FR10140 Paris

Academic Year 2023/2024

Paris has long been an iconic city in global terms. This Elective module (delivered entirely online) provides UCD students from across all disciplines with expert snapshot insights into aspects of the development and essence of Paris: the City of Light.

This module is a novel way of immersing yourself once again in basic French language, culture, literature and ideas, via a variety of weekly topics. Each week, UCD French and Francophone Studies lecturers will present Paris through a new lens, with focus on a wide variety of topics (e.g. Mapping Paris; Paris on screen; Paris and Music; Paris in poetry; 18th-century Paris; Revolutionary Paris; Dubliners in Paris; Africa in Paris; Modernity through Art; Culinary Paris and much more).

This elective is accessible to anyone who studied French at high school to basic Leaving Cert level or (Intermediate Level) equivalent B1 on CEFR scale. Materials used are mainly in French with English translations provided. Delivery will vary from week to week between part-French part-English, or a simple combination. Lectures are delivered live online, but also recorded to facilitate revision and language refreshment. Through two weekly online lectures, you will hone and revise your French language listening and reading skills, while studying core and quirky aspects of Paris: the City of Light.

[NB students taking French as part of BA/BHum/BAIML/BCIT/BAI should take this module as an Elective rather than as an Option]

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

1) Students will learn about the iconic city of Paris from a variety of new, expert perspectives
2) Students will hone their French listening skills by focusing on spoken French or French audio materials
3) Students will practise their French reading skills by focusing on short written texts and materials in French
4) Students will focus their interpretative skills by answering weekly quizzes on the topics covered
5) Students will present an in-depth study in a Zoom Presentation project on one of a list of topics relating to materials studied

Indicative Module Content:

In any given year, weekly topics will study Paris from a different perspective. Topics may include some of the following:
-Géographies parisiennes: Mapping the City of Paris through the ages
-Paris and Song
-Paris: a space of Immigration (lieu de mémoire de l'immigration)
-Paris and the Crusades
-Breaking Rules in 18th-century Paris
-Paris in 1789: Revolutionary Spaces
-Dubliner in Paris: Samuel Beckett
-Paris, Capital of Modernity (19th-century visual art)
-Paris in Poetry (Jacques Prévert)
-Cultural Cannibalism and French Cuisine in Paris
-Paris Nightlife
et bien d'autres...

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

22
Autonomous Student Learning

56
Lectures

22
Total

100
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Lecture Topics: students benefit from expert French lecturers who focus on particular aspects of Paris linked to their research interests, publications, and specialty areas
Language Skills: students will be actively using and revising their French listening and French reading skills each week
Student Presentations: students will present a final Zoom Presentation project in which they focus in detail on one or more topics studied 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations
Learning Requirements:

It is essential to have studied French to a lower intermediate level before taking this module.
For example, students might have passed French at Leaving Cert (honours) level.
Or students might have achieved a B1 on the CEFR grid (https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=090000168045bb57).
Or international students may come from a francophone household.
This module might also be useful for students at any stage of their UCD studies who wish to maintain, hone, or revise rusty French skills.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Presentation: Paris Recorded Video Presentation focuses on ONE of the weekly subjects covered during module.
See BrightSpace for choice of Presentation Project Topics and detailed instructions.
 Coursework (End of Trimester) n/a Graded No

60
Class Test: Approximately 10 x quizzes (on BrightSpace) to be completed weekly during trimester.
Each quiz refers to the material covered in the two lecture hours per week/topic.		 Throughout the Trimester n/a Graded No

40

Carry forward of passed components
No
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Online automated feedback

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Online automated feedback => 40% online quizzes on BrightSpace are corrected automatically, with correct answers signalled once exercise is completed by entire class group Feedback individually to students, post assessment => 60% Zoom Presentation:: each student completes a Zoom Presentation project. Feedback will be available once the exercise is completed by entire class group

Name Role
Dr Janée Allsman Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Dr Manu Braganca Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Professor Michael Brophy Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Assoc Professor Derval Conroy Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Professor Mary Gallagher Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Assoc Professor Emer O'Beirne Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Assoc Professor Síofra Pierse Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Lucille Raynal Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Assoc Professor Stephen Schwartz Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Assoc Professor Douglas Smith Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
 
Spring
      
Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 32, 33 Mon 17:00 - 17:50
Online Learning Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Wed 17:00 - 17:50
Spring