Introduction to French Literary Classics

Undergraduate course

Course description

Objectives and Content

The course presents a selection of key literary texts from the 16th century to 1900. The chief objective is to develop the students' ability to read and interpret literary texts, especially by practicing literary analysis, but also on the basis of knowledge of relevant periods and authors.

When studying the texts, special attention is given to salient literary and linguistic devices, but also to how the texts are linked to French literary and cultural history.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completing the course, the student is expected to:

Knowledge

  • have knowledge of some central literary techniques and their use in narrative, dramatic and lyrical texts
  • be able to explain thematic and formal aspects of the syllabus texts in French
  • be able to situate the texts in relation to major trends in French literary history

Skills

  • be able to make use of the knowledge acquired in independent analyses and discussions of the texts

General competence

  • possess a general competence in reading, writing and textual interpretation

ECTS Credits

The course has a credit value of 10.

Level of Study

Bachelor

Semester of Instruction

Autumn

Place of Instruction

Online course which takes place on the learning platform MittUiB and ZOOM. This course is also offered as an on-campus course: FRAN123
Required Previous Knowledge
No formal requirements, but most of the teaching is conducted in French and presupposes a good level of French.
Recommended Previous Knowledge
Proficiency in French at least equivalent to advanced French in high-school/upper secondary school, is a prerequisite in order to obtain a good result in this course.
Credit Reduction due to Course Overlap
Due to certain academic overlaps, the credits awarded for taking FRAN623 are reduced by 10 ECTS if the course is combined with FRAN123 or FRAN102, and by 5 ECTS if combined with FRAN105 or FRAN106.
Access to the Course
The course is open to all students admitted through UiB Vidare.
Teaching and learning methods

Before the teaching starts, the students have access to preparation material on the learning platform MittUiB. The material may include e.g. introduction videos, videotaped lectures, notes, assignments and a discussion forum. The teaching is conducted on ZOOM and presupposes that the students have worked actively with the preparation material. The teaching includes lectures/videotaped lectures, seminars and film screenings.

Supervision is given after submission of the portefolio assignment draft. Students are also encouraged to collaborate on preparing the assignment and to give each other feedback on their drafts.

Provided that there are sufficient resources available, assignment seminars will be organized.

If less than five students sign up for the course, the teaching may be adjusted to fit the number of students, e.g. by replacing lectures with seminars or other forms of individually suited teaching. If this should occur, students will be notified about the alternative teaching arrangements before the registration deadline.

Compulsory Assignments and Attendance

1. Students are required to participate in at least 75% of lectures/seminars to be eligible for assessment in the course.

2. In connection with the portefolio work (see ¿Forms of assessment¿), the students are required to submit a draft (1000 - 1500 words) of their written assignment in the learning platform Mitt UiB in order to receive and respond to feedback from their teacher before the final submission.

3. In the beginning of the semester, the assignment options will be announced during a teaching session and published online together with the two submission dates: one date for the draft to be submitted in Mitt UiB and INSPERA and one date for the final version only in INSPERA.

Within the first four weeks, the students must submit a French-Norwegian word list (minimum 50 words) from the syllabus texts they have chosen to work with for the written assignment.

The approval of mandatory coursework requirements is valid for the teaching semester and the following semester.

Forms of Assessment

The assessment form is a portfolio.

The following two submissions constitute the basis for the portfolio evaluation. The assignment topics will be distributed in the beginning of the teaching period.

1. The students are required to write a first draft of the assignment (between 1000 and 1500 words) in French, with submission in the middle of the semester in both Mitt UiB and in INSPERA. Students will receive feedback from their teacher on this first version of their work in Mitt UiB.

2. At the end of the semester, the students must submit a final version of the assignment (between 1500 and 2000 words) in INSPERA, which incorporates the teacher's comments.

The submission deadlines will be announced in connection with the teaching sessions and published on Mitt UiB in addition to being available on the course description page.

A collective grade is given for the portfolio. The assessment is based on guidelines for the tasks, which are provided in the course.

Grading Scale
The grading scale is A-F, where F is a fail.
Assessment Semester
Autumn. Students with valid approvals on their mandatory assignments may also be assessed early in the spring semester.
Reading List

Compulsory reading:

A selection of texts from the 16th century to the 19st century.

Students who are less accustomed to reading literary texts in French are encouraged to read the original texts alongside English translations where available.

Background material:

Students are expected to advance their knowledge of French literary history from the 16th to the 19th century. Material on the individual authors may be found e.g. in literary histories, encyclopedias and introductions to the works on the curriculum.

In connection with teaching, the students receive suggestions for supplementary reading.

The reading list will be made available by 1 July.

Course Evaluation
Evaluation of the course is carried out in accordance with the University of Bergen quality assurance system.
Examination Support Material
All aids are permitted, provided a correct use of sources. It is assumed that the submitted work is the student's own. UiB uses a system for electronic plagiarism control of student examination papers. Students are advised against using translation programmes.