B2504 - Language and Culture of French-Speaking Countries (First Language) II

Course contents

The course aims to consolidate and develop previously acquired skills at morphological, syntactical and lexical levels with particular attention being given to coherence and language variation. A part of the course will also be dedicated to the analysis of contemporary French society and the Francophone context.

Syllabus:

• the consolidation of written and oral expression: through the completion of text manipulation exercises (reformulation exercises), students will be able to expand and refine their linguistic repertoire in various areas and gain greater command of the language in an academic context. This process also helps to strengthen listening comprehension skills as well as socio-cultural competencies ;
  
• linguistic reflection through a contrastive Italian/French study: in addition to reinforcing the grammatical structures of the language, the course will address the issue of interference between Italian and French (at the morphological and syntactic levels) with the aim of neutralizing the risks of cross-linguistic interference and deepening the student's metalinguistic knowledge ;
• An analysis of contemporary French society, its new challenges, ongoing debates in various fields, and cultural topics related to the Francophone context.

Readings/Bibliography

Compulsory

LECTURE NOTES available on Virtuale E-learning platform

M.F. Merger, L. Sini, Le nouveau côte à côte, Amon Edizioni, 2013

 

Online resources

http://bdl.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/bdl/gabarit_bdl.asp?Al=1

https://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/

 

Recommended

GRAMMAR BOOKS

F. BIDAUD, Grammaire du français pour Italophones + Exercices de grammaire française pour Italophones, Utet Università

 

DICTIONARIES

- Le Petit Robert (dictionnaire unilingue)

- Dictionnaire des synonymes, nuances et contraires, Le Robert (« Les Usuels »)

- Dictionnaire des combinaisons de mots, Le Robert, (« Les Usuels »)

Teaching methods

The course includes:

• An in-depth review of grammar, aimed at consolidating previously acquired knowledge and reaching the C1 level, as well as a contrastive linguistic analysis between Italian and French, with practical exercises to be completed both at home and in class;

• An in-depth focus on written and stylistic expression (formal and academic register), as well as on discourse cohesion and coherence (expressions of cause, consequence, purpose, opposition, concession, hypothesis, and condition);

• Practical exercises in oral comprehension and reformulation (both written and oral) of authentic texts, to be completed in class or at home, followed by personalized corrections from the instructor, with the goal of preparing students effectively for academic writing. Work assigned for home study requires the mandatory use of the Virtuale e-learning platform;

• Oral presentations ("Exposés"), to be carried out in small groups on a topic of the students’ choice, in agreement with the instructor.

Please note that course attendance is mandatory and must cover at least 70% of the total class hours.

The course is complemented by a French language lectorate (20 hours), also with mandatory attendance of at least 70%.

Assessment methods

Written exam:

Writing (3 hours): composition of a written text based on the types practiced during the course (reformulation, enrichment, etc.). The use of a monolingual dictionary is allowed. A detailed evaluation grid will be provided before the exam.

Oral exam:

Oral interview in French on the cultural content covered in class (materials provided by the instructor and exposés presented by students during the semester).

Please note:
Students who complete an exposé during the semester will receive one extra point added to their final grade for the French Language and Culture exam.

 

French Language and Culture III (second language) module is part, with French Dialogue Interpreting II (second language) module, of the French Language and Dialogue Interpreting III (second language) course.

The overall mark for the whole course is calculated by averaging the marks a candidate receives in the two constituent modules.

Learning assessment scale:

30-30L Excellent. The candidate possesses excellent linguistic skills (at morphological, syntactical and lexical levels, with particular attention being given to cohesion/coherence, language variation, “la phrase complexe et la prise de risques”) with a very high level of proficiency in the language studied.
27-29 Above Average. Candidate makes only minor errors and demonstrates a solid command of the required skills and competencies.
24- 26 Generally Good. Candidate shows some gaps, indicating reasonable mastery of the required skills and competencies.
21-23 Adequate. Candidate shows significant deficiencies and only adequate mastery of the required skills and competencies.
18- 20 Minimal. Candidate meets only the minimum required level and shows minimal mastery of the required skills and competencies.
< 18 Failed. Candidate does not meet the required standard and shows completely inadequate mastery of the required skills and competencies.

 

Students with specific learning difficulties (SpLD) or with disabilities that can affect their ability to attend courses are invited to contact the University service for students with disabilities and SLD at the earliest opportunity -- ideally before the start of the course: https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students. The University service will suggest possible adjustments to the course work and/or exam, which must then be submitted to the course leader so they can assess their feasibility, in line with the learning objectives of the course. Please note that adjustments to the exam must be requested at least two weeks in advance.

Teaching tools

• Materials available on the Virtuale e-learning platform
  (The access password will be provided during the first class)

• Materials listed in the bibliography

• Computer, video projector

Office hours

See the website of Samantha Iafrate