France under the Nazis, 1940-1944 (Part 2)

Module overview

The second half of the special subject invites you to consider not only how the French resisted Occupation and achieved Liberation from German military forces in 1944, but how they have subsequently memorialised the war and Occupation experience as a whole. The module begins with an exploration of popular resistance to German Occupation and Vichy rule. A culture of dissent emerged, especially after 1942, encompassing guerrilla warfare, underground publishing and demonstrations for food. We study the military, political and social dimensions of the Liberation of 1944, from D-Day onwards, and the competing visions for liberated France outlined by different political factions, especially Gaullists and communists; as well as the trials of collaborators that followed Liberation (1945-51). Finally, we explore post-war representations and interrogations of the experience of Occupation, from documentary films and fiction to trials for crimes against humanity, public apologies and compensation claims made by deportees, in order to gain a sense of how public memory of the ‘dark years' has been articulated and contested since 1944.

Linked modules

HIST3036

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Identify (through the use of electronic bibliographical searches) and read primary and secondary materials in a range of formats including microfilm and online where appropriate;
Work to identify and solve problems;
Communicate effectively
Develop your time management skills in planning and completing tasks set.

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

Popular resistance to German Occupation and Vichy rule after 1940;
What made the period of Liberation so contested, and the controversial nature of the trials for treason (1944-1951);
The articulation of a contested memorial culture after 1944 and the grievances that lay behind its development;
Various genres of primary source material and how historians might read this material as evidence.

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Structure a coherent written argument based on an engagement with primary and secondary literature;
Analyse critically a variety of textual, visual and material sources and comment upon their relevance to the historical study of France under Occupation and Liberation, and beyond;
Engage with seminal and recent historiographical texts on that subject;
Participate constructively in group discussion, presenting your case by drawing on your reading, knowledge and understanding.

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching activities include: • primarily, two double sessions per week in seminar format and led by student presentations; • close analysis of a variety of primary source materials in different genres (in English translation); • Small-group and plenary discussion that draws on reading and understanding of the historical frameworks of understanding of the subject matter. Learning activities include: • In depth analysis of primary sources; • Preparatory reading and individual study; • Individual participation in seminars, group work and short presentations on seminar themes.

Study time
Type	Hours
Revision	52
Completion of assessment task	100
Preparation for scheduled sessions	100
Seminar	48
Total study time	300

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

Virgili, F (2002). Shorn women: gender and punishment in liberation France. Oxford: Berg.

Kedward, H.R (1999). ‘Resiting French Resistance’, Transactions of the Royal Historical Society.

Koreman, M (1999). The Expectation of Justice: France 1944-1946.

Wolf, J (2004). Harnessing the Holocaust: the politics of memory in France.

Roberts, Mary L (2013). What soldiers do: sex and the American GI in World War II France. Chicago UP.

Farmer, S (1999). Martyred village: commemorating the 1944 massacre at Oradour-sur-Glane.

Golsan, R (2000). Vichy’s afterlife: history and counter-history in post-war France.

Rousso, H (1991). The Vichy syndrome: history and memory in France since 1944. Harvard UP.

Paxton, R.O. (2001). Vichy France: old guard and new order, 1940-1944. Columbia.

Evans, M (1997). The Memory of Resistance: French opposition to the Algerian war (1954-1962),. Berg.

Assessment

Assessment strategy

The links between assessment methods and learning outcome are as follows: The twice weekly seminars will provide you with a forum to discuss the primary sources and relate them to the historical context and the historiography. They will also allow for the development of interpersonal skills; through the use of class presentations you will be able to develop your knowledge and understanding of particular subject areas and to enhance your oral communication skills. The essay will be written on a topic negotiated with the tutor, and will test your engagement with the themes of the module pursued further through independent reading, as well as your skills of effective argumentation. It will be the product of systematic research whose arguments are driven by an engagement with primary source material. The final examination asks you to present cogent, analytical and well-argued responses to three questions from a choice of nine. It tests your knowledge and understanding of the content encountered on HIST3036 and well as HIST3038, including an appreciation of the shifting scholarly, political and popular frameworks of understanding the experience of France under the Nazis, 1940-1944. Feedback Method • Individual consultation on essay ideas and plan before submission • Essay/exam cover sheet • Individual consultations on request

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Essay	50%
Timed Assignment	50%

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Resubmit assessments	100%

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.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Timed Assignment	50%
Essay	50%

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External