Course Details in 2026/27 Session

Module Title	LH Franco-African Relations from de Gaulle to Macron (1944 to the present)
School	Lan, Cult, Art Hist & Music
Department	Modern Languages
Module Code	09 35133
Module Lead	Dr Berny Sèbe
Level	Honours Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 2
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Seminar-30 hours Guided independent study-170 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	African countries represent the single most important regional group in the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie and Africa has been a cornerstone in French policies designed to retain world influence after 1945. Understanding Franco-African relations unlocks two major aspects of French worldview and diplomacy for the last century: the issue of kinship through language and culture when it collides with indigenous traditions and languages, and the frustration at downgrading from great to medium power. Drawing upon a variety of official speeches and statements, legal texts, officials’ memoirs and the growing secondary literature on the subject in history and international relations, this module will follow the evolution of Franco-African relations from the Brazzaville conference (1944) to the major diplomatic shift represented by the election of Emmanuel Macron in 2012, covering the rich and controversial period in-between, such as the French Union, later replaced by the French Community, decolonization, the Cold War and neo-colonialism. It will also consider African reactions to France’s hegemonic position in the area. The case of North Africa will sometimes be considered to highlight the differences with sub-Saharan Africa.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: Display extensive factual knowledge related to the history and development of key themes in Franco-African relations; Show awareness of the complexity and evolution of Franco-African relations since the Second World War and to understand them in the wider context of international relations; Analyse a combination of written and (if advisable) audiovisual primary sources and to appraise them critically to produce a historical interpretation; Demonstrate their ability to undertake successfully critical analysis, to develop personal hypotheses and interests through research; Demonstrate their ability to pursue independent research successfully, using documents in the target language whenever necessary.
Assessment	35133-01 : 3,000 word essay in English : Coursework (75%) 35133-02 : Video presentation in French : Presentation (25%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: 1 x 3000 word essay in English (75%); A 5-7 minute video presentation in French (25%). Reassessment: No resits are permitted in final year. If students miss the assessed task owing to extenuating circumstances, the failed task would be rescheduled at a later date.
Other
Reading List