BA History and French

Year of entry: 2024

Course unit details:
French Language 3

Course unit fact file
Unit code FREN51030
Credit rating 20
Unit level Level 1
Teaching period(s) Full year
Available as a free choice unit? No

Overview

This unit studies the French language in context using a variety of written and spoken materials to achieve its aims.  It is divided into a weekly written/grammar seminar, an oral seminar and a guided independent learning programme. The written language seminar can be taken as a business-related option or as a standard written language option. 

Materials include novels, poetry and film, historical and contemporary press and business-related texts, depending on the written language class chosen. 

Written production includes targeted translation into French and free writing exercises.  Grammar is studied in context.  Self-correction techniques (including dictionary skills) are an integral part of the module. 

Oral skills include pronunciation, aural comprehension exercises, debating and presentations. 

The guided independent learning programme encourages students to build up a portfolio of personal weekly tasks, which is presented in the oral examination at the end of the year. 

Pre/co-requisites

Prerequisite A Level French or equivalent
Co-requisite

If taken as part of a Minor, this course must be taken in conjunction with FREN10150 Identity in Modern France. 

Post Beginners students taking this course unit as part of the French Minor pathway must also take another level-2 French studies unit. 

 

Aims

This course is designed to help students develop their competencies in spoken and written French, by means of language exercises, varied linguistic materials, and French grammar. 

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course students will be able to perform at Level B1+/B2 of the Common European Framework (CEF). Assuming that all classes have been attended, coursework completed and a considerable amount of private study undertaken students will be able to: 

Teaching and learning methods

 

 

Knowledge and understanding

  •  Understand an deploy the structures and registers of French as well as major pragmatic aspects pertinent at this level of study; 

  • Show knowledge and understanding of aspects of the culture and society of France and of la francophonie through study of a wide range of media, including the press, business, cinema, music and literary extracts. 

Intellectual skills

By the end of this course students will be able to: 

  • Demonstrate an understanding of a range of social, cultural, intellectual and professional issues in France and the French speaking world, as reflected in the materials studied; 

  • Analyse and interpret acquired information and synthesise it as knowledge; 

  • Reason in a coherent and self-reflective manner. 

Practical skills

By the end of this course students will be able to: 

  • Demonstrate an understanding of a wide variety of both written and spoken French stimulus materials; 

  • Write idiomatic French, showing awareness of stylistic and structural differences between French and English appropriate for Level 3 study; 

  • Write grammatically accurate French, showing precise knowledge of the aspects of grammar covered in seminars and by the Level 3 Independent Learning Programme; 

  • Speak with a degree of fluency and spontaneity appropriate for Level 3 study, and take an active part in discussion on a range of topics; 

  • Demonstrate an understanding of the basis of pronunciation in French and a sound knowledge of the pertinent French symbols in the International Phonetic Alphabet; 

  • Deliver presentations in French  

Transferable skills and personal qualities

By the end of this course students will be able to: 

  • Work effectively with peers, both inside and outside the classroom; 

  • Take responsibility for their own learning of French through independent learning and self-reflection as well as through the use of available resources via the Language Centre, the Internet and the Blackboard virtual learning environment; 

  • Work independently to produce a portfolio, showing the ability to self-manage, take the initiative and make decisions; 

  • Use information technology effectively and appropriately; 

  • Understand more fully the nature and extent of cultural diversity. 

Employability skills

Other
presentation skills, written and oral communication skills including translation; team-work; leadership; negotiation skills; research skills, problem-solving; adaptability; decision-making; time management; initiative; self-discipline; organization; independent learning skills; self-reflection; action planning; oral skills; self-confidence; IT skills.

Assessment methods

Assessment Task:

Compétences écrites - 60% overall

1 x Assessed Coursework Translation Exercise (Week 12, Sem 1) - 20%

1 x Written Examination (Sem 2) - 40%

Compétences orales - 30% overall

1 x Aural Comprehension (Sem 2) - 15%

1x Oral Examination (Sem 2) - 15%

ILP + Weekly On-line Exercises - 10%

 

Re-sit Assessments:

Written Examination

Oral Examination 

Feedback methods

  • In-class comments made during discussion /following presentation tasks regarding the relevance and linguistic quality of student responses and participation. 

  • Written comments on non-assessed coursework plus face-to-face discussion if desired. All written exercises are normally returned within two weeks of the submission date (during semester time) and in time for corrections to be applied to assessed exercises. 

  • Written comments are made on the semester 1 assessed exercise.  Feedback may be complemented by face-to-face discussion if desired. 

  • All students are entitled to request individual feedback on their examination performance, based on the comments of examiners, and on the understanding that this de-anonymizes the student. 

Recommended reading

Recommended texts

  • A good bilingual dictionary such as the Collins Robert French Dictionary or the Oxford Hachette French dictionary 
  • A good monolingual dictionary such as the Petit Robert or the Dictionnaire Hachette encyclopédique 

  • A verb book, such as Bescherelle: La conjugaison pour tous. 2006. Paris: Hatier  

  • A reference grammar book, such as Hansen, Maj-Britt Mosegaard, The Structure of Modern French, A Student Grammar (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016). 

  • A grammar book with exercises, such as Alain Vercollier, Claudine Vercollier and Kay  Bourlier, Difficultés expliquées du français for English Speakers (CLE International, 2004) 

  • A prepositions book such as I. Chollet and J-M Robert, Les verbes et leurs prépositions (CLE International, 2007). 

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Seminars 66
Independent study hours
Independent study 128

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
Annie Morton Unit coordinator

Additional notes

Students who are not registered on a BA (Hons) degree programme which does not include “French” in their degree programme title may be able to take this course unit as a part of a French Minor pathway. 

Students who only wish to take a 20-credit French language course are advised to do so through the LEAP (Language Experience for all Programmes) run by the University of Manchester’s Language centre. 

http://www.langcent.manchester.ac.uk/ 

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