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French Level 6

Module details

Offered to Year 3 and Year 4 students
Thursdays, 16.00-18.00
Planned delivery: On campus (South Kensington)
Two-term module, worth 7.5 ECTS
Available to eligible students as part of I-Explore
Extra Credit, or Degree Credit where your department allows

French advice

Contact the Coordinator:
Ms Marine Orain
020 7594 8750

Room S307, Sherfield Level 3
Centre for Languages, Culture and Communication

Degree credit module options by department How to enrol

A very high-level language module for students in their third year of French study, post A level.

This module will examine the French response to the various ethical dilemmas presented to modern societies. It will cover a range of topics on the social and political evolution of contemporary France and the implications of globalisation and the technological revolution.

This module will:

consolidate your competence in the command of complex grammatical structures and vocabulary;
get you to examine and critically-appraise various types of discourse and linguistic function, through engagement with a broad range of registers, using these as models in your own production.
introduce and apply a range of communicative strategies, which will allow you to present to an audience confidently and professionally, through different media;
explore a range of historical and current socio-political issues, which will enhance your understanding of French-speaking contexts, and topical issues and debates in France.

By the end of the module, students should have reached approximately the C1/C2 standard of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).

To be eligible for this module, you need to have done one of the following:

Successfully completed French Level 5.
Already achieved B2/C1 or equivalent on the CEFR.

Download a table of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) levels (PDF).

This module is not intended for native or near-native speakers.

Please note: The information on this module description is indicative. The module may undergo minor modifications before the start of next academic year.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module, you will be able better prepared to:

process and engage with extended native speech with ease, recognising explicit, implicit, and culturally relevant meanings;
interact with ease in a variety of social and professional contexts, conveying meaning precisely, persuasively, and effectively to adapt to the demands of each communicative context;
navigate and critique a broad range of complex fictional and non-fictional texts and specialised articles, and write clear and smoothly-flowing complex texts, employing conventions of a variety of genres and using sophisticated linguistic structures, register and style of C1.2 level (CEFR);
demonstrate a high level of intercultural awareness in critically appraising cultural and scientific practices, and socio-political perspectives from French-speaking contexts, comparing these with your own backgrounds and contexts of practice;
expand your knowledge independently in using a range of language-learning and research tools effectively, to tackle sophisticated communication and cultural translation.

Indicative core content

In this module, you will explore social and demographic trends in contemporary France, alongside cultural, economic and STEM-related issues from French-speaking contexts. Throughout, you will work with advanced language structures, enhancing your awareness of discursive style and register and your understanding of linguistic purpose and function in practical situations.

You will also expand your essay writing skills and engage critically with a broad range of texts (literary, scientific, etc); present, debate and/or report on current affairs; apply research strategies to data collection and presentation, producing texts and other relevant materials to a professional standard; work with different registers to improve communicative sophistication.

Learning and teaching approach

In line with modern foreign languages communicative and active learning methodologies, the in-class activities you will complete will cover all four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking). These will include pair work and groupwork (critical evaluation of texts, audio and video material and discussion); individual tasks; discovery and formulation of grammatical rules. Weekly preparation tasks set on the Virtual Learning Environment and coursework tasks will give you the opportunity to revise and consolidate your knowledge and skills at your own pace and to develop your awareness of how to use language-learning tools independently. Our approach not only ensures you engage with a wide range of tasks and activities, but also seeks to support different learning styles.

Your coursework will be marked and returned within two weeks. Rubrics and revision guidance (how-to guides) will be included as needed with each coursework. You will receive detailed feedback alongside suggestions for improvement and an overall percentage showing your provisional grade for that assessment.

Assessment

The module includes formative as well as summative assessment. Homework tasks (theory revision, reading, writing, listening, etc.) are set every week on the Virtual Learning Environment, following a flipped-classroom approach to ensure face-to-face time is devoted for interactional learning and communicative skills acquisition. This means that you will be provided with materials to study independently beforehand and then apply these during classroom time. Your lecturer will give you support materials and guidance to reinforce topics covered at your own pace.

You will need to complete two pieces of summative coursework (set during mid-term 1 and mid-term 2) which will include rubrics and revision guidance to ensure you are supported when completing your work and you are aware of the assessment expectations. There will also be a 1-hour in-class examination (scheduled at the end of spring term), and one practical - in the form of an oral examination (during the summer term). The coursework, examination and practical contribute to your final grade.

Coursework (20%): Independent research project (infographics, essay) in mid-autumn term, c. 600-700 words.
Coursework (20%): Recorded oral task, in mid-spring term (7-8 minutes) .
Examination (30%): 1-hour in-class test, run on the VLE (Bring Your Own Device) at the end of spring term: writing task (c. 500 words).
Practical (30%): Oral examination in the summer term, including: analysis of press cartoon, Q&A on dossier, discussion on text or film studied in class (approx. 25 minutes).

Assessment information for students on a course with a year abroad

Key information

7.5 ECTS points awarded on successful completion of the module.
Available to take for credit towards your degree, where your department allows. Also available for extra credit. The Module options by department page has a full list of the credit options.
You must be prepared to attend all classes and undertake approximately 3 hours of private study each week in addition to the assessment.

Module materials

Relevant reading lists and/or materials will be published on the VLE.

Grammar support

Students need a good grammar reference book such as French Grammar and Usage, Fourth edition by Roger Hawkins, Richard Towell, Routledge 2015. ISBN: 978-1138851108