Students

FRN 347 – French Literature

2019 – S1 Day

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor
Alex Kurmann
alex.kurmann@mq.edu.au
Contact via 02 9850 8809
AHH L2 North Wing
Tuesday 2-4pm
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
FRN227
Corequisites Corequisites
FRN336
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit offers a study of some representative Francophone texts. This unit requires a solid knowledge of the French language. Students will further develop their knowledge of French language and culture through a detailed study of the body of works. The unit engages students' analytical and critical abilities, introducing them to research in French Studies. (B2 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.)

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • To learn to read literary texts in a deep and critical manner so as to develop individual research questions. To identify, evaluate and deploy a broad range of theoretical and linguistic interpretations of literary texts.
  • Students will learn how to carry out their own textual analyses. In so doing they will gain skills in critical reading, thinking and in communicating important concepts in literature to their peers.
  • To develop skills in critical and analytical thinking, and the ability to write a formal, structured argument in French. To acquire the skills to write an essay on a literary subject of their own choosing from texts studied in the unit. Independent learning and research are strongly encouraged.
  • To become well acquainted with a variety of key French language literary texts of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries that represent a range of Francophone national literatures. To understand the periods in which they were written, the social and political discourses that they draw upon, the literary theories that may be applied to them.
  • To acquire an awareness of the global expanse of the French-speaking world that includes an understanding of the historical timeline of French colonization and decolonization, as well as political debates in postcolonial writing in French. To gain an appreciation of the historical, political, cultural and linguistic issues faced by Francophone writers of Maghrebian, African, and Southeast Asian origin.
  • To demonstrate a nuanced awareness of processes of literal and cultural translation in regards to literary texts.

General Assessment Information

Indicative examples of assessment tasks will be available on iLearn.

All assessment tasks are compulsory and must be handed in or sat on time. Students unable to meet due dates may apply for an extension in writing by submitting an application for 'Special Consideration' via ask.mq.edu, which comes through to the unit convenor, who will approve the extension online. Students who have an extension approved will not receive any penalties. Tasks handed in early will not be marked and returned before the due date.

Students are also advised not to travel overseas during the session when assessments are in progress.

Late Assessment Penalty

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Participation 15% No Weeks 2 to 12
Analyse de texte 25% No In class from weeks 4 to 12
Plan de dissertation 15% No Week 10
Dissertation 45% No Week 13

Participation

Due: Weeks 2 to 12
Weighting: 15%

Students will prepare reflective notes and questions concerning the texts studied and themes discussed in the previous tutorial. These will be brought to class by internal students for collaborative discussion and comparison in preparation for the final essay. External students will contribute to an online Forum.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • To demonstrate a nuanced awareness of processes of literal and cultural translation in regards to literary texts.

Analyse de texte

Due: In class from weeks 4 to 12
Weighting: 25%

Internal Students

In weeks one and two of the unit, students will form groups of 2 or 3 and will choose which text they will work on. The choice of text will determine which week, from week 4 to 12, they will complete their oral task. Texts and the week they will be studied in class can be found on the ''Unit Schedule' below and in Ilearn.

In consultation with their tutor, each group will find an extract of no more than one page that they feel would be of learning interest to their classmates. The group will come up with an activity that lasts no more than 20 minutes to conduct with the class in French to teach them at least 3 important points about their chosen extract.

External Students will present their own textual analysis of a one page [maximum] extract of a text studied in class as a 10 minute individual video or audio recording. Due by Friday of week 12. 

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • To learn to read literary texts in a deep and critical manner so as to develop individual research questions. To identify, evaluate and deploy a broad range of theoretical and linguistic interpretations of literary texts.
  • Students will learn how to carry out their own textual analyses. In so doing they will gain skills in critical reading, thinking and in communicating important concepts in literature to their peers.
  • To become well acquainted with a variety of key French language literary texts of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries that represent a range of Francophone national literatures. To understand the periods in which they were written, the social and political discourses that they draw upon, the literary theories that may be applied to them.
  • To acquire an awareness of the global expanse of the French-speaking world that includes an understanding of the historical timeline of French colonization and decolonization, as well as political debates in postcolonial writing in French. To gain an appreciation of the historical, political, cultural and linguistic issues faced by Francophone writers of Maghrebian, African, and Southeast Asian origin.
  • To demonstrate a nuanced awareness of processes of literal and cultural translation in regards to literary texts.

Plan de dissertation

Due: Week 10
Weighting: 15%

Plan de dissertation

Internal and External Students 

The student will provide a detailed, structured plan of their proposed essay  in French  responding to one of a set of available essay questions. They will provide a bibliography that includes at least 3 secondary sources not previously provided by their lecturer and found at the library. Marked plans will be returned in class in week 11 so that students can work on their essays. 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • To develop skills in critical and analytical thinking, and the ability to write a formal, structured argument in French. To acquire the skills to write an essay on a literary subject of their own choosing from texts studied in the unit. Independent learning and research are strongly encouraged.

