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FR30290

Academic Year 2026/2027

Qu'est-ce que l'individualisme (FR30290)

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

Curricular information is subject to change.

Les temps modernes sont souvent décrits comme synonymes d’un « ère de l’individu » par contraste avec l’antiquité et le moyen âge. Comment comprendre cette nouveauté ? Les gens des époques révolues n’étaient-ils pas aussi des « individus » ? Ne distinguaient-ils pas, sous les apparences, un « soi » authentique ? Et sinon, comment de telles notions étaient-elles arrivées à faire partie de notre sens de nous-mêmes ? Y a-t-il une critique à faire de cette notion apparemment incontournable et universelle au 21e siècle ? Dans ce cours nous essayerons de répondre à de telles questions en interrogeant tour à tour toute une série de concepts associés à la notion moderne de l’individu : soi (the self), le sujet, l’autonomie, l’identité personnelle et collective, la sincérité et l’authenticité, l’égoïsme, le narcissisme, l’expression de soi, etc. Pour ce faire, nos jalons s’échelonneront du 17e siècle jusqu’au présent et comprendront des textes de Descartes, Pascal, Rousseau, Tocqueville, Durkheim, Dumont, et Descombes entre autres. Par la nature du sujet, ce cours intégrera donc des textes philosophiques et sociologiques.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module, students should be able to:
• Identify and distinguish varied historical concepts associated with the concept of the individual as well as their implications.
• Discuss the set texts with reference to their general cultural and conceptual context.
• Participate critically in debates about individualism in the time period covered by the course.

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

45
Autonomous Student Learning

41
Lectures

12
Seminar (or Webinar)

12
Total

110

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Lectures, reflection, small-group discussion, close reading.

AI Not Permitted
The use of AI tools (including but not limited to: Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot) is not permitted in this module. Students
are expected to engage directly with module materials and activities without the use
of AI tools.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Pre-requisite:
FR20020 - French Language II a, FR20040 - French Language II b


 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade Component repeat (in-module) Offered
Exam (In-person): Mid-term exam Week 8 Graded No
35
 No
Exam (In-person): Final Exam End of trimester
Duration:
2 hr(s)
 Graded No
65
 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
Spring No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

The only text whose purchase is required is:

Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Discours sur l’origine et les fondements de l’inégalité parmi les hommes (Gallimard/Folio). Please only purchase this edition.

The text will be available from International Books on South Frederick Street, Dublin 2. Price should be around €10.

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) - Autumn: All Weeks Wed 11:00 - 11:50
Autumn Lecture Offering 2 Week(s) - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 Thurs 13:00 - 13:50
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