| Unit name | Algeria and France: Memory and Migration in Text and Image |
|---|---|
| Unit code | FREN20059 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Shilton |
| 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 |
Why is this unit important?
This unit provides an insight into the history of the complex relationship between France and Algeria – an integral part of France from 1848 until the country’s independence in 1962. We will explore Franco-Algerian crossings through literature, film and other visual art forms, such as photography, video art, installation art, painting and/or bande-dessinée. We will ask how contemporary visual artists and writers: question the myths perpetuated by colonial images; resist amnesia surrounding the Algerian War of Independence; explore immigration and its legacy in France; and evoke French and Algerian identities in the late twentieth and twenty-first centuries. This unit is important for developing skills in reading across media and for gaining an understanding of how art, film and literature can decolonise ways of thinking.
How does the unit fit into your programme of study?
Through this unit, you will develop your knowledge and understanding of the history and legacies of French colonialism and immigration to France in relation to a specific key context. You will also develop your analytical skills by interpreting work in a range of art forms, including visual media not studied in Year 1. To equip you to analyse this material, you will be introduced to critical literature (in French and English) from disciplines including history, literary studies, art history, screen studies and visual culture, as well as some key concepts from postcolonial studies. This unit reflects current emphases in Modern Languages on developing decolonial perspectives.
An overview of content
This unit will offer an introduction to interpreting work in a range of visual media. We will begin by studying images produced during the colonial era, while most sessions will focus on work created since 1980. Material to be studied may include painting by Delacroix and Niati, literature by Begag and Guène, video art by Bouabdellah and Sedira, and film by Pontecorvo and Kameli.
How will you, personally, be different as a result of this unit?
In addition to gaining a greater understanding of Algerian and French history and cultural production, you will develop a critical decolonial perspective and an understanding of how visual images work. This can be applied beyond this unit in contexts from social media to the street. You will also develop your analytical skills, which is essential preparation for a wide range of graduate jobs.
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1) understand visual and literary works exploring the complex relationship between Algeria and France;
2) assess and deploy an appropriate range of cultural and historical criticism through which to interpret such artwork;
3) articulate an understanding of the works’ relationship to the contexts from which they emerged;
4) analyse and compare works in a range of visual and literary forms;
5) demonstrate their skills in formulating sophisticated arguments in academic writing.
Learning activities will include close analysis of works of art / film / literature; comparative analysis of works across media; discussion of secondary critical texts; analysis of how artists present their work and practice via Instagram feeds, reels and interviews; and answering questions related to an exhibition, film screening or other event. Each week, you will be provided with a set of questions to guide you in your reading and analysis of the primary works. These questions will be discussed in the seminar. There will be a dynamic mix of interactive lecture, class discussion, pair work and group work. Learning activities on visual analysis will help you to build your confidence in relation to visual material. A visit to a local art exhibition or film screening or talk / panel will be included if relevant to the course, enabling application of your analytical skills beyond the classroom. These tasks are directly related to the summative assessment, helping you to prepare for this from the beginning of the unit. These activities and modes of learning have been chosen to help you to develop your knowledge and analytical skills in diverse, multimedial, and creative ways. They will help you to practise the skills required for your assessments but also for future units and graduate employment.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative)
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.
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. FREN20059).
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 University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
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. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
