Dissertation in French Studies
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| MLAC3089 | Modern Languages and Cultures | 3 | 20 | Full Year UK |
- Code
- MLAC3089
- School
- Modern Languages and Cultures
- Level
- 3
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Full Year UK
Summary
This year-long module is based on guided independent study of a chosen topic in the field of French and Francophone Studies for which supervision can be offered by the Department. Topics typically relate to a module taken in the second year, or to a module to be taken in the final year, and it is expected that students have some familiarity with the chosen field.
Dissertation topics in past years have included:
- The feminist and humanist aspects of Christine de Pizan's work.
- How Albert Memmi's philosophy of colonised identity is prefigured in his literary work.
- The representation of women in three novels by Dany Laferrière.
- The representation of women in the films of Jean-Luc Godard.
- The definition of malaise in the context of contemporary socio-economic and political issues in France.
- Presidential Power in the Fifth Republic.
- The urban landscape in surrealism.
- Translating humour from English to French.
Teaching takes place in the form of regular individual meetings with the allocated supervisor, and group meetings with the module convenor, centred more generally on research and writing skills.
Semester 1 is devoted to research, reading and planning, leading to the submission of a dissertation abstract, chapter outline and preliminary bibliography, as well as the presentation of posters. In the second semester, students write up and complete the dissertation under the continued guidance of the supervisor.
Target Students
Optional module for all UG students taking French on condition of an average weighted mark of 60 at the end of Part Two and so long as they are not taking a dissertation in another language section.
Classes
The School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies operates an attendance policy. The details of this policy can be found in the student handbook on Workspace and in module handbooks. Fortnightly individual consultations with designated supervisor. Group sessions: generic study skills organised by the Dissertation Module Convenor.
Assessment
- 100% Dissertation: 5,000 - 7,000 words
Assessed by end of spring semester
Educational Aims
To enable students to pursue an extended research project in a given area under supervision and to produce a substantial piece of academic writing on the subject;To enable students to deepen their knowledge of French Studies by concentrating over two semesters on a single research topic.Learning Outcomes
A. Knowledge and understanding:
•Close understanding both of the chosen corpus and of its related field of study (A3, A4, A5, A6).
•Familiarity with an appropriate range of secondary literature (A4, A6).
B. Intellectual skills:
•Independent study and research (B4).
•Critical assessment of a range of primary and secondary literature (B5).
•Analysis and elaboration of arguments (B6).
C. Professional skills:
•Independent work on primary and secondary source materials (C5).
•Planning and executing a longer-term project (C5).
•Practice in appropriate research skills (bibliographical, analytical, presentational) (C5).
•Exploitation of a range of research resources available in the library and through relevant databases (C5).
•Understand, process and express complex ideas in either English or French (C3).
•Presentation of an extended piece of work in conformity with academic conventions (C6).
D. Transferable skills:
•Working productively independently (D4).
•Identification of a research topic (D3).
•Ability to develop an argument in depth (D2).
•Personal organisational skills (D6, D7).
•Clear written expression (D1).