FRN1080 - French studies 8

Leader(s): Patrick Durel

Offered

Clayton Second semester 2009 (Day)

Synopsis

This unit develops basic language skills (speaking/listening and reading/writing) beyond the level acquired in FRN1010 and provides an introduction to modern French society. It is designed for those with limited knowledge of French. Students will be encouraged to develop appropriate language learning strategies. Regular assessed homework and tests emphasize the continuous nature of language learning and the need for frequent practice. In the Specialized Culture component, students will develop explicit text analysis skills in exploring the role film has played in the culture war involving national memory of WWII Occupation and Resistance and thereby issues of conflicted national identity.

Objectives

At the end of the course, students should have reinforced their ability to communicate and interact efficiently in French both in oral and written form by using appropriate techniques of exposition. They will be expected to develop and demonstrate the following skills in the target language:

1. Reading comprehension/oral production: students should be able to communicate the main points contained in a newspaper article they have read, reformulating, structuring and explaining its content.
2. Listening Comprehension/writing production: students should be able to write an expository report presenting the information contained in radio or TV programmes of up to 12mn on current affairs.
3. Writing skills: students should be able to write a clear and detailed essay on topics which are familiar, passing on information or giving reasons in support of or against a particular point of view. They should be able to use appropriate expressions, vocabulary and syntax and demonstrate an acute awareness of issues of textual grammar (coherence and cohesion).
4. Morpho-syntax and stylistics: students should continue to further their knowledge of French grammar and develop their awareness of differences between French and English syntax through systematic use of a French reference grammar.
5. Students should also have become familiar with the use of software programs and electronic tools such as a grammar assistant, a bilingual electronic dictionary, an online French dictionary.
6. Students should have identified efficient learning strategies and developed an ability to autonomously take charge of and evaluate these strategies and their outcomes.
7. Socio-cultural awareness: students should have acquired a greater critical knowledge and understanding of modern French society, its values and their evolution.
8. Developed a critical understanding of issues of identity in France in the post-war period.
9. Developed an explicit understanding and more sophisticated practice of text analysis, especially in relation to film.
10. Developed individual and cooperative research skills.

Assessment

Written work: 10%
Comprehension work: 11%
Reseach project: 25%
Comprehension test: 12%
Translation test: 12%
Oral exam: 15%
Written exam: 15%

Contact hours

5 hours (1 hour computer lab workshops, 1 hour translation workshop, 2 hour language tutorial and 1 hour Specialized Culture lecture/seminar) per week

Prerequisites

FRN1070

Prohibitions

FRN2080, FRN3080