Unit information: War Stories: Representation and Memory of Conflict in France since World War One in 2022/23

Unit name	War Stories: Representation and Memory of Conflict in France since World War One
Unit code	FREN30041
Credit points	20
Level of study	H/6
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Professor. Hurcombe
Open unit status	Not open
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units)	None
Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units)	None
Units you may not take alongside this one	None
School/department	Department of French
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Unit Information

War Stories looks at the way the three major conflicts in which France was involved in the twentieth century (both world wars and the Algerian War of Independence) are portrayed in French literature and film. The unit is divided into two interconnected parts. The first examines contemporaneous representations of each conflict, considering how individual works participate in key debates of the time, but also how they articulate verbally or visually the experience of war. The second part is concerned with how these three conflicts have been remembered since the end of hostilities, discussing a range of issues associated with trauma and memory and examining how individual works have contributed to the ‘memory wars’ surrounding each conflict. Areas covered in the first part may include the infantryman’s perspective of World War One; clandestine narratives of Resistance; and issues of political engagement and terrorism in relation to the Algerian war. The second part will focus on matters such as cinematic expressions of pacifism; the memory of collaboration and state violence in the late twentieth century; and contemporary French representations of the Holocaust and its legacy. The unit aims to

1. Develop students’ knowledge of issues relating to the representation of war in film and literature;
2. Refine students’ knowledge of the political, social and cultural impact of the three conflicts;
3. Expand their understanding of the interaction of the social, the political and the cultural in a range of representations of these;
4. Develop students’ understanding of cultural memory and the part played by film and literature in establishing and challenging existing narratives and myths.

Your learning on this unit

Successful students will:

1. be knowledgeable about a significant cultural, historical or linguistic subject related to the language they are studying;
2. will have advanced skills in the selection and synthesis of relevant material;
3. be able to evaluate and analyse relevant material from a significant body of source materials, usually in a foreign language, at an advanced level;
4. be able to respond to questions or problems by presenting their independent judgements in an appropriate style and at an advanced level of complexity.
5. develop their ability to collaborate on a groupwork assignment’

How you will learn

The unit will be taught through a combination of tutor- and student-led seminars (1 x 2hr slot weekly across 11 weeks).

Additional material will be made available to students via Blackboard.

How you will be assessed

Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):

• 1 x collaborative group presentation (50%, ILOs 1-5)
• 1 x 3000 word essay (50%). [ILOs 1,2, 3 and 4]

Collaborative group presentation, This will take the form of a 10-minute podcast in French, the theme of which will be decided upon by the students assigned to each group. Each podcast must examine two of the set works studied. These must be different to the two works discussed in the coursework essay.

3000 word essay, the essay must examine two of the set works studied, must be in response to one of the titles supplied by the tutor and must be written in English.

When assessment does not go to plan

When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. FREN30041).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.