FR2HTF-How to Think in French

Module Provider: Languages and Cultures
Number of credits: 20 [10 ECTS credits]
Level:5
Terms in which taught: Autumn / Spring term module
Pre-requisites: FR1L3 Advanced French Language I or FR1L2 Intermediate French Language or FR1L1 Beginners French Language
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2022/3

Module Convenor: Dr John McKeane
Email: j.mckeane@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

This module aims to strengthen the links between the linguistic and cultural study that are so important when studying a language. It does this by pursuing three interlinking strands, each associated with not merely writing French, but ‘thinking in French’. 

The first strand concentrates on French rhetoric and style: what are the main features of expression in French, how are they used by prominent public figures, and how can you start to recognize and utilize them yourself? 

The second strand looks at the French education system, the way that such ways of writing and thinking are taught, and the social and political implications of this.

The third strand briefly dives into the way ideas about the French Republic (liberty, equality, fraternity, secularism) have developed over time, and debates on those topics today.  

Aims:

• To develop students’ ability to closely analyse French texts and the French language, to reflect on questions of rhetoric and style, and to recognize and utilize relevant French expressions.


• To study how, in France and elsewhere, education systems shape society and politics


• To explore Frenchness as a value and a philosophy

Assessable learning outcomes:

• To reflect in an independent and mature way on differences between the French and English languages, and on cultural and institutional differences between education systems and broader cultures in France and elsewhere. 


• To demonstrate a good recognition of rhetorical and stylistic features in French, and to be able to identify/isolate such features as part of a detailed reading exercise. 


• To produce extended discursive prose writing demonstrating a nuanced understanding of comparative cultural issues. 

Additional outcomes:

The ability to construct, defend, and develop/alter critical arguments in a seminar setting

Outline content:

The module draws on a wide range of primary materials taken from the historical and contemporary French education system (exercises, guides, manuals, assessments) as well as secondary materials discussing both this and other education systems, and relevant issues of language, rhetoric, and philosophy.

It also studies contemporary academics’, intellectuals’, and politicians’ writing and speeches in French. We use up-to-date sources to understand how classical ideals of Frenchness are being reevaluated in the current climate. 

We also study a range of extracts and short texts tracking the development of philosophy from ancient Greece and in France today. These help us to understand the central role philosophy plays in French life. These texts may contain some of the following: 

• Plato, ‘L’allégorie de la caverne’ (375 BC)


• Alain Badiou, La vraie vie (2016)


• Raphael Enthoven and Coco, Le Banquet d’après l’œuvre de Platon (bande dessinée, 2019)

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

There will be some focus on close textual work, developing students’ language skills. We will use the full range of exercises, including grammatical analysis, ‘translation’ between registers of French, translation into English, close reading and commentary.

These methods sit alongside the completion of short weekly readings, which are then discussed in class in lecture and seminar settings.

Summative assessment- Examinations:
N/A

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

The coursework falls into two parts, each weighted at 50% of the total module mark:

• The first is a reflective essay of 2,000 words in which you will be asked to discuss topics studied on the course (taken from the three strands: rhetoric and style, education, philosophy).


• The second is a features analysis in which you will complete a close reading of an individual copy of the contemporary publication Philosophie magazine. You will be asked to locate certain common rhetorical features of French writing. There will be a formative version of this exercise beforehand, with detailed individual feedback given by the course leader. 

Formative assessment methods:

The skills required for the summative assignment will be developed through a series of formative exercises.

Penalties for late submission:

Assessment requirements for a pass:

40% overall

Reassessment arrangements:
Re-examination in August in case of failure in this module and in Part 2 as a whole. Coursework must be resubmitted by 1PM on the third Friday of August or, if the University is closed on the third Friday of August, at 1PM on the next working day thereafter.

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

1. Required text books: None


2. Specialist equipment or materials: None


3. Specialist clothing, footwear or headgear: None


4. Printing and binding: None


5. Computers and devices with a particular specification: None


6. Travel, accommodation and subsistence: None

Last updated: 22 September 2022