FRENCH FOR ACADEMIC STUDY - 2023/4

Module Overview

This module is taught in French in semester 1 of FHEQ Level 4.

Student journey: this is a semester 1, L4 module, which is compulsory for post A level students of French. It aims to support students at the start of their transition to HE, both pastorally and academically, and to impart working habits and emerging skills which will be developed throughout their degree. The module is the first of four language-focused modules taken by French students, including at L6.

Module provider

Literature & Languages

Module Leader

BANTMAN Constance (Lit & Langs)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 4

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

The following areas are indicative of topics to be covered:

• Collecting and selecting information


• Analysis of different written and spoken texts


• Structuring spoken and written texts


• Taking notes and summarising information from spoken and written texts


• Expressing opinions in written and spoken contexts


• The grammar of spoken and written French


• Grammatical terminology in French


• Listening comprehension


• Strategies for effective listening and reading in French


• Cohesion and coherence


• Avoiding plagiarism - in-text and bibliographic referencing


• Effective use of reference materials (e.g. grammar books, dictionaries, other reference works)

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

n/a

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate:

Knowledge and understanding of the use of the target language

• Ability to analyse and interpret texts


• Ability to select and synthesise information from written and oral texts


• Ability to use IT skills to find and present relevant information *


• Subject-specific knowledge of French history and culture.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• Coursework 1: written task comprising a summary and an essay in French


• Coursework 2: a recorded presentation


• An online final exam of two hours, usually consisting of two of the tasks practised during the semester [4-hour take home exam format]

Formative assessment and feedback

Formative assessment will focus on student participation and class discussions throughout the module; throughout the semester, students will practice in class a range of tasks scaffolded to prepare them for summative assessments and building their preparedness and self-confidence.

Students will be provided with detailed written feedback following coursework assignments;

Verbal feedback will also occur in class and individual appointments if required.

Module aims

• This module focuses on developing the linguistic and methodological skills to enable the students to participate and communicate effectively in a range of academic contexts, while facilitating discussions about the transition to HE.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

• Enable students to acquire explicit knowledge of the linguistic structures, grammar and stylistic registers through attending classes and reading in the target language


• Place student participation and learner autonomy at the core of the module, through small group classes, flipped classroom methods and a range of strategies to encourage active participation in seminars


• Develop ability to use a wide range of linguists' tools, such as dictionaries, IT resources, authentic online written and oral resources


• Develop presentation skills, through reading and presenting findings, through constant class interactions and an assessed presentation


• Enable students to engage in analytical and evaluative thinking, to analyse and interpret texts and other cultural products, through attending classes and engaging in individual study


• Develop communication skills through interactions in class

The learning and teaching methods include:

• Three contact hours per week over Semester 1


• Classes will include lectures and seminars


• Students are expected to read extensively outside classes in order to follow lectures and participate in seminars

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: FRE1073

Other information

Surrey's Curriculum Framework is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills and capabilities in the following areas:

Global and Cultural Capabilities are central to this module, which is focused on the transition to studying French in HE. The module is designed to guide students in acquiring an authentic knowledge of French language and French-speaking societies, and to equip them with the tools to expose themselves independently to authentic French material. A focus on interacting strictly in French during contact hours and avoiding the mediation of English is pivotal in encouraging students to develop their global and cultural capabilities.

This module fosters Digital Capabilities within the remit of its focus on academic skills for HE. Digital capabilities are prominent in both the teaching and learning methods of the module and its outcomes. Students start to learn to use and discuss a wide range of online resources, drawn from the mass media, social networks, para-academic websites, podcasts and platforms such as YouTube. These resources are used in class most weeks, and discussed individually and as a group. Most weeks, students will listen to online material generated by native French speakers and will learn to respond to it and eventually to produce their own (second assignment: recorded presentation). The module also supports students in learning to mobilise online tools to optimise their independent and in-class learning: Google docs, PowerPoint, SurreyLearn and its functionalities, Padlet, etc.

The module aims to support student transitions to HE, in terms of analytical, linguistic, methodological skills and self- awareness. A great deal of independent work in a wide range of demanding new tasks is essential to ensure progress and the successful completion of the module -- this makes resourcefulness and resilience a requirement as well as an objective for this module. Students are given many opportunities to discuss some of the challenges and successes which they encounter as HE entrants and to familiarise themselves with new modes of interacting with fellow students and staff, thus creating a safe environment which is conducive to Resourcefulness and Resilience.

Employability is present but not central to this module, mainly because it has a semester two follow-up module focused precisely on professional skills. Nonetheless, the module starts equipping student with employability-focused linguistic tools, through a session focusing on 'Student jobs'. While the module is centred on establishing the foundations for studying French in HE, it also develops important employability-related skills, in particular communication and presentation skills.

Sustainability is touched upon in the module and flagged as a theme which has great cultural, economic and political importance across the Francophone world. In this specific module, sustainability is discussed primarily through references to the preservation of cultural and linguistic diversity, in particular through the discussion of the Americanisation of the French language and French society, as well as an emphasis on the linguistic diversity of the French-speaking world (through the examples of Belgium and Canada). This approach echoes the Global and Cultural Capabilities pillar, as students are encouraged to reflect on the inherent value of cultural diversity and the challenges it faces across French- speaking societies.

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2023/4 academic year.