FR3xx Screens, Streets and Selves: Culture and Transformation of France in the Long 1960s
| Module Code: FR3xx |
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| Module Name: |
| Module Coordinator: Professor Douglas Morrey |
| Term 1 |
| Module Credits: 15 |
This module introduces students to the society and culture of the so-called 'long 1960s' in France (approx. 1956-1974), a time of dramatic demographic and cultural change. The module will consider the economic, demographic, social, cultural and political drivers of change and will take the measure of those changes through close analysis of cultural texts (principally films and literary works, but also including works of journalism, advertising, popular protest movements, etc.)
Module aims
To identify, explain and critically analyse the principal drivers of social and cultural change in France during the 'long 1960s.'
To become familiar with a set of well known cultural texts and artefacts from 1960s France, to understand and explain the conditions that facilitated their creation, and to measure their cultural impact.
To understand how the concept of 'generations' has been used in the analysis of cultural movements and cultural change.
To understand and explain some of the senses of 'modernization' and to show how these impacted upon the society and culture of France in the 1960s.
To understand and evaluate the influence of French cultural history and its 'others' (colonial dependencies; other European and north American models) over the development of French cultural change in the 1960s.
To develop or expand the ability to read literary texts in French both for an understanding of cultural resonance and for an appreciation of linguistic and aesthetic innovation and value.
To develop or expand the ability to analyse audiovisual texts, identifying the techniques and stylistic choices that allow them to make their meaning and achieve their affective response upon viewers.
To understand and evaluate some of the key theoretical paradigms that developed in France around this time and have since become influential over the academic humanities (including: postcolonialism, feminism, critical race theory, deconstruction, dialectical materialism).
Indicative Syllabus:
- Leisure: Et Dieu créa la femme (film, dir. Roger Vadim, 1956)
- Generations: Bonjour Tristesse (novel, Françoise Sagan, 1954 ; film adaptation, dir. Otto Preminger, 1958)
- Modernization: documentary films Chronique d’un été (dir. Edgar Morin and Jean Rouch, 1961) and Le Joli Mai (dir. Pierre Lhomme and Chris Marker, 1963)
- War and decolonization: La Question (testimonial novel, Henri Alleg, 1958) and Muriel (film, dir. Alain Resnais, 1963)
- Gender: Le Bonheur (film, dir. Agnès Varda, 1965); first assessment workshop
- Reading week
- Consumption: Les Choses (novel, Georges Perec, 1965)
- Race: La Noire de… (film, dir. Ousmane Sembene, 1966)
- May 1968: militant films : ciné-tracts, Le Gai Savoir (dir. Jean-Luc Godard); A bientôt j’espère, Classe de lutte (dir. Groupe Medvedkine, 1968-69)
- Les années de plomb : La Maman et la Putain (film, dir. Jean Eustache, 1973); second assessment workshop
Assessment Method:
Contribution to class activities (10%).
Student-devised assessment portfolio (90%).
Students will devise an assessment format of their own choosing in order to address one or more texts and/or issues studied on the module, in consultation with the module tutor. Assignments produced may be written texts (e.g. reflective essay, article, festival programme notes, etc.) of 2250-2500 words or audiovisual productions (video essay, podcast) of 30-45 minutes. All student-devised assessments must be accompanied by a reflective piece of 800-1000 words outlining how academic research information the production of the assignment.