Dissertation

Due: Week 13
Weighting: 45%

Dissertation 

Internal and External Students

Students will compose an essay of 1500 words in French that responds to a question provided. They will submit the essay by 5pm Friday of week 13. The final lesson in week 13 will be used as time for students to peer review/proof read each other’s essays. It is therefore in the students’ interest to start their essays early, to prepare a draft before this time and attend this final class.

Please see 'Assessments' in ILearn for detailed assessment rubrics and indicative examples for ALL assessments.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • To learn to read literary texts in a deep and critical manner so as to develop individual research questions. To identify, evaluate and deploy a broad range of theoretical and linguistic interpretations of literary texts.
  • Students will learn how to carry out their own textual analyses. In so doing they will gain skills in critical reading, thinking and in communicating important concepts in literature to their peers.
  • To develop skills in critical and analytical thinking, and the ability to write a formal, structured argument in French. To acquire the skills to write an essay on a literary subject of their own choosing from texts studied in the unit. Independent learning and research are strongly encouraged.
  • To become well acquainted with a variety of key French language literary texts of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries that represent a range of Francophone national literatures. To understand the periods in which they were written, the social and political discourses that they draw upon, the literary theories that may be applied to them.
  • To acquire an awareness of the global expanse of the French-speaking world that includes an understanding of the historical timeline of French colonization and decolonization, as well as political debates in postcolonial writing in French. To gain an appreciation of the historical, political, cultural and linguistic issues faced by Francophone writers of Maghrebian, African, and Southeast Asian origin.
  • To demonstrate a nuanced awareness of processes of literal and cultural translation in regards to literary texts.

Delivery and Resources

Learning and Teaching Strategy

To achieve the learning outcomes associated with this unit, students will be required to engage with a range of 20th and 21st century Francophone literary and critical texts. The theme of the unit is the interconnectedness of literatures. To this end assessment will be based on a diary of personal reflections of three of the texts studied, participation in a group oral task in which students will conduct an activity based on a textual analysis of a text extract, an essay plan and self-formulated research question, and finally an essay on intertextuality or comparative literature in French. Students will be expected to be familiar with the week's readings prior to each class. Classes will be interactive - there will be scope for teamwork in pair and group discussions. There will be both speaking and writing activities in French every class. Students will be encouraged to think creatively in this unit and take the time to reflect on their own responses to the texts. They will guided to becoming independent researchers when working on their literary analysis essays.

Classes

Each weekly class consists of one block of 2 hours. For more information and for the latest updates on times and the venue, see the official University timetable on https://timetables.mq.edu.au. Classes start at five minutes past the hour and students are encouraged to maximise their learning by coming to as many classes as possible.

External students will be expected to listen to the lecture recordings available after each class and will be able to interact with each other through online discussion forums for their benefit.

Required and Recommended Texts and/or Materials

There is no one set text. The unit materials consist of a series of primary and secondary literary texts, which, in weeks 1-4 are made available online. (Critical texts  -academic articles - will be provided on Ilearn each week as well as literary text extracts.) These will remain accessible at all times, for the entire duration of the session. Books to be bought and read in full are: Le palais du Mandarin dby Than-Van Tran-Nhut, Retour à la saison des pluies by Kim Lefèvre, L’étranger by Albert Camus and Shérazade, 17 ans, brune, frisée, les yeux verts by Leïla Sebbar (all in the original French). These are available at the University book shop or can be purchased individually by students online, keeping in mind that differing editions will have differing page numbers to those mentioned in class. All of these texts will be the subject of discussion for each week of the course. Please see the 'Unit schedule' below and on ILearn to see which texts are studied when.

TECHNOLOGY USED AND REQUIRED

Online Unit

Login is via: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/

Is my unit in iLearn?: http://help.ilearn.mq.edu.au/unitsonline/ to check when your online unit will become available.

Technology

Students are required to have regular access to a computer and the internet. Mobile devices alone are not sufficient.

For students attending classes on campus we strongly encourage that you bring along your own laptop computer, ready to work with activities in your online unit. The preferred operating system is Windows 10.

Students are required to access the online unit in iLearn by the end of Week 1 and follow any relevant instructions and links for downloads that may be required. If applicable, students are required to download the relevant language package prior to Week 2.

Please contact your course convenor before the end of Week 1 if you do not have a suitable laptop (or tablet) for in-class use.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct​

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

Creative and Innovative

Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • To learn to read literary texts in a deep and critical manner so as to develop individual research questions. To identify, evaluate and deploy a broad range of theoretical and linguistic interpretations of literary texts.
  • Students will learn how to carry out their own textual analyses. In so doing they will gain skills in critical reading, thinking and in communicating important concepts in literature to their peers.
  • To develop skills in critical and analytical thinking, and the ability to write a formal, structured argument in French. To acquire the skills to write an essay on a literary subject of their own choosing from texts studied in the unit. Independent learning and research are strongly encouraged.
  • To demonstrate a nuanced awareness of processes of literal and cultural translation in regards to literary texts.

Assessment tasks

  • Participation
  • Analyse de texte
  • Plan de dissertation
  • Dissertation

Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative

We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • To learn to read literary texts in a deep and critical manner so as to develop individual research questions. To identify, evaluate and deploy a broad range of theoretical and linguistic interpretations of literary texts.
  • Students will learn how to carry out their own textual analyses. In so doing they will gain skills in critical reading, thinking and in communicating important concepts in literature to their peers.

