Last modified: 02 Aug 2024 12:46
This course advocates for greater multiculturalism in how we approach cultural responses to the climate and biodiversity crisis. We will use a range of French-language film, fiction, poetry and theory (though ironically, in English translation!) to investigate environmental themes, genres and strategies in French culture. The focus is on how these texts represent the human subject in relation to the environment of which it is part, shaping diverse narratives of change and agency.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | First Term | Credit Points | 30 credits (15 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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At a time of climate and biodiversity crisis, written and visual texts can play a key role in giving us perspective on our relationship with other species and the planet: they can help to disrupt dominant narratives or re-write the individual and collective stories of societies in need of a change of paradigm. This quest for more resilient values and a re-invented place in the world for humans often follows a transcultural or transnational path, as seen in the many awareness-raising films where an eco-anxious subject takes the viewer to various communities and organizations across cultures from all over the globe, in search of climate solutions that will both educate the viewer and unlock personal growth – almost a cliché of this new genre, of which one pioneer was the French film Tomorrow by Cyril Dion and Mélanie Laurent (2015). Yet while the environmental humanities have a strong international outlook, anglo-dominance does exist in the field (as an example, Tomorrow was filmed in English, not French). Advocating for greater multiculturalism in our approach, this course uses French-language fiction, theory, poetry and film (though, ironically, in English translation!) to explore how they provide a fuller range of perspectives on our ecological predicament and the social and cultural issues that are entangled in it. We will contextualise and track shifts in the perceptions underpinning French-language culture, exploring how our place as humans is questioned or re-negotiated in our corpus. We will compare the literary and visual genres, strategies and resources deployed to help the reader or viewer to envisage alternative ways of relating to the world, leading from extraction to regeneration and from alienation to fellowship.
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 14 | Feedback Weeks | 17 | |
| Feedback |
Word Count: 1,000 If choosing the creative piece, the commentary part should be no shorter than 500 words. Written feedback in the form of tutors' comments is given within 3 weeks. Additional informal feedback on performance is offered in tutorials. Tutors have office hours at which further feedback may be sought. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | You will undertake critical analysis and interpretation of a range of visual, literary and cultural forms. |
| Conceptual | Understand | You will demonstrate an ability to synthesise material from a range of sources and to take account of the wider cultural contexts of the topic under consideration. |
| Procedural | Apply | You will develop skills of autonomous learning, independently applying insights gained on the course to unfamiliar material. |
| Procedural | Apply | You will conduct independent investigations drawing on appropriate research methodologies. |
| Procedural | Create | You will articulate your views orally and in writing using the appropriate discourse for the subject. |
| Procedural | Evaluate | You will select, evaluate and organize primary and secondary materials on the topic. |
| Reflection | Create | You will reflect on your own relationship to and use of environmental writings or visual forms. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 15 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 17 | Feedback Weeks | 20 | |
| Feedback |
Length: 5-7 mins Feedback in the form of tutors' comments is given within 3 weeks. Tutors have office hours at which further feedback may be sought. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | You will undertake critical analysis and interpretation of a range of visual, literary and cultural forms. |
| Conceptual | Understand | You will acquire a knowledge and understanding of the role, place and function of environmental themes in French culture. |
| Conceptual | Understand | You will demonstrate an ability to synthesise material from a range of sources and to take account of the wider cultural contexts of the topic under consideration. |
| Conceptual | Understand | You will acquire a knowledge and understanding of key critical approaches to environmental writings and visual forms emerging out of French culture. |
| Procedural | Apply | You will conduct independent investigations drawing on appropriate research methodologies. |
| Procedural | Apply | You will develop skills of autonomous learning, independently applying insights gained on the course to unfamiliar material. |
| Procedural | Create | You will articulate your views orally and in writing using the appropriate discourse for the subject. |
| Procedural | Evaluate | You will select, evaluate and organize primary and secondary materials on the topic. |
| Reflection | Create | You will reflect on your own relationship to and use of environmental writings or visual forms. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 60 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 18 | Feedback Weeks | 24 | |
| Feedback |
Detailed instructions and evaluation criteria will be provided in the course guide. Written feedback will be provided in the tutor’s comments. |
Word Count | 3000 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | You will undertake critical analysis and interpretation of a range of visual, literary and cultural forms. |
| Conceptual | Understand | You will demonstrate an ability to synthesise material from a range of sources and to take account of the wider cultural contexts of the topic under consideration. |
| Conceptual | Understand | You will acquire a knowledge and understanding of key critical approaches to environmental writings and visual forms emerging out of French culture. |
| Conceptual | Understand | You will acquire a knowledge and understanding of the role, place and function of environmental themes in French culture. |
| Procedural | Apply | You will develop skills of autonomous learning, independently applying insights gained on the course to unfamiliar material. |
| Procedural | Apply | You will conduct independent investigations drawing on appropriate research methodologies. |
| Procedural | Create | You will articulate your views orally and in writing using the appropriate discourse for the subject. |
| Procedural | Evaluate | You will select, evaluate and organize primary and secondary materials on the topic. |
| Reflection | Create | You will reflect on your own relationship to and use of environmental writings or visual forms. |
There are no assessments for this course.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 100 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Take-home exam (2 days) – Length: 3000 words |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Procedural | Apply | You will develop skills of autonomous learning, independently applying insights gained on the course to unfamiliar material. |
| Conceptual | Understand | You will acquire a knowledge and understanding of key critical approaches to environmental writings and visual forms emerging out of French culture. |
| Procedural | Evaluate | You will select, evaluate and organize primary and secondary materials on the topic. |
| Procedural | Create | You will articulate your views orally and in writing using the appropriate discourse for the subject. |
| Reflection | Create | You will reflect on your own relationship to and use of environmental writings or visual forms. |
| Conceptual | Understand | You will acquire a knowledge and understanding of the role, place and function of environmental themes in French culture. |
| Procedural | Apply | You will conduct independent investigations drawing on appropriate research methodologies. |
| Conceptual | Understand | You will demonstrate an ability to synthesise material from a range of sources and to take account of the wider cultural contexts of the topic under consideration. |
| Conceptual | Analyse | You will undertake critical analysis and interpretation of a range of visual, literary and cultural forms. |
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