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School of Modern Languages and Cultures

FR245 Formative assessment


IMPORTANT INFORMATION

In addition to the summative assignment that you may be REQUIRED to submit for this module, you have the OPTION to write a formative assignment from the list of questions given below. Please note that formative assignments are for training purposes only and do not count as part of your final degree classification.

We strongly recommend that you submit a formative assignment as it will enable you to hone the skills developed in this module and to prepare for your summative assessment(s).

Deadline for formative assignments:

All formative assignments must be submitted to your module tutor by the beginning of week 8 in terms 1 and/or term 2. Tutors will return your marked assignment by the end of term. If you wish to wait until the module has been completed, in order to write a formative essay on one of the later texts, that is possible, but in that case, you will not receive feedback on your work until week 2 of the Easter vac.


You may, If you wish, discuss the same text/thinker in a summative assignment as you have discussed in a piece of formative assignment, but you must not reproduce in part or whole any of your formative assignment in your summative assignment.

Your Essay Titles

Either choose a title from the mock exam paper here (Word Document) or answer one of the questions listed below. Take care when you choose a question to ensure that you are not covering a topic that you would wish to write on in very similar terms in the summative essay (because of the restrictions on repetition of material outlined above).
  1. To what extent and in what ways does Louise Bourgeois treat the notion of risk in her Instruction à ma fille and Récit veritable? You must make reference to BOTH works in your answer.
  2. To what extent can Madame de Sévigné be said to view herself as the perfect mother in her Lettres?
  3. ‘Though absent, the character of Nicanor casts a long shadow over Corneille’s Rodogune, influencing the behaviour of all its central characters.’ Discuss this assertion in the light of your reading of the play.
  4. Analyse the treatment of the theme of inheritance in Racine’s Athalie.
  5. Compare and contrast the treatment of sons and daughters in THREE or more tales from Perrault’s Histoires ou contes du temps passé and Contes en vers. You must make reference to AT LEAST ONE verse tale in your answer.
  6. With reference to ONE of the following texts, assess the extent to which the family is presented as a cohesive unit: Racine’s Athalie; Corneille’s Rodogune; Mme de Sévigné’s Lettres; Perrault’s Histoires ou contes du temps passé and Contes en vers (make reference to AT LEAST THREE tales, including ONE verse tale, in your answer).