FR10150 Transoceanic Cultures

Academic Year 2022/2023

Sea voyages have been a source of poetic inspiration since time immemorial. From Homer’s “The Odyssey” to James Joyce’s Ulysses (1922) and Derek Walcott’s Omeros (1990), maritime journeys have traditionally been a great source of artistic creation and exploration. Yet, real and imagined experiences of journeys across bodies of water such as the Atlantic, the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean and the Pacific have also been synonymous with coerced passages that are deeply linked to memories of loss, trauma and death.
Seeking to explore connections between aquatic spaces and experiences of forced migration before, during and after the Middle Passage, up to the present day, this elective module will aim to offer a transoceanic perspective on multilingual (English, French, Spanish) nomadic identities, intergenerational trauma and gendered experiences of sea crossing.
As they embark on a transoceanic journey of their own, students from all disciplines will be given the opportunity to connect with international partners to work together to produce a joint digital project on oceanic crossings. To do that, students will utilize various digital tools and platforms – all of which they will become familiar with during the course of the module.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

- Students will learn about coerced maritime journeys and crossings across the Atlantic, the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean and their enduring effects across time and space;
- In particular, students will be introduced to literature and art forms, including cinema, from various Francospheres that will be connected with other linguistic areas (knowledge of French will be a bonus, but not necessary);
- Through seminar-based discussion and analysis of a selection of primary sources, students will enhance their knowledge and competence in document analysis and presentation;
- By connecting with international peers, students will be offered a unique opportunity to work on a joint project and acquire transferable skills in minimal computing tools to create digital content;
- Students will learn to acknowledge and use appropriate copyright citation and licensing for online content.

Indicative Module Content:

- Topics covered during the seminars will include the following: slavery, indentured labour, sex and human trafficking, experiences of displacement and unhoming …

- Reading and visual materials will be provided to students during the first week of the module; English translations will be provided for materials provided in other languages.

- Certain seminars will be devoted to introducing students to digital publishing in blog format, digital mapping and digital storytelling.

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Seminar (or Webinar)

24
Specified Learning Activities

24
Autonomous Student Learning

52
Total

100
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
* Weekly two-hour seminars, with an initial lecture component followed by discussion of extracts from primary sources and related critical readings.

* A number of seminars will also be devoted to introducing students to the creation of digital contents through the use of minimal computing tools.

* This course will offer blended learning: classes will be taught online (as this is planned as a “connected classrooms” course) and in-person.

 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Additional Information:
The module is not delivered in French, but knowledge of French will be a bonus. No prior knowledge of digital content creation is needed.


 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Class Test: 3 quizzes on BrightSpace to be completed during the trimester. Each quiz relates to material covered in the seminars Throughout the Trimester n/a Graded No

40
Group Project: Connected Classrooms group digital project Coursework (End of Trimester) n/a Graded No

60

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn Yes - 1 Hour
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Online automated feedback

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Group and individual feedback to students for the connected classrooms digital project, pre- and post-assessment. (60%). For the connected classrooms digital project, each student completes specific tasks within their group project. Informative feedback will be provided on students' individual and group progress. Summative group and individual feedback will be available once the exercise is completed by the entire class group. Online automated feedback for the quizzes. [40%] Online quizzes on BrightSpace are corrected automatically with correct answers signalled once exercise is completed by entire class group.

Name Role
Professor Mary Gallagher Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Dr Laetitia Saint-Loubert Lecturer / Co-Lecturer