Newcastle University

Pre Requisite Comment

None

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

-       To explore how the Occupation of France in the Second World War has been represented in history and in collective memory through the study of novels, films, historical and testimonial texts that retell/document aspects of the Occupation in fictional form
-       To acquire a working knowledge of the history of France between 1939 and 1945
-       To analyse a range of French representations of the Holocaust
-       To understand philosophical, ethical, moral and political debates about the representability of the Holocaust
-       To analyse French cinematic and textual representations of World War II/the Holocaust produced after the war and until the present in the context of wider national and international political and ethical debates around cultural memory, memorialization, and testimony

Outline Of Syllabus

This module has two main strands: firstly, it draws on and explores a range of different textual and cinematic representations of the Occupation in order to explore how the Second World War has been remembered in France; secondly, it looks at testimonial and cinematic representations of the Holocaust, particularly the concentration camps, from a French perspective. The module begins with a historical overview of the Second World War and its legacy in French cultural memory, before exploring selected textual/cinematic representations in the light of theoretical and philosophical writings in English and in French.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

Knowledge and understanding of:

-       the history of the Second World War in France, of the Occupation and of the Vichy regime
-       deportation to the Nazi concentration camps
-       the position of the Jews in the Occupation
-       the notions of collaboration and résistance
-       the Liberation and épuration
-       how the Occupation has been remembered and represented in France since 1945
-       how specific literary texts and films reflect or rewrite history and collective memory of the Second World War
-       how to read novels and films in relation to the historical events of 1939-1945 in France
-       theories surrounding testimony, memory and bearing witness during and after the Holocaust

Students will be encouraged to think critically and independently about the relation between history and fictional texts (novels and films),as well as testimonial texts.

Intended Skill Outcomes

Students will practise and develop the following skills:
-       analysing literary texts and sequences of film closely and critically
-       understanding and evaluating theoretical writings on the Holocaust/Second World War
-       using literary and cinematic texts as a means to approach the study of history
-       understanding and taking notes in lectures given in the target language
-       presenting and discussing ideas orally in seminars
-       researching topics in detail in the appropriate books, journals and electronic sources
-       constructing a coherent argument based on textual evidence both orally and in writing

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Lecture materials (in the form of recording) will provide the essential historical context both
to the Occupation itself and to its cultural memory since, and will work through a range of theoretical perspectives on trauma, loss and memory. They will also introduce students to the set texts and films through short videos, brief written case studies and longer Powerpoint recordings.

Students will be expected to work through the lecture materials and accompanying directed reading/viewing which
will be clearly signposted on Canvas. Evaluation from last year showed that a majority of students appreciated the online elements as part of the module contact hours and the blended learning mode of teaching showed to be very effective as it allowed students time to reflect in their own time.

In seminars, students will analyse both thematic/historical issues (eg the treatment of Jewish children in the
Occupation) or one of the set texts/films in detail, working through the issues raised by the lectures with support and added clarifications or examples where needed.

Students will be expected to carry out guided independent reading and to prepare questions – of a simple but also more extensive nature – in advance of seminars.

The module talk will provide an introduction to and benchmark of the module and its teaching methods (that students can refer back to) and the Q&A will facilitate debate around the key topics and issues in the module.

The drop in sessions will be mainly to go through assessment queries in person.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The first short essay mid semester will be focused on one or two films, requiring students to practise and develop their cinematic analysis in a very specific historical context.

The second essay assesses students’ ability to apply knowledge of the Occupation or the Holocaust, as well as of
cultural memories since then, to detailed analysis of chosen texts representing experience or memories of WW2 in
France. The formative essay will allow students to practise analytical and essay-writing skills and receive feedback before going on to write the main essay.

Students will be given general guidance on approaching essay writing in semester 1 for the formative essay and will be given individual and full-cohort feedback on the formative essay to help them to improve their work for the summative essay in semester 2.

General Notes

N/A