FRENCH 269 : French Language and Culture in Film and Literature
Arts
2025 Semester One (1253) (15 POINTS)
Course Prescription
Course Overview
- provide insights into key issues in contemporary French society and culture, including factors like gender, gender-roles & sexuality, class, race & ethnicity, interculturality, national and supra-national identity, and how these intersect to impact identity formation and relationships;
- introduce theoretical concepts surrounding humour & comedy genre: eg. stereotyping; parody, satire;
- introduce students to filmic analysis (e.g. shot scale, angle and editing; lighting and sound; mise en scène; acting styles).
- NB: Films in this course are designed for mature audiences and contain adult themes, including sexual references, sexual and gender diversity, consumption of soft drugs and alcohol, and coarse language.
Course Requirements
Capabilities Developed in this Course
Capability 1: | People and Place |
Capability 2: | Sustainability |
Capability 3: | Knowledge and Practice |
Capability 4: | Critical Thinking |
Capability 5: | Solution Seeking |
Capability 6: | Communication |
Capability 7: | Collaboration |
Capability 8: | Ethics and Professionalism |
Learning Outcomes
- Communicate in French. Develop linguistic skills (speaking, listening, writing and reading) via engagement with the specific content set out in the course overview. (Capability 3, 4, 6 and 7)
- Understand and evaluate specific French films and their cultural and ideological significance. (Capability 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7)
- Evaluate and reflect on own learning, choose and commit to best strategies, identify deficiencies and remedial work necessary to consolidate and improve learning. (Capability 4, 5 and 8)
- Relate course content to one's personal and social situation. (Capability 1, 2, 3 and 4)
- Work actively together with classmates in discussions and collaborative learning. (Capability 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8)
- Deepen your knowledge and understanding of French culture and society. (Capability 1, 2, 3 and 4)
- Analyse basic aspects of film "language", like shot scale, angle and editing patterns in order to appreciate how film style constructs meaning. (Capability 3 and 4)
Assessments
Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
---|---|---|
Coursework | 100% | Group & Individual Coursework |
100% |
Module
Workload Expectations
This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend a total of approximately 140 hours, i.e. 10-12 hours per week over the 12 weeks of lectures and Mid-Semester Break, including class time, personal study and assignment preparation.
During the semester, in addition to three hours of classes, one-two hours reading and/or film viewing per week, you should expect to spend at least two hours per week revising, learning vocab & preparing for classes (homework). Remaining time will be spent working on graded assessments. The more thoroughly you prepare for each class, the less time you will need to spend preparing for assessments.
There is no final exam, however students must receive a grade above 0 in all graded coursework categories in order to complete and pass the course.
Delivery Mode
Campus Experience
The Lecture-component of classes will be available as recordings.
The course will not include live online events.
Attendance on campus is required for tests.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.
Learning Resources
Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).
Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.
Student Feedback
At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.
Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.
Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.
Course assessments have been modified over the past few years to include a greater emphasis on prepared oral work (eg video recording), formative assignments (including Best-of written assignments and quizzes that can be completed several times to improve grades), and opportunities for group work (see Canvas for assessment details).
Other Information
Academic Integrity
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.
Class Representatives
Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.
Inclusive Learning
All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.
Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz
Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894, which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.
Special Circumstances
If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.
If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.
This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.
Learning Continuity
In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.
Student Charter and Responsibilities
The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.
Disclaimer
Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.
In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.