Module overview
Fuelled by the sexual revolution, the women’s movement and gay activism, the late twentieth century saw a flourishing of critical interest in questions of sex, gender and desire and their relation to literature and culture. This module will develop your understanding of feminist critical approaches as well as introducing you to psychoanalytic and queer criticism.
By reading a selection of critical writings alongside literary texts, you will explore questions such as: How do the stories we tell shape our understanding of gender roles? From whose perspective are these stories told and what do they exclude or repress? How have writers reinvented these stories? What is the relationship between gender and the acts of reading and writing? What is role of reading and writing in processes of social change? And how are representations of gender inflected by age, class, sexual orientation and ethnicity?
All students will have some opinions on what it means to be a ‘woman’ or a ‘man’. This module will encourage you to examine these opinions in the light of contemporary thinking about gender and sexuality and via the study of a range of thought-provoking and sometimes troubling texts.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- The cultural, political and societal contexts in which literary texts were written in either France or other countries.
- Reflection on literary criticism and writing that might include feminist, psychoanalytic and queer thought.
- The cultural inscription of gender in the French context and beyond, the similarities and dissimilarities with your own culture and society.
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Adhere to guidelines and deadlines
- Take notes and keeping records.
- Make use of libraries, archives, and online resources to access relevant information.
- Plan and organise your learning through self-management.
- Produce writing in appropriate genres and to required conventions, including referencing and identification.
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Engage with subject matter and opinion in both breadth and depth.
- Identify concepts and data relevant to the task in hand, use a variety of theoretical tools to interpret cultural texts.
- Define, present and exemplify concepts.
- Apply knowledge, understanding and analysis critically to different topics
- Analyse and discuss questions.
Syllabus
The module addresses a diverse selection of writing in French (translations available) that explores questions of gender, sexuality and desire. We will cover a variety of critical approaches (such as feminist, psychoanalytic and queer). Through a focus on texts and films students will be encouraged to reflect on such topics as the cultural functions of gender and how these intersect with matters of age, class, sexual orientation and ethnicity.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching methods include
- twice-weekly seminars (with occasional lectures).
- an extensive bibliography and course-packs will be provided, and you will be expected to undertake a programme of independent reading.
- one-to-one consultations with the tutor (in person or by email) for students wishing to discuss their progress or to raise specific issues.
Learning activities include
- preparation of seminar presentations, individually or in pairs
- class discussion
- independent study
- essay writing
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 12 |
| Seminar | 18 |
| Preparation for scheduled sessions | 96 |
| Follow-up work | 24 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Internet Resources
For resources which are required or considered useful for the module.
Journal Articles
Sigmund Freud (2002). Femininity. Freud on Women, pp. 342-362.
Textbooks
Simone de Beauvoir. ‘Mythes: Chapitre Premier’ in Le Deuxième Sexe I.
Annie Ernaux (1987). La Femme gelée. Gallimard.
Celestin, Roger et al. (eds) (2003). Beyond French Feminisms: Debates on Women, Politics and Culture in France, 1981-2001. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Émile Zola. La Curée. GF-Flammarion.
Cooper, Sarah (2000). Relating to Queer Theory: Rereading Sexual Self-Definition with Irigaray, Kristeva, Wittig and Cixous. Peter Lang.
Butler, Judith (2006). Gender Trouble. Routledge.
Rachilde, Monsieur Vénus (2004). roman matérialiste. Modern Language Association.
Marcel Proust. Sodome et Gomorrhe, volume 1 (first chapter only). GF-Flammarion.
Cameron, Deborah (1991). The Feminist Critique of Language: A Reader. London: Macmillan.
Bordo, Susan (1995). Unbearable Weight: Feminism, Western Culture and the Body. University of California Press.
Assessment
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Commentary exercise | 40% |
| Critical essay | 50% |
| Presentation | 10% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Critical essay | 50% |
| Commentary exercise | 50% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Commentary | 40% |
| Critical essay | 50% |
| Oral presentation | 10% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External