Introductory description

In this module we will explore the ways in which the Holocaust has been represented in French-language material, including texts and films. We will examine the historiography of the Holocaust in France in order to place representations into the wider cultural context.

Module web page

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

Week 1: Introduction
Weeks 2-3: Un Secret ([1958] 2004)
Weeks 4-5: Journal (2007)
Week 6: Reading Week
Weeks 7-8: Dora Bruder (1999)
Weeks 9-10: Jan Karski (2009)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Analyse French representations of the Holocaust using target language skills
• Examine theories of Holocaust studies to French representations of the Holocaust
• Demonstrate a familiarity with the wider socio-political and cultural contexts of these representations

Indicative reading list

See Talis Aspire link

View reading list on Talis Aspire

International

All modules delivered in SMLC are necessarily international. Students engage with themes and ideas from a culture other than that of the UK and employ their linguistic skills in the analysis of primary materials from a non-Anglophone context. Students will also be encouraged to draw on the experiences of visiting exchange students in the classroom and will frequently engage with theoretical and critical frameworks from across the world.

Subject specific skills

This module will develop students’ linguistic skills through engaging with primary materials in the target language. It will build students’ capacity to engage with aspects of French culture through analysis of this primary material and through seminar discussion aimed at deeper critical thinking. In particular, students’ awareness of representations of the Holocaust will be enhanced through lectures and seminars which engage in scholarship in the field.

Transferable skills

All SMLC culture modules demand critical and analytical engagement with cultural artefacts from target-language cultures. In the course of independent study, class work and assessment students will develop skills in the following: written and oral communication, creative and critical thinking, problem solving and analysis, time management and organisation, independent research in both English and their target language(s), intercultural understanding and the ability to mediate between languages and cultures, ICT literacy in both English and the target language(s), personal responsibility and the exercise of initiative.