Assessment tasks

  • Analyse de texte
  • Plan de dissertation
  • Dissertation

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • To learn to read literary texts in a deep and critical manner so as to develop individual research questions. To identify, evaluate and deploy a broad range of theoretical and linguistic interpretations of literary texts.
  • Students will learn how to carry out their own textual analyses. In so doing they will gain skills in critical reading, thinking and in communicating important concepts in literature to their peers.
  • To become well acquainted with a variety of key French language literary texts of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries that represent a range of Francophone national literatures. To understand the periods in which they were written, the social and political discourses that they draw upon, the literary theories that may be applied to them.
  • To acquire an awareness of the global expanse of the French-speaking world that includes an understanding of the historical timeline of French colonization and decolonization, as well as political debates in postcolonial writing in French. To gain an appreciation of the historical, political, cultural and linguistic issues faced by Francophone writers of Maghrebian, African, and Southeast Asian origin.

Assessment tasks

  • Analyse de texte
  • Dissertation

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • To learn to read literary texts in a deep and critical manner so as to develop individual research questions. To identify, evaluate and deploy a broad range of theoretical and linguistic interpretations of literary texts.
  • Students will learn how to carry out their own textual analyses. In so doing they will gain skills in critical reading, thinking and in communicating important concepts in literature to their peers.
  • To develop skills in critical and analytical thinking, and the ability to write a formal, structured argument in French. To acquire the skills to write an essay on a literary subject of their own choosing from texts studied in the unit. Independent learning and research are strongly encouraged.
  • To become well acquainted with a variety of key French language literary texts of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries that represent a range of Francophone national literatures. To understand the periods in which they were written, the social and political discourses that they draw upon, the literary theories that may be applied to them.
  • To acquire an awareness of the global expanse of the French-speaking world that includes an understanding of the historical timeline of French colonization and decolonization, as well as political debates in postcolonial writing in French. To gain an appreciation of the historical, political, cultural and linguistic issues faced by Francophone writers of Maghrebian, African, and Southeast Asian origin.
  • To demonstrate a nuanced awareness of processes of literal and cultural translation in regards to literary texts.

Assessment tasks

  • Participation
  • Analyse de texte
  • Plan de dissertation
  • Dissertation

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • To learn to read literary texts in a deep and critical manner so as to develop individual research questions. To identify, evaluate and deploy a broad range of theoretical and linguistic interpretations of literary texts.
  • Students will learn how to carry out their own textual analyses. In so doing they will gain skills in critical reading, thinking and in communicating important concepts in literature to their peers.
  • To develop skills in critical and analytical thinking, and the ability to write a formal, structured argument in French. To acquire the skills to write an essay on a literary subject of their own choosing from texts studied in the unit. Independent learning and research are strongly encouraged.
  • To demonstrate a nuanced awareness of processes of literal and cultural translation in regards to literary texts.

Assessment tasks

  • Participation
  • Analyse de texte
  • Plan de dissertation
  • Dissertation

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • To develop skills in critical and analytical thinking, and the ability to write a formal, structured argument in French. To acquire the skills to write an essay on a literary subject of their own choosing from texts studied in the unit. Independent learning and research are strongly encouraged.
  • To demonstrate a nuanced awareness of processes of literal and cultural translation in regards to literary texts.

Assessment tasks

  • Plan de dissertation
  • Dissertation

Effective Communication

We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Students will learn how to carry out their own textual analyses. In so doing they will gain skills in critical reading, thinking and in communicating important concepts in literature to their peers.
  • To develop skills in critical and analytical thinking, and the ability to write a formal, structured argument in French. To acquire the skills to write an essay on a literary subject of their own choosing from texts studied in the unit. Independent learning and research are strongly encouraged.

Assessment tasks

  • Participation
  • Analyse de texte
  • Plan de dissertation
  • Dissertation

Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens

As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Students will learn how to carry out their own textual analyses. In so doing they will gain skills in critical reading, thinking and in communicating important concepts in literature to their peers.
  • To acquire an awareness of the global expanse of the French-speaking world that includes an understanding of the historical timeline of French colonization and decolonization, as well as political debates in postcolonial writing in French. To gain an appreciation of the historical, political, cultural and linguistic issues faced by Francophone writers of Maghrebian, African, and Southeast Asian origin.

Assessment tasks

  • Analyse de texte
  • Dissertation

Socially and Environmentally Active and Responsible

We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • To become well acquainted with a variety of key French language literary texts of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries that represent a range of Francophone national literatures. To understand the periods in which they were written, the social and political discourses that they draw upon, the literary theories that may be applied to them.
  • To acquire an awareness of the global expanse of the French-speaking world that includes an understanding of the historical timeline of French colonization and decolonization, as well as political debates in postcolonial writing in French. To gain an appreciation of the historical, political, cultural and linguistic issues faced by Francophone writers of Maghrebian, African, and Southeast Asian origin.

Assessment tasks

  • Analyse de texte
  • Dissertation