This course provides an introduction to some of the major genres of Old French literature and to the literary culture of medieval France as a whole, mostly considering it from the point of view of its representation of the tensions between individual desire and collective loyalty.

20 x 1-hour seminars as scheduled on MyCampus.

This is one of the Honours options in French and may not run every year. The options that are running this session are available on MyCampus.

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The standard assessments for this course are:

■ Essay (2000 words) semester 1 (50%)

■ Essay (2000 words) semester 2 (50%)

If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available:

■ There is no alternative to the Essay, but extensions to the deadlines can be offered as reasonable adjustment (students should follow the usual process for extensions).

Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor.

It is the default expectation that all courses will offer opportunities for reassessment or deferred assessment. Where it is not possible to offer this in some assessment components, the grade achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade, and any exceptions for this course are described below.

[No exceptions]

This course aims to:

■ foster understanding of chivalric and courtly works produced in France during the 12th and 13th centuries;

■ challenge students to reflect critically on a range of methodological approaches in the field of medieval literary and historical/ cultural studies;

■ develop students' understanding of the responsible and appropriate use of translations and parallel-text editions as a means to understanding materials produced in older forms of the French language.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ assess the relationship between the texts and their social, historical and political contexts;

■ identify and discuss major themes and generic features in the prescribed material, especially with regard to court contexts and courtly ideals;

■ make responsible and appropriate use of translations and parallel-text editions as a means to understand older forms of the French language;

■ compare and contrast the set materials in appropriate and illuminating ways;

■ contribute to seminar discussion, analysing material with regard to its broad themes, significant detail, and socio-cultural, historical and ideological contexts;

■ make competent use of secondary literature and achieve proper integration of such material into an original argument;

■ write clear, analytical and appropriately referenced essays on topics related to the set works and the ideas explored on the course.