An Introduction to French Thought (MLF1105)

Staff	Professor Hugh Roberts - Convenor
Credit Value	15
ECTS Value	7.5
NQF Level	4
Pre-requisites	A-Level French or equivalent
Co-requisites	None
Duration of Module	Term 1: 11 weeks;

Module aims

This module will introduce you to a wide range of French philosophy and some of its key ideas and figures. You will examine the development of French thought and be introduced to the historical context in which the works studied were written. You will critically engage with sophisticated philosophical arguments.

ILO: Module-specific skills

1. Demonstrate familiarity with the key arguments and ideas of the texts studied

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

2. Describe and evaluate, under guidance from the course tutor(s), key critical responses to the topic and apply standard critical approaches to the material
3. Mount an argument in sound written English using basic textual or other evidence
4. Read and analyse passages from texts in the TL, relating them to specified aspects of their cultural / historical / philosophical context
5. Use a reading list to identify material relevant to a given aspect of the subject, and report findings in writing
6. Show ability to give bibliographical information accurately and consistently, following established guidelines

ILO: Personal and key skills

7. Assimilate, select and organise material in order to produce, to a deadline, a written argument
8. Present a simple but cogent argument in writing, in English, on a specified topic and following guidelines provided
9. Plan and write an essay to a specified length and deadline on a given theme

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:

An introductory lecture
At least two lectures on each of the 4 main texts studies
At least two seminars on Descartes and 1 each on the other main texts

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
16	134	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	10	10 x 1 hour lectures
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	5	5 x 1 hour seminars
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	1	1 x 1 hour conclusion
Guided independent study	134	Private study

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Mini essay/commentary	500 words	1-9	Written and oral

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
100	0	0

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
2,000-word essay	100	2000 words	1-9	Written and oral

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
2,000-word essay	Essay	1-9	Referral/Deferral period

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Basic reading:

Montaigne: "Des cannibales", Essais, I, 31 [available via ELE].
Descartes: Discours de la méthode (Garnier Flammarion).
Rousseau: Discours sur l'origine et les fondements de I'inégalité (Gallimard - Folio)
Beauvoir: Le Deuxième Sexe (Selections)

Secondary reading: introductions to philosophy

Russell, Bertrand, Problems of Philosophy (1912, and subsequent editions)
Blackburn, Simon, Think (1999)
Nagel, Thomas, What Does It All Mean?: A Very Short Introduction to Philosophy (1987)
Craig, Edward, Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction (2002)
Scruton, Roger, From Descartes to Wittgenstein: A Short History of Modern Philosophy (1981)

Module has an active ELE page?

Yes

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

ELE: https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=11017
Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Available as distance learning?

Origin date

01/07/2020

Last revision date

03/08/2022

Key words search

Philosophy; Montaigne; Descartes; Rousseau; Beauvoir