Registry

Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2012 - 2013
Please note that this information is subject to change.

Module Title	Un Siecle de Cinema Francais
Module Code	FR490
School	SALIS
Online Module Resources
Module Teacher	Brigitte Le Juez
NFQ level	8	Credit Rating	5
Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

Description

This module aims to give students in their final year a chance to develop their knowledge of French cinema. It does so through an examination of the art since its beginnings and through its changing political, social, and historical contexts. There are also linguistic considerations coming into the study of cinema as the immigrant populations arriving in France brought their languages, as well as their cultures and beliefs. Hence, the module also meets intercultural knowledge acquisition which is part of the BA in Applied Language and Intercultural Studies criteria. In addition, the language of cinema forms the basis of a technical and analytical introduction to a new medium.

Learning Outcomes

1. Examine the evolution of cinema in France from its beginnings to the present day,
2. Competently recognise different cinema genres,
3. Analyse different aspects of cinema (narrative, visual, musical and technical dimensions), focusing on their role in the construction of the multi-layered text which a film represents,
4. Study various themes (philosophical, psychological, political, sociological, etc.),
5. Consider abstract notions such as time and space in film
6. Demonstrate a solid knowledge of French cinema in its historical, sociological and artistic contexts,
7. Confidently use their enhanced cultural awareness of France
8. Comment upon a film from various critical perspectives
9. Trace and debate on the artistic development of key filmmakers.

Workload	Full-time hours per semester
*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Lecture	24	Students are expected to attend all lectures
Debate	24	Debate will be essential to the lecture and students will be expected to prepare for one very week
Directed learning	12	The lecturer will provide recommendations for viewing and reading every week
Group work	12	Small groups discussion outside class in preparation for the debates will be encouraged
Independent learning	12	Students will also be encouraged to view films relevant to their own interests
Library	24	Students will familiarise themselves with viewing and reading material available in the library
Assignment	36	Research for and writing of the assignment is considered a regular rather than a punctual exercise
Total Workload: 144

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

Overview of the history of French cinema.
Students will be introduced to a short, illustrated, history of French cinema.

Notions of national cinema (narratives, genres, codes and conventions, modes of production and iconography, actors, French cinema vs Hollywood, myths of the nation...).
Various aspects of what constitutes a national cinema will be examined..

Thematic trends.
While covering key periods of French history and their representation in film, recurring themes will be analysed..

Indicative list of films on the course.
The Lumière brothers, Georges Méliès, Louis Feuillade and Alice Guy’s shorts (early French cinema), Jean Renoir, Boudu sauvé des Eaux (1932), Jean Cocteau, La Belle et la Bête (1943), Jacques Tati, Jour de Fête (1949), Alain Resnais, Hiroshima mon amour (1959), Jean-Luc Godard, Vivre sa Vie (1962), François Truffaut, Baisers volés (1968), Louis Malle, Lacombe Lucien (1974), Agnès Varda, Sans toit ni loi (1985), Mathieu Kassovitz, La Haine (1994), Abtellatif Kechiche, L’Esquive (2005), Catherine Breillat, Barbe Bleue (2009), etc..

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment	100%	Examination Weight	0%

Course Work Breakdown
Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Assignment	End-of-semester essay based on a choice of questions, with a possibility of proposing one's own.	100%	n/a

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
This module is category 1

Indicative Reading List

Hayward, Susan: 2005, French National Cinema, Routledge, London,
Audé, F.: 2002, Cinéma d’elles, 1981-2000, L’Age d’homme, Paris,
Abel, Richard: 1984, French Cinema: The First Wave, 1915-1929, Princeton University Press, Princeton,
Amengual, Barthélémy: 1997, Du Réalisme au cinéma, Nathan, Paris,
Bazin, André: 1967, What is Cinema?, University of California Press, Berkeley,
Crisp, Colin: 2002, Genre, myth, and convention in the French cinema, 1929-1939, Indiana University Press, Bloomington,
Hayward, Susan & Vincendeau, Ginette (eds.): 2000, French film: texts and contexts, Routledge, London,
Mazdon, Lucie: 2001, France on film: reflections on popular French cinema, Wallflower, London,
Tarr, Carrie & Freedman, Jane (eds.): 2000, Women, Immigration and Identities in France, Berg, Oxford,