23089 - Advanced French Language Part. I

Learning outcomes

 

Course contents

Aim of this course is to develop the reading comprehension skills through the analysis of articles from the international francophone press. The student should be able to produce a report (exposé) or write a paper (dissertation) about topics in international politics, starting from collections of articles (dossier) of the francophone press. One of the cultural aims of the course is to have students understand the role of the press for the education of responsible citizens. A citizen, who is conscious of his “exposure” to media, has to recognize the typical discourse semantics, used to report the events. Finally the course will focus on the role of the reporter-mediator and on the fact that media are a unique space of mediation and therefore also a meeting point between different communities which can build through language the collective and discursive memories of the contemporary societies.

Readings/Bibliography

1. Students who don't attend classes must meet the professor, at least one month before the exam, in order to discuss and arrange the texts to prepare for the exam. Students can also submit to the professor a proposal for an individual program about topics focusing on their course of study or on their dissertation.

Teaching methods

1. Lectures, held by the professor, and practical language classes, which are divided in three different modules, according to the knowledge level of the foreign language and to the specific interests of the students. So students can choose among the following options:

A – Grammar module, for students who need to improve their grammar knowledge in french

B – Speaking module, for students interested in practicing and developing the oral skills, and in the techinques for the oral report (exposé oral)

C – Writing module, for students who are interested in developing their written production skills and in the techniques for writing a paper (dissertation)

Assessment methods

1. Students who attend classes must sit for an exam which consists in a written test on a newspaper article, testing the knowledge of the discourse strategies used by the journalist. For the second part of the exam the students have the choice among following options: a grammar test, an oral exam in form of an oral report (exposé oral), a written paper (dissertation)

 

Students who don't attend classes must sit for an oral exam in French with the professor, about the readings and contents arranged with the professor.

Teaching tools

1. Through the discourse analysis students will be able to recognize the intention of the sender and identify the main argumentation strategies.

Office hours

See the website of Paola Puccini