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FR20290

Academic Year 2026/2027

Slavery On Stage in 18thc France: Production, Pronunciation, Performance (FR20290)

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

Curricular information is subject to change.

NB **Students must be prepared to perform in French during theatre workshops**

This level 2 French module is designed for students studying French as part of their Stage 2 degree programme. Focus is on staging productions of 18th-century French plays: Marivaux's L'île des esclaves and De Gouges's De l'esclavage des noirs. Students will work on live semi-staged performances of the Marivaux play in class and on camera. Students may then choose between a final written exam or a recorded video staging of the De Gouges play. Workshops will focus on language and performance as much as on theatrical production. Contextualisation of 18th-c French slavery will include study of ancillary material, from recent scholarship on 17th/18th French slavery and galériens (galley slaves/convict rowers) to texts on slavery/otherness by female authors Charlotte Aissé and Claire de Duras.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

Students will have
-Gained very close familiarity with two original French 18th-century plays (Individual)
-Designed Production Notes for at least one 18th-century play (individual)
-Gained confidence in, and improvement of, each student's own (out loud) pronunciation of French (individual)
-Performed as part of a semi-staged production of part/all of an 18th-century play in French (group)
-Studied and analyzed (individual) a second 18th-century play in French OR performed in a video staging of the second 18th-century play in French (group)

Indicative Module Content:

Slavery as staged in two 18th-century French pre-revolutionary plays
Theatre Performance and Production Strategies.

CORE TEXTS STUDIED (please ONLY get in correct edition from International Books bookshop in Dublin city centre/online).
-Marivaux, 'l'Île des Esclaves' (core play)
-Olympe de Gouges, L'Esclavage des Noirs, ou l'heureux naufrage (aka Zamore et Mirza) (core play)
-Claire de Duras, 'Ourika' (short novel)

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

38
Autonomous Student Learning

50
Lectures

8
Practical

14
Total

110

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This is a module that focuses equally on PERFORMANCE, PRODUCTION strategies and on French PRONUNCIATION, against a cultural and analytical background of Absolutism and Enlightenment in 18th-century France.
Focus will be on student engagement, interpretation and performance (staged or semi-staged).

The class group will provide a staging of the first play in week 7 of term.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Individual Project: A3 visual Poster (using images, arrows, diagrams) OR play Production Notes (800-1000 words max) on first play studied. Week 8 Graded No
25
 No
Group Work Assignment: Live Theatrical Production in Week 7 of one of 2 plays studied (staged or semi-staged).
Takes into account work completed in workshops and rehearsals.
Will be recorded for grading purposes.		 Week 7 Graded No
35
 No
Exam (In-person): Students may opt for video production instead of written exam (deadline same as official UCD calendar date).
Written exam comprises Critical Analysis on extract taken from second play studied.		 End of trimester
Duration:
2 hr(s)
 Graded No
40
 No

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn Yes - 2 Hour
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?

After each assessment individual and/or group feedback is provided, depending on the nature of the assignment undertaken. For production notes or posters, feedback is individual. For group performances, feedback is group-based.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Spring Seminar Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Mon 16:00 - 17:50
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