69465 - French Language and Culture III (Second Language)

Course contents

Course contents

The French language and culture module aim to consolidate the linguistic structures of the French language. We will focus on extended vocabulary, grammar and syntax with particular attention being given to an argumentative writing style ( “essai à la Française”- registre soigné/soutenu).

Language fluency and reading / listening comprehension will be improved through the analysis of written and oral documents which will also address the social and cultural aspects of France.

The course will focus on:

- The "prise de notes" and "compte rendu" techniques: strengthening listening comprehension skills through interview or conference extracts (10-12 minutes), note-taking of the contents presented and writing in increasing levels of difficulty. Particular attention will be given to an argumentative writing style (“expressions de la cause, conséquence, but, opposition, concession, condition, hypothèse”);

- The strengthening of grammatical skills: comparison of different grammatical structures between the source language and target language to ensure linguistic quality without interference;

- Expansion of vocabulary that specifically deals with aspects of contemporary society;

- an analysis of contemporary French society, its new challenges and ongoing discussions about education, economy, labour, environment, peri-urban areas, equal opportunities, ...

Readings/Bibliography

Compulsory

• Lecture notes available on Moodle E-learning platform:“Réaliser une prise de notes” and “Améliorer son expression écrite”
• Où va la France ? Enjeux de notre temps, Sciences Humaines Hors Série n°24, Mai-Juin 2019
• Written and audio-visual material available on Moodle E-learning platform

Recommended

Grammar book

Choose from the following

- F. BIDAUD, Grammaire du français pour Italophones, Utet Università, 2015 (3^ème édition)

- F. BIDAUD, Exercices de grammaire française pour Italophones, Utet Università, 2016 (3^ème édition)

or

- M. Grégoire, A. Kostucki, Grammaire progressive du français avec 600 exercices, niveau perfectionnement B2-C2, Clé International, 2017

Dictionaries

Dictionnaire unilingue : Le Petit Robert

« Les Usuels »

• Dictionnaire des synonymes, nuances et contraires, Le Robert
• Dictionnaire des combinaisons de mots, Le Robert

Teaching methods

The French language and culture module require active student participation.

Syllabus:

• Presentation of “prise de notes” and “compte rendu à la française” techniques
• Progressively graded practical exercises (for compréhension orale / prise de notes / compte rendu)
• Vocabulary enrichment and in-depth grammar skills through “fill in the gap exercises”
• Particular attention to advanced writing style and argumentative reasoning (“registre soutenu”, idiomatic expressions)

Final exam preparation:

• Written homework assignments (via the Moodle e-learning platform) with individual feedback
• Group oral presentations: each group chooses one of the final examination topics (material available on Moodle)

The French language module will be supported by laboratory exercises (compulsory) which will be based on the course content.

Recommended - self-study grammar practice exercises

- F. BIDAUD, Grammaire du français pour Italophones, Utet Università, 2015 (3^ème édition)

- F. BIDAUD, Exercices de grammaire française pour Italophones, Utet Università, 2016 (3^ème édition)

Or

M. Grégoire, A. Kostucki, Grammaire progressive du français avec 600 exercices, niveau perfectionnement, Clé International, 2017

Students must attend 70% of class time and active participation is required.

Assessment methods

French language and culture module:

June 2020 - Online examinations

The written test (2h30) includes Listening / Writing: comprehension of an authentic recorded document of about 10 min (interview or conference heard three times) and the written production of a "compte rendu" with focus on cohesion / coherence and linguistic accuracy.

Students are given a detailed evaluation grid before the exam. Consultation of a French language dictionary will be permitted.

The oral examination includes an oral presentation on social-cultural aspects of modern French society (selected articles and reportages * available on Moodle– see Bibliography).

The final registered mark will be an average of the following exams: written French exam / oral French exam / French Italian dialogue interpreting.

 

 

Teaching tools

- Moodle E-learning platform (compulsory)

--> [2019-20] Langue et Culture françaises, 3ème année 2ème langue (Iafrate)

- Lecture notes available on Moodle

- Material listed in the bibliography

- Material provided by the instructor during the course (recorded from France Inter, France Culture and RFI radio, video documentaires / reportages, articles from Sciences Humaines)

Office hours

See the website of Samantha Iafrate