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FR20140

Academic Year 2024/2025

Versailles: Power, Politics & Spectacle (FR20140)

Subject:
French
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
Languages, Cultures & Linguis
Level:
2 (Intermediate)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Assoc Professor Derval Conroy
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This module examines the dynamics of court life in Louis XIV's Versailles, and the fashion in which spectacle contributed towards the construction of the cult of the Sun King. The focus will be on accounts of court festivities, memoirs, moralist texts and political texts. Throughout the module, we will anchor the artistic and literary culture in the political and historical context of the period. Attention will also be given to the criticisms of the king, and the fragility of the mythic cult surrounding his regime.

Please note that this module is designated Red in accordance with the College of Arts AI Traffic Light System: you must not use generative AI for any purposes.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:

* identify and explain the key features of court society under Louis XIV;

* understand key political ideas in circulation regarding authority and governance;

* be able to assess the role which the printed book / festival book played in the monumentalisation of the king and court;

* evaluate the relationship between art and the representation of power;

* articulate their ideas in a coherent essay form.

Indicative Module Content:

* Political concept of the 'ideal prince' - political theory and Louis XIV's memoirs

* Festival books: Félibien's *Relation de la fête de Versailles*, 1668

* La Bruyère's satirical portrait of court society in his *Caractères*

* Fénelon's criticism in the *Lettre à Louis XIV*

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

12
Seminar (or Webinar)

12
Specified Learning Activities

36
Autonomous Student Learning

50
Total

110

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Lectures, critical writing, seminar discussion.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations
Learning Recommendations:

An interest in cultural history would be an advantage. Considerable proficiency in French language is essential since all source material is in French (and is not available in translation).


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Pre-requisite:
FR10020 - French Language I b, FR10070 - French Grammar & Expression


 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Portfolio: Weekly tutorial preparation throughout the trimester. (Some weeks excluded). Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
40
 No
Exam (In-person): Two-hour in-person end-of-trimester exam. End of trimester
Duration:
2 hr(s)
 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
60
 No

Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback provided individually in tutor's written comments on returned work during the trimester and also globally in following lecture.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Autumn Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 Tues 12:00 - 12:50
Autumn Seminar Offering 1 Week(s) - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 Thurs 10:00 - 10:50
Autumn Seminar Offering 2 Week(s) - 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 Thurs 11:00 - 11:50
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