Module LXF-2105:
Race and Immigration in France

Module Facts

Run by School of Languages, Literatures, Linguistics and Media

20 Credits or 10 ECTS Credits

Semester 2

Organiser: Dr Jonathan Ervine

Overall aims and purpose

Within French Studies in the UK and beyond, colonial and postcolonial studies is an area of great importance, and this module will explore issues which are highly relevant to this field. This interdisciplinary module will introduce students to the history of race and immigration in France, and the way in which immigrant experiences have been represented in French culture.

Course content

This module will begin by providing a brief history of immigration and debates about immigration in France, before looking at how race is conceptualized in France and assessing how France's Republican political traditions influence perceptions of race. The module will include a variety of texts and films, such as Azouz Begag's 1989 novel "Béni ou le paradis privé", Mathieu Kassovitz's film "La Haine" (1995) and Nakache and Toledano's film "Intouchables" (2011). The module will also look at issues of race and immigration in French sport.

Main secondary materials Hargreaves, Alec. Multi-ethnic France: Immigration, Politics, Culture and Society (Abingdon: Routledge, 2007). Hargreaves, Alec. Voices from the North African Community in France: Immigration and Identity in Beur Fiction (Oxford: Berg, 1997) Jennings, Jeremy. 2000. ‘Citizenship, Republicanism and Multiculturalism in Contemporary France’, British Journal of Political Science, 30(4): 575-598. Tarr, Carrie. Reframing difference: beur and banlieue filmmaking in France (Manchester, UK : Manchester University Press, 2005).

Assessment Criteria

threshold

D- - D+: Students demonstrate a basic understanding of the key concepts and works studied in the module and are able to situate them in relation to debates about race and the history of immigration in France. Some awareness of critical thinking and engagement with secondary sources demonstrated via assessed work (see box 18).

good

C- - B+: Students demonstrate a firm grasp of the key concepts and works studied in the module and are able to situate them in relation to debates about race and the history of immigration in France. Good awareness of critical thinking and engagement with secondary sources, and independent analysis demonstrated via assessed work (see box 18).

excellent

A- - A*: Students obtaining the highest grades will have provided highly insightful and innovative responses to questions addressed via assessed work. This will involve demonstrating an excellent grasp of the key concepts and works studied in the module and the ability to situate them in relation to debates about race and the history of immigration in France. This will be enhanced by an impressive awareness of critical thinking and engagement with a wide range of appropriate second sources, and independent analysis demonstrated via assessed work

Learning outcomes

  1. To demonstrate understanding of conceptions of race and racial identity in France.

  2. To demonstrate an ability to critically assess a range of sources (such as books, films or songs) which evoke issues of race and immigration.

  3. To demonstrate understanding of the history of immigration in France.

  4. To situate a range of sources (such as books, films or songs) in relation to concepts of race and racial identity in France, and also the history of immigration in France.

Assessment Methods

Type Name Description Weight
essay 40
individual presentation 20
exam 40

Teaching and Learning Strategy

Hours
Private study 174
 

4 hours of film showings (to be arranged outside of main lecture/seminar slots).

4
Lecture

one-hour lecture per week for 11 weeks

11
Seminar

one-hour seminar per week for 11 weeks,

11

Transferable skills

  • Literacy - Proficiency in reading and writing through a variety of media
  • Self-Management - Able to work unsupervised in an efficient, punctual and structured manner. To examine the outcomes of tasks and events, and judge levels of quality and importance
  • Exploring - Able to investigate, research and consider alternatives
  • Inter-personal - Able to question, actively listen, examine given answers and interact sensitevely with others
  • Critical analysis & Problem Solving - Able to deconstruct and analyse problems or complex situations. To find solutions to problems through analyses and exploration of all possibilities using appropriate methods, rescources and creativity.
  • Presentation - Able to clearly present information and explanations to an audience. Through the written or oral mode of communication accurately and concisely.
  • Argument - Able to put forward, debate and justify an opinion or a course of action, with an individual or in a wider group setting

