French BA (Hons)

This module aims to provide students with skills appropriate to a range of areas in French Studies, introducing them to the historical periods and cultural contexts with which they will engage in future years, and to assist them in developing generic study skills, including research skills, referencing and bibliographic skills, numeracy and data handling, and close reading and commentary writing.

This is the second semester foundational module in French Studies, which introduces students to key content and skills. The module focuses specifically on language issues, texts of various types, and film. The first part of the module covers language awareness, linguistics, the languages spoken in France and the French language as spoken outside France. The second part of the module covers issues of literary, visual, media, and film theory and draws on relevant movements and theoretical paradigms. The module introduces students to key skills in: reading and analysing primary and secondary sources critically; essay writing; and presenting to different audiences.

The module is an introduction to linguistics, focusing on issues in theoretical and applied linguistics which are relevant for language learners. It aims to equip students with a better awareness of and explicit knowledge about language and language learning. The meta-awareness thus gained will assist in hypothesis testing and rule formation essential to the learning of language.

This module is the compulsory language module for all students enrolled in degree programmes aiming for a qualification in French. It is the first stage of a four-year learning curve and is preparation for the following year (FREN207 and FREN208).

This module is mapped against B1+ level in French according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

This module is a compulsory language module for all students enrolled in degree programmes aiming for a qualification in French. It is the first stage of a four-year learning curve and is thus preparation for the following year (FREN207 and FREN208).

This French language module is designed for first year undergraduate students . It is for absolute beginners or students with very limited knowledge of the language. No previous knowledge of French is required. Through a variety of methods students will develop a basic competence in reading, writing, listening and speaking French and an understanding of basic French grammar.
At the end of this 12 week- module students will be able to carry out simple everyday tasks in French. Students will be able to understand and use familiar everyday expressions and basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. They will be able to introduce themselves and others and ask and answer questions about personal details. They will be able to interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly. They will have a basic understanding of significant aspects of life and culture of the country and intercultural skills necessary for their language proficiency level. This module is mapped against A1 level in French according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

This module is mapped against A2 level in French according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).It is for students who have achieved a GCSE at foundation level or who have reached an A1 proficiency level in the Common European Framework. Through a variety of methods students will continue to develop basic competence in reading, writing, listening and speaking French and an understanding of basic French grammar. At the end of this 12 week- module students will be more confident to carry out all everyday tasks, they will start to be able to express their opinions about current affairs and function in many professional contexts. They will have an increased understanding of life and culture of the country and the intercultural skills necessary for their language proficiency level.

This compulsory module is designed for students who have successfully completed the beginners’ modules FREN112 and FREN134, or have reached an A2+ proficiency level in the Common European Framework, and who plan to go abroad in their third year. It aims to provide students with an advanced competence in reading, writing, listening, speaking and grammar through both lessons and independent work. At the end of this 12 weeks- module students will have reached a B1 proficiency level in the Common European Framework of Reference and will confidently carry out all everyday tasks, they will be able to express their opinions about current affairs and function in many professional contexts. They will have a good understanding of life and culture of the country and the intercultural skills necessary for their language proficiency level.

This compulsory module is designed for students who have successfully completed the beginners courses FREN112 and FREN134, as well as FREN256 in semester one of their second year, and plan to go abroad in their third year. It aims to further provide students with good competence in reading, writing, listening, speaking and grammar through both lessons and independent work.
At the end of this 12 weeks- module students will have reached a B1 proficiency level in the Common European Framework of Reference and will confidently carry out all everyday tasks, they will be able to express their opinions about current affairs and function in many professional contexts. They will have a good understanding of life and culture of the country and the intercultural skills necessary for their language proficiency level. This module is mapped against B2 level in French according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

This module is mapped against B2 level in French according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

This module aims to develop further the skills of reading, listening, writing and speaking in French, as well as translating. This module will concentrate on fluency and accuracy in written and spoken French, through text analysis and language exercises. The module also provides a cultural preparation for the period of study in a French speaking country, focusing on job application, the world of work, the various registers and accents in French and practical information on accommodation, etc.

This module aims to develop further the skills of reading, listening, writing and speaking in French, as well as translating and interpreting both in and out of French. The module also provides a cultural preparation for the period of study in a French speaking country, focusing on the Education system, aspects of French life, practical information on banks, accommodation, transport, health system.

Although we spend a lot of time learning how to speak and write French, little space is given to understanding the way in which the French language ‘works’. In this module, we work through all the dimensions of the French language to understand better why French idioms aren’t the same as English ones, why French spoken in the banlieues differs from that of the chic quartiers of the city, why French word order is the way it is, and how French builds new words to cope with the changes in society. This isn’t a language module, but the work we do –including thinking critically about how sounds are made in French – informs ourunderstanding of French and should lead to the writing and speaking of more accurate, more authentic French.

This module introduces you to the history of French cinema, with the emphasis on the `Golden Age’ (âge d’or) of the 1930s, the `New Wave’ (Nouvelle Vague) of the 1950s/60s, and films from the 1980s to the new millennium. While studying the French cinema, you will also be practising skills related to Film Studies, from the critical analysis of film texts or `how to read a film’, to relevant theoretical approaches. The emphasis throughout is on film language, or how film constructs meaning.

