FR113 Modern and Contemporary France
- Why has modern French history been so tumultuous?
- How do the French Revolutionary and Republican traditions affect life in France today?
- Why is this the Fifth Republic? What happened to the others?
- What role do the media play in French life?
- Are French cultural issues very different from British cultural issues?
These are just a few of the questions that will be addressed in this introductory module. It is divided into two units: the first unit examines key aspects of the political, social and economic history of France, focusing on the period since the German Occupation and Vichy regime of 1940-44. The second unit deals with important cultural issues in contemporary France, focusing in particular on questions of cultural policy, education and the media. By the end of the module, you will be equipped to follow a number of historical, political and cultural modules in the second and final year.
This module provides a comprehensive survey of French history from the 1930s to the later stages of the current Fifth Republic, considering some of the major historical, social, political, economic and cultural issues that have combined to make France the country it is today.
TERM 1 (Jessica Wardhaugh)
The first unit of the module will be devoted to the study of key aspects of the political, social and economic history of France since the 1930s. Teaching will be based on a wide variety of written, aural and visual source materials, with video documentaries, extracts and other supporting materials used as a basis for seminar analysis and discussion.
TERM 2 (Jeremy Ahearne)
The second unit of the module will build on the work done in Term 1, looking at key policy developments and debates in post-war France, revolving around issues in culture, education and the media. As in the first term, teaching will be based on a wide variety of written, aural and visual source materials (further details).