Subject specific skills

  • Extract and synthesise key information from written and/or spoken sources in English / Welsh and/or the target language. (Benchmark statement 5.14)
  • The ability to organise and present ideas within the framework of a structured and reasoned argument in written and/or oral assignments and class discussions. (Benchmark statement 5.14)
  • Critical skills in the close reading, description, reasoning and analysis of primary and secondary sources in the target language and/or English or Welsh (incl. filmic, literary and other sources). (Benchmark statement 5.13, 5.14, 5.15)
  • Competence in the planning and execution of essays, presentations and other written and project work; bibliographic skills, including the accurate citation of sources and consistent use of conventions and appropriate style in the presentation of scholarly work. (Benchmark statement 5.10, 5.14, 5.15)
  • The ability to gather information, analyse, interpret and discuss different viewpoints and to place these in a wider socio-cultural and/or geo-historical and political and/or socio-linguistic context and to revise and re-evaluate judgements in light of those of the course leader, certain individuals or groups studied and/or fellow students. (Benchmark statement 5.13, 5.15 and 5.16)
  • The ability to write and think under pressure and meet deadlines. (Benchmark statement 5.15)
  • The ability to write effective notes and access and manage course materials including electronic resources / information provided on online learning platforms and library resources. (Benchmark statement 5.15, 5.16)
  • The ability to work creatively and flexibly both independently and/or as part of a team. (Benchmark statement 5.15).
  • The ability and willingness to engage with and appreciate other cultures and to articulate to others (in written and verbal form) the contribution that the culture has made at a regional and global level. (Benchmark statement 5.7)
  • The ability to grasp and discuss how films reflect objective or subjective positions in their treatment of their subject matter. (Benchmark statement 5.7 and 5.10)
  • The ability to organise and present ideas and arguments in presentations, classroom discussions and debates. (Benchmark statement 5.14, 5.16)
  • The ability to comprehend, critically engage with and apply relevant theoretical concepts to materials being studied. (Benchmark statement 5.10)
  • The ability to engage in analytical, evaluative and original thinking. (Benchmark statement 5.14)
  • Critical understanding of key topics in the sphere of modern critical, cultural and translation theory, highlighting landmark figures and offering close readings of segments of their texts. (Benchmark statement 5.10)
  • Skills in the critical reading and analysis of literary and/or musical and/or filmic texts. (Benchmark statement 5.10)
  • 6 The ability to critically understand how the concepts of race and immigration are perceived (and at times criticised) in a French context, and also how people from a variety of different minority groups react to such principles. (Benchmark statement 5.7)
  • The ability to comprehend and interact with critical assessments of the primary sources considered (incl. films and/or literature and/or other media in the target language) and their contexts. (Benchmark statement 5.3, 5.4, 5.10, 5.11. 5.13)
  • The ability to comprehend aspects of French history, culture and language. (Benchmark statement 5.7)
  • The ability to critically assess, contextualize and respond to a variety of stimuli (books, films, songs) in French, while increasing the subject-specific vocabulary in French concerning matters of race and immigration and appreciating the nuances of specific terms used in French in such debates. (Benchmark statement 5.3 and 5.4)
  • The ability to critically understand political culture and traditions in France. (Benchmark statement 5.7, 5.10)
  • The ability to critically understand history of immigration and racial debates in France and the ability to contextualize literature, cinema and music which evokes this. (Benchmark statement 5.10)
  • The ability to critically understand cultural studies concepts on representation, the nation and identity, and their application to core texts (incl. filmic and/or literary and/or other sources). (Benchmark statement 5.7, 5.10)
  • The ability to critically understand a specific aspect of French or Francophone culture and its relationship to other cultures. (Benchmark statement 5.7)
  • The ability to comprehend and critically engage with issues related to national and cultural identity and to develop an understanding of these in relation to ideas of representation. (Benchmark statement 5.10)
  • The ability to engage with issues of form, style, content and target audience, thus coming to a wider understanding of the role of literature and/or film and/or other media in wider cultural contexts. (Benchmark statement 5.10)
  • The ability to critically understand French national identity, its historical evolution and contestation throughout key moments in the history of the Republic. (Benchmark statement 5.10)

Pre- and Co-requisite Modules

Courses including this module

Optional in courses: