutism and court life;
3. examine and evaluate classical texts of French literature and philosophy as well as contemporary critical texts;
4. examine and evaluate contemporary film in French from a sociological perspective;
5. apply the methodology of historical sociology to critically analyse contemporary French culture;
6. communicate in French, both orally and written, especially in the area of exposition and argumentation.

Within semester assessment: 100%

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. A unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

See also Unit timetable information

French studies