FR2HTF: How to Think in French

Module code: FR2HTF

Module provider: Languages and Cultures; School of Humanities

Credits: 20

Level: Level 2 (Intermediate)

When you'll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Dr John McKeane, email: j.mckeane@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s): Before taking this module, you must take FR1L3 Advanced French Language I or FR1L2 Intermediate French Language or FR1L1 Beginners French Language or equivalent. (Open)

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

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 can you start to recognize and utilize them yourself, and do we think differently when we use a second language?  

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. 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Recognise and describe rhetorical and stylistic features in French, and to be able to identify/isolate such features as part of a detailed reading exercise
2. Identify and reflect on differences between the French and English languages, and on cultural and institutional differences between education systems and broader cultures in France and elsewhere
3. Analyse critical arguments in extended prose writing and in a seminar setting; and will be able to construct their own such arguments
4. Discriminate between different critical approaches and justify their own rationales on the basis of an in-depth engagement with both primary and secondary sources

Module 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) 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

This module will be taught through a combination of lectures and seminars. Students will be required to do preparatory reading for each seminar, participate in class discussion and undertake small-group work. 

Study hours

At least 20 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Students will have the opportunity to submit and receive a mark for a formative version of the features exercise. We will also run a preparation/planning session for the reflective essay.  

Reassessment

Additional costs