Course Details in 2025/26 Session

Module Title	LH Paris Moderne 1850-1930: Image, Concept, Femininity
School	Lan, Cult, Art Hist & Music
Department	Art Hist, Cur and Vis Studies
Module Code	09 28443
Module Lead	Dr Francesca Berry
Level	Honours Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 2
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Lecture-10 hours Seminar-20 hours Guided independent study-170 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	The centrality of Paris to the development of modern art is well established and Paris itself has taken on something of a mythical status in histories of modernity. This module explores from an interdisciplinary perspective the emergence and development of Paris between 1850 and 1930 as the focus of modernist cultural activity. Looking at the changing fabric, image and concept of the city, this module investigates ways in which Paris was experienced, conceptualised, made and represented by artists, photographers, urban planners, architects, designers and writers from Émile Zola and Édouard Manet to Eugène Atget, Sonia Delaunay and Walter Benjamin. Moreover, it will consider the significance to contemporaneous and subsequent practitioners of the making of modern Paris in relation the feminine - a city of capital, consumption, seduction, pleasure and the Parisienne. This module is designed to encourage students to understand the making of Paris moderne from a multiplicity of cultural, historical and theoretical perspectives. So, rather than treating the image and fabric of Paris as self-sufficient entities, students will be encouraged also to engage directly with representations of the city in literary and theoretical texts. Topics include: the social, artistic and literary impact and legacy of Haussmannisation; fashioning the Parisienne; poster art and commercialised leisure; exhibiting Paris; Surrealists in the city.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: 1. Demonstrate a detailed and comprehensive knowledge of the module’s taught content. 2. Describe relationships between relevant artworks and the cultural and social environment of the period covered by the module. 3. Identify and analyse relevant artworks produced during the period covered by the module. 4. Comment on theoretical and other matters embodied in primary or other sources relating to the period covered by the module.
Assessment	28443-01 : Examination : Exam (Centrally Timetabled) - Written Unseen (50%) 28443-02 : Essay : Coursework (50%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	1 x 2500-word essay (50% of the final module mark) 1 x 1.5-hour unseen examination (50% of the final module mark) Alternative assessment if on campus activity is restricted: proctored exams will be converted to take home papers. Re-assessment: Re-submission of failed component
Other
Reading List