This second-year optional module will introduce students to the theory and practice of language teaching. Subject specific lectures will provide an overview of the evolution of teaching methodologies and approaches throughout history and up until the latest developments in the field, such as gamification or the flipped classroom approach. They will also guide students on applying these theories to different teaching contexts, taking into account variables such as language level, students’ profile, motivation, or the cognitive implications of second language learning. School placements and/or supervisions will provide the opportunity to apply the theory to an actual teaching context and to develop a teaching project.

This module introduces you to aspects of life in Britain and Europe between about 1740 and 1815. This period is often seen as the beginning of the modern world, when the ideas about human nature and society that still shape our own lives came into circulation and when the global entanglements generated by trade and colonisation began to have a lasting impact on everyday life in Europe. The module is taught by tutors from French, German and English Studies, and History, as well as staff from the National Museums Liverpool. It gives you an insight into the range of materials and methods that are used in research in eighteenth-century studies. Interactive lectures, seminars and fieldwork encourage a hands-on approach to learning. You start by inventing an 18th-century character and you follow that character through various experiences typical of the period: shopping, reading, travelling, thinking about political issues of the day. Images, artefacts and contemporary texts in English and other languages are made available to support your research. The aim is for you to develop your capacity for asking questions (curiosity) as well as for answering them (research skills).

An introduction to the practice of the food critic and to the rich history of French food culture. French cuisine is not only a fundamental part of national identity; it is one of the first cuisines to achieve recognition across the world. This module introduces students to the cultural history of food presenting a history of France in menus. As humans have fewer more basic needs, the production and absence of food have also profoundly affected social relations across the ages, thus you will also learn about the feasting and fasting habits of the nobility in the Middle Ages, bread riots in the eighteenth century and twentieth-century wartime food propaganda.

Although often considered a monolingual English city, Liverpool is as diverse and multilingual as most major urban centres. This module invites students to draw on their linguistic skills and their awareness of languages more widely to consider critically the extent to which multilingualism is part of Liverpool. Taking both established theories and new ways of thinking, we will go out and physically explore parts of the city to see what resources (languages and images) are used to make Liverpool. At the same time, we look at the ways in which the city could be usefully more multilingual, and not only identify but also fill the gaps in the public space with students’ own translations into Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish.…

Learn how to read an image, images from advertising (commercial and public service), company logotypes, Asterix and satirical political cartoons (Charlie Hebdo)

Using some of the most controversial films ever made as case studies, this module examines the relationship between film, political authority and public morality. The module examines films from the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, the German Democratic Republic, France, Italy, Spain and China. All films are shown with English subtitles and the modules is suitable for all students in HSS interested in film, propaganda and censorship.

The modern city and the cinema developed together, and as they developed they referred to each other: cities have always been a prime space for film, while many urban theorists have found it useful to think of cities as cinematic spaces. The module introduces you to cinematic ways of representing the city, through the study of a number of representative films that deal with some major metropolis.You will have the opportunity to produce your own short smartphone film of the city of Liverpool as part of a small-scale group project. This will allow you to put your ideas into practice and to reflect on the filmmaking process. No prior knowledge of practical filmmaking is required to enrol in this module.

The final year language module is a course in communicative French at level C1 or C2, as specified in the Common European Framework of Reference. It introduces students to the principles of debate, reporting and presentation. Students also have the opportunity of developing their interpreting skills. Alongside the consolidation of their oral skills, students will also work on improving their writing skills, practise their grammatical accuracy, translation skills, as well as producing an extended piece of prose , focusing on report writing. Listening and reading skills will be developed during the contact hours and while preparing for assignments.

This is the second module which makes up the final-year programme in communicative French language. Like FREN311, it focuses on improving communication skills in French both orally and in writing. The aim is to increase linguistic confidence and to equip students with skills useful for social and professional life in a French environment.

This module gives students the opportunity to carry out independent research in an area of interest to them. The topic should be related to one of the research specialisms of members of staff in the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures. Students are expected to take the initiative in planning, researching and writing the dissertation. Supervision and guidance will be provided from a member of staff in the Department.

From haute couture to prêt-a-porter, from textile production to designer training, France has historically been at the forefront of fashion and of clothing technology. This cultural investment in both dress and the visual arts provides the underpinning to this module. Unique in UK French Studies curricula, it brings together the academic study of dress history with literary and visual studies, and provides an introduction to the growing discipline of material culture studies. Taught in a mixture of lectures and seminars, the module looks at a range of cultural productions – medieval manuscript illustration, theatre designs, fashion-plates, lifestyle journalism, bande dessinée – and allows students to consider how dress functions as a tool for self- and group definition, and as a means of shaping and interpreting social and personal identity. Across the centuries, in France as elsewhere, what we wear sends out important messages about who we are and how we want others to see us. Getting dressed in the morning will never seem quite so innocent again.

Whilst much time is devoted to perfecting standard French in the language modules from year one onwards, the year abroad will have confirmed the fact that – as with English spoken in the UK – there is considerable variation in the way in which real French people living in France speak the language. In this module, we will look more closely at how French came to emerge as the primary language of France, how it was standardized, and how this process has been resisted, especially in contemporary France. We will also explore the ways in which gender, age, ethnicity, and social class all contribute in different ways to the French language that individuals encountered on the year abroad spoke. To this end, we will ascertain whether it is more appropriate to refer to Frenches than the French language when analyzing the ways in which people speak and – increasingly – write.