Welcome to the Story of Modern France!
This first-year introductory module will take us on a journey of discovery into the story of modern France. What do we mean by modern France? How much of modern France is based on myth? What can the medieval period tell us about modern France? Why is France currently in its Fifth Republic?
We will explore these questions and more through examining a range of sources and texts, from literature to film and from political documents to revolutionary prints.
The aim of this module is to introduce students to the discpline of Hispanic Studies and to foster a critical engagement with written and visual texts via the study of three key themes that each in different ways pose questions about studying other languages and cultures. Students will reflect on the nature and range of Hispanic Studies, and then engage with travel writing, images and stereotypes of the Hispanic world, and representations and interpretations of the Spanish Civil War. In each case, emphasis is placed on close textual analysis to foment (i) linguistic ability acquired in language modules; (ii) critical reading skills; (iii) management and understanding of source materials where relevant.Â
The aim of this module is to further extend and refine competence in modern Spanish. Emphasis is placed on the four key skills of reading, listening, speaking and writing and on the deepening of both grammatical understanding and the appropriate use of advanced linguistic structures, vocabulary, and register in spoken and written discourse. The course aims to reinforce your mastery of the language in a wide range of authentic situations. At the end of the course you will be able to understand discourse about concrete and abstract topics, to give presentations about different topics, to report on the results of your independent reading and research, and to state your point of view and support it with solid arguments. You will make use of authentic resources from around the Hispanic world, including films, books, articles, newspapers, television and radio. You will complete a range of self-study activities through our multimedia VLE (Moodle) and take part in our virtual language exchange with students in Latin America and Spain.