Department of European Studies & Modern Languages, Unit Catalogue 2009/10 |
EU20011: French politics & society 2A: De Mitterrand à Chirac, ruptures et continuités |
 Credits:
| 3 |
| Level:
| Intermediate |
| Period: | Semester 1 |
| Assessment:
| CW 33%, EX 67% |
| Supplementary Assessment: | Like-for-like reassessment (where allowed by programme regulations) |
| Requisites:
| |
| Description: | Aims: To build on and develop understanding of key structures and institutions of French political life; to evaluate elements of change and continuity in the 1980s and 1990s using the framework of both presidencies, Mitterrand and Chirac; to develop note-taking and summarising skills in French; to develop listening and discussion skills in French; to encourage students to extract information and ideas from French source material. Learning Outcomes: On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to: * demonstrate familiarity with key political terminology and different interpretations of political events since 1981; * demonstrate a broaden and consolidate knowledge of contemporary French politics and society; * discuss topical, social, political and economic issues in French. Skills: Skills in critical analysis, conceptual thinking, precision in the use of written and spoken language, exercise of independent judgement, reasoned argument, effective communication in the target language and the planning/conduct/reporting of non-quantitative research are taught and assessed in this unit. Skills in effective learning are developed in this unit. Content: Introductory session; l'ère mitterrandienne, les années Chirac; élections et partis politiques; vers une économie libérale; une société fragmentée; continuités et ruptures; le chômage: l'héritage des années Mitterrand?; les élections de 2002; France, mutations, mondialisation; l'immigration. The unit is taught in French. Key texts: A. Cole French Politics and Society (Prentice Hall, 1998); J. Hayward & H. Machin Developments in French Politics (Palgrave, 2001). |