Applied French 3: Language and Culture in Context module (PF30002)

Develop comprehensive linguistic knowledge, cultural insight and intercultural competence. You will also develop transferable cognitive and advanced communication skills. These will be of use to you in your personal and professional lives.

You will develop an understanding of relevant countries. This will cover their wider historical, geographical, and socio-political contexts.You will develop comprehensive linguistic knowledge. You will also learn cultural insight and intercultural competence. This will also go along with transferable cognitive and advanced communication skills. All of these will be of use in your personal and professional lives.

You will develop an understanding of relevant countries. This will cover their wider historical, geographical, and socio-political contexts.

You will work within levels of B2 (all areas) and C1 (selected areas) of the Common European Framework for Languages.

You will communicate very competently across the four language skills. These are listening, speaking, reading, and writing. You will do so by learning the main vocabulary and complex grammatical structures of French.

You will develop skills such as:

• critical reading and analysis of short literary texts
  • listening
  • note-taking
  • contextualised summary of current affairs topics
• advanced oral presentation skills
  • cultural topics
• advanced skills in argument and debate in French (current affairs topics)
• analysis and comparison of the vision of society presented through French-language films of the 20th and 21st Century

What you will learn

In this module, you will:

• understand and apply accurately most grammatical structures and a rich range of vocabulary and idioms in French. This will show extensive awareness of complex features of the French language system
• listen to, read, speak, and write French. You will learn to do this in a critical, coherent, sensitive, and effective manner. You will learn to show appropriate attention to detail. You will be able to do so in a wide range of complex and sometimes unpredictable social and work-related contexts
• research, analyse, and evaluate Francophone material. You will do this from a wide range of printed, web-based, and audio-visual resources. This will include films both in French and in English
• engage in informed critical debate in French and in English. This will be about contemporary socio-political, ethical, and cultural issues. This will be taken from an intercultural perspective

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• show accuracy and high levels of competence in most of the complex features of the French language. This will be across the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing
• show extensive knowledge of the French-speaking cultures and societies studied
• show the ability to use metalanguage to describe aspects of French in relation to your first language
• communicate very competently and sensitively in French. You will be able to do so in a wide range of complex and sometimes unpredictable formal and informal situations

Assignments/assessment

• oral assessment (10%)
• written coursework 1 (10%)
• culture coursework 1 (15%)
• written coursework 2 (10%)
• culture coursework 2 (15%)
• oral exam (20%)
• written exam (20%)

To pass the module, both the total written and oral components of the coursework must be passed.

Teaching methods / timetable

• in-person lectures and workshops
  • 40 hours of specialised French language tutorial teaching (2 hours per week), normally delivered in part by a native speaker
  • approximately 10 hours of lectures/seminars on French film, culture, and society delivered normally in the target language
• regular film screenings
• independent study