This course will explore the city of Paris as historical artifact, artistic hub and lived reality, to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the city's complex history and its role in constructing, reinforcing and revising French cultural and political identity. Taking the city as analytical object, the course will be composed of seminars, visits to cultural sites including museums, monuments and châteaux, collaborative workshops and guided walking tours of historically and culturally-significant districts. The course will critique the dominant narratives and myths surrounding the city, studying Paris's reputation as a global capital of art, literature and politics. Yet it will do so while also exploring under-examined and forgotten parts of the city relating to colonial history, revolutionary history, the legacy of slavery and the evolution of the Republic. The analyses undertaken in this course will equip students with the knowledge and language to understand core concepts surrounding French history, culture and identity, studied through the prism of Parisian cultural heritage. Ultimately, the course will provide students not only with an understanding of Paris's past, but a deeper insight into France's complex present and the tools to understand France and French influence in the world into the future.
Students will only be permitted to travel upon completion of ANU required documentation, including, where required, the travel to a high risk destination form and the approval of all documentation by the relevant delegate.
Disclaimer: Applicants are advised that due to circumstances beyond the University's control (for example, specific international security concerns and international health crises) it may not be possible for students to commence or complete this course as advertised, in which case an alternative lesson plan will be arranged to fulfil the course requirements.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:- Critically analyse the place and function of cultural heritage in relation to French history and identity;
- Compare and contextualise contemporary and historical viewpoints in French;
- Develop an understanding of the concepts of Republicanism, multiculturalism and Frenchness through exploration of key sites, discourses, artifacts and encounters in Paris;
- Formulate, present, and evaluate original arguments and analyses in written and oral French;
- Navigate on-site language immersion, conducting intellectual and everyday cultural interactions with native French speakers in French.
Indicative Assessment
Oral Presentation (10-15 minutes, in Paris): 25% (LOs 1, 2, 3, 4)2000-word essay (due after travel component) 40% (LOs 1, 2, 3, 4)
2000-word reflective journal: 30% (LOs 1, 3, 4, 5)
Participation: 5% (LOs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
130 hours of total student learning time, comprising:75 hours of contact during two weeks of immersive study on-site in Paris, with two preparatory seminars on campus in the months preceding travel;
55 hours of individual research and group work, in Paris and at home.
Requisite and Incompatibility
You will need to contact the School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics to request a permission code to enrol in this course.
Prescribed Texts
All texts will be supplied on Wattle.Preliminary Reading
All texts will be supplied on Wattle.
Assumed Knowledge
Level of French language and cultural knowledge as ensured by requisites detailed above.Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $4080 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $5280 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Spring Session
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9340 | 01 Oct 2025 | TBA | TBA | 31 Dec 2025 | In Person | N/A |
