Monash University

Leader(s): Dr Natalie Doyle

Offered

Clayton Second semester 2009 (Day)

Synopsis

The Language and Culture component of this unit is designed to help students deepen their knowledge of French syntax through the study of grammar and translation from English to French. It aims to develop further their comprehension skills and the capacity to express ideas in both oral and written French, through a range of class activities in which student production is modeled on authentic contemporary documents, both spoken and written. In the Specialized Culture component (French Culture & Everyday Life), students will deepen their understanding of how, in the French context, everyday life reflects and embodies cultural and social change.

Objectives

The subject aims at:

1. Consolidating and developing the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing.
2. Consolidating and developing correct use of French at the level of sentence structure and an explicit grammatical competence in French.
3. Promoting a capacity for autonomous language learning.
4. Promoting the appropriate use of spoken and written discourses in French.
5. Consolidating and developing knowledge about contemporary French society and an understanding of the historical, political, social and cultural issues which underpin and contest definitions of contemporary French identity.

Upon completion of this subject, students should be able to meet the following objectives: Communicative competence and linguistic knowledge

1. Express themselves, both orally and in writing, correctly, fluently and appropriately, on a wide range of topics and in the different contexts studied in the oral and written expression component of the unit which are as follows: situations in which instructions are given or requested, situations in which events are retold and chronological information provided, or refused, situations in which discourse is reported, described or commented upon, situations in which proposals are made and accepted or rejected, situations in which discourse has to be structured logically and hypotheses formulated, situations in which logical arguments are conveyed, accepted or refuted, situations in which information is processed, ideas presented or reported orally, situations in which ideas are presented or reported in writing.
2. Understand and demonstrate understanding of both fiction and non-fiction books, magazines and newspapers, audio and video documents.
3. Demonstrate explicit competence in French grammar in the areas reviewed in the Grammar component of the unit.
4. Demonstrate competence in the use of language reference material.
5. Demonstrate autonomous learning strategies. Socio-cultural awareness - 6. Develop an informed understanding of aspects of French daily life as well as some cultural issues (historical, social, political and cultural) in contemporary French identity, as encountered through the use of authentic documents in oral and written expression and discussed explicitly in the contemporary culture component.

Assessment

Assignments (Written and Oral): 15%
Class tests (written): 30%
Specialized culture component: 25% +Exam: 30%

Contact hours

5 hours ( 2 lectures and 3 tutorials)

Prerequisites

FRN3050

Prohibitions

FRN1060/FRN2060