Visual Cultures of the French-Speaking World MA - (Pathway of MA European Languages & Cultures)
Objectives-make students fully conversant with the methods of scholarly research in a humanities discipline and the resources necessary for such research. -equip students for further study and research. -provide graduates holding a first degree in a modern European language or languages with the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the literature and culture of one or more areas where these languages are spoken. -provide a thorough grounding in modern critical theoretical approaches to literary and cultural studies.
Entry requirementsEntry requirements: The normal requirement for admission to the MA is an Upper Second class Honours degree, or higher, or its overseas equivalent, in a relevant subject, usually the language(s) to be studied.
Academic titleVisual Cultures of the French-Speaking World MA
Course descriptionCourse description
The MA in Visual Cultures of the French-Speaking World is a modular course, with a free choice of course units from those offered within French.
This new pathway is being proposed as a direct result of the recent establishment (2007) within the French Subject Area of a Centre for the Study of Visual Cultures in the French-Speaking World.
Students on this new pathway would choose options from a designated list, and would be required to take visually-oriented components on the core course units (Critical Theory and Research Methods). Students would write their dissertation on a topic which comes under the remit of `Visual Cultures in the French-Speaking World'.
Very few MA courses in modern languages across the UK and Ireland are genuinely orientated towards visual studies. This pathway draws its strength from the expertise of the majority of colleagues in French, where Visual/Screen/Performance Studies is the dominant research strand and is the focus of lively research activity. Recent conferences/symposia in the field include `History Painting in Nineteenth-Century France' (2002), `Visualising the City' (2005) and `L'affiche dans la littérature et la culture françaises de 1870 à nos jours' (2006).
Students on this pathway will be supported in their development by the research activities of the new Centre, which will include a rotating programme of conferences, exhibitions and film screenings, and visiting artists.
Module details
The compulsory core course units are Research Methods and Critical Theory I and II
These units contain various optional components: students must take visually-oriented components where these are available
Optional course units available typically include:
-Gender and Sexuality in Contemporary French Cinema
-Constructions of National Identity in French Popular Music
-Delacroix and Literary Painting
-Visual and Material Features of French Text
-Visual Elements in French Popular Culture
-Visual and Corporeal Identities in the French-Speaking World