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Module Specifications

Archived Version 2016 - 2017

Module Title
Module Code
School

Online Module Resources

NFQ level 8 Credit Rating 5
Pre-requisite None
Co-requisite None
Compatibles None
Incompatibles None
Description

The course involves the in-depth analysis of biographical texts by metropolitan and/or non-metropolitan authors in French. For each course text, special emphasis is placed on issues of memory and identity -- both on an individual level and involving a wider cultural base. Students analyse the nature of identity, including its basis, its changes and its hesitations, in relation to the construction of selfhood in narrative and society. Students are introduced to theories of autobiography and consider different types of narrative practice in relation to the central concerns of memory and identity.

Learning Outcomes

1. examine the importance of the generation of 'stories of the self' for identity construction and other relevant theoretical constructs pertaining to the texts under discussion.
2. discuss the effects of different types of narrative form and organization and appraise and incorporate judgements from the key critical literature on the works.
3. identify the specific cultural/societal issues accompanying the texts, for example traumatic historical events, social mobility, or questions of immigration and integration.
4. compare and contrast works produced in French, which may be from different cultures.



Workload Full-time hours per semester
Type Hours Description
Lecture24No Description
Assignment Completion24No Description
Independent Study77No Description
Total Workload: 125

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Readings and Analyses (16 lectures)
Study of themes, structure, character depiction, use of language, textual analysis

Literary criticism and personal interpretations (4 lectures)
Study of literary figures and techniques

Literary history and context (4 lectures)
Presentation of contextual and literary history

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment% Examination Weight%
Course Work Breakdown
TypeDescription% of totalAssessment Date
Reassessment Requirement
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories;
1 = A resit is available for all components of the module
2 = No resit is available for 100% continuous assessment module
3 = No resit is available for the continuous assessment component
Unavailable
Indicative Reading List

  • Lecarme, Jacques et Eliane Lecarme-Tabone: 1997, L'Autobiographie, 1st, Armand Colin, Paris,
  • Sheringham, Michael: 1993, Devices and Desires: French Autobiography. Rousseau to Perec, Clarendon Press, Oxford,
  • Cooke, Dervila: 2005, Present Pasts: Patrick Modiano's (Auto)Biographical Fictions, Rodopi, Amsterdam/New York,
  • Fernandez-Recatala, Denis: 1994, Annie Ernaux, Editions du Rocher, Monaco,
Other Resources

25961, website, 0, Venus d'ailleurs. Ecrire l'exil en français (le Québec), http://www.publifarum.farum.it/ezine_articles.php?art_id=211,
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