French for beginner’s/intermediate level students

Timetable: French for beginners commences at the start of each term.

Course prerequisites

This course is aimed at students who have already studied French − for a maximum of 4 years - and who need to consolidate their oral and writing skills.

Overview

The aim of this French language course is to improve students’ comprehension and diction. The course exploits the novel L’Appareil-photo (2007), written by the Belgian author Jean-Philippe Toussaint, with the aim of increasing students’ range of vocabulary and understanding of syntactic structures. In addition, each student will, in turn, be invited to make short presentations in class to describe the unfolding developments in the novel, as well as explain any lexical, grammatical or syntactic difficulties encountered while reading the novel at home.

These presentations will be exploited by the course tutor to work on vocabulary and grammar in a targeted way with the aim of helping students overcome their difficulties.

In addition to the reading of the novel itself, the course would ideally include: (a) the viewing of interviews with the author (using written texts and spoken word recordings) and (b) study of the minimalist aesthetic deployed by Toussaint in L’Appareil-photo and in some of his other works.

Assessment

Assessment of this (5 ECTS credit) French language course is based on a final examination.

However, as progress is assessed throughout the term, regular attendance and active participation on the part of the student is required.

Communication skills are assessed on a continuous basis throughout the course. The final examination therefore consists of written exercises.

The purpose of the written examination is to assess the vocabulary learned through the reading of the novel L’Appareil-photo, as well as aspects of grammar studied in class with the course tutor. The examination is therefore composed of two parts: vocabulary & grammar.