Courses: FRAN124 French and Francophone Culture - Spring 2022

ECTS Credits

Level of Study

Bachelor

Language of Instruction

French

Teaching semester

Fall

Place of Instruction

Bergen and OFNEC (Caen, France)

This course is also offered on-line: FRAN624

Objectives and Content

The course gives an introduction to French society and the French-speaking world (la francophonie). The course will hone students¿ ability to read French texts and converse in French about curriculum-related topics.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completing the course, the student is expected to:

Knowledge

have a good knowledge of the constitutional, political and social situation in France and of the French-speaking world today

Skills

be able to converse in French about French society and the situation in French-speaking countries and territories
have developed skills in expressing him/herself in standard French and in reading high-level French-language texts

General competence

be able to follow and evaluate French and French-language societal debate on the basis of the knowledge attained during the course

Required Previous Knowledge

No formal requirements, but all teaching takes place in French and good proficiency in French is a prerequisite.

Recommended Previous Knowledge

Proficiency in French at least equivalent to advanced French in high-school/upper secondary school, is a prerequisite in order to obtain a good result in this course.

Credit Reduction due to Course Overlap

Due to certain academic overlaps, the credits awarded for taking FRAN124 are reduced by 10 ECTS if combined with FRAN624, or reduced by 5 ECTS if combined with FRAN114, FRAN115, or FRAN103.

Access to the Course

The course is open to all students admitted at UiB.

Teaching and learning methods

Before the teaching starts, the students have access to preparation material on the learning platform MittUiB. The material may include e.g. introduction videos, videotaped lectures, notes, assignments and a discussion forum. The teaching is normally conducted on campus and presupposes that the students have worked actively with the preparation material. The teaching consists of lectures and seminars/group discussions.

Approximately two hours of teaching per week during about twelve weeks. The teaching starts in week 34.

Provided that there are sufficient resources available, assignment seminars will be organized.

If less than five students sign up for the course, the teaching may be adjusted to fit the number of students, e.g. by replacing lectures with seminars or other forms of individually suited teaching. If this should occur, students will be notified about the alternative teaching arrangements before the registration deadline.

In the fall, the institute organizes a five-week stay for students taking FRAN124 at the Norwegian Study Center at the University of Caen (OFNEC), with oral exercises and a instruction in the curriculum concerning French and French-language society in France and abroad. The course at OFNEC is free, but students have to pay for the stay and travel costs themselves. It is possible to apply for a loan grant from Lånekassen.

For those who cannot follow FRAN124 in Caen, about one hour of lecture and one hour of oral exercises will be given per week during the 5 weeks the other students are in Caen.

Compulsory Assignments and Attendance

In connection with teaching, students must obtain approval on a written essay of about 1000 words on French or French-language cultural knowledge. In addition, students must attain approval on an oral presentation of about five minutes in the discipline the student elects not to submit his/her written assignment in. The deadline for submission / presentation of assignments to be completed will be announced at the beginning of the semester.

Students must attend at least 75 % of the lectures/seminars (including digital teaching) in order to be eligible for assessment in this course.

Mandatory assignments are valid for one additional semester following the semester of instruction.

Forms of Assessment

The assessment in the course is a twenty-minute oral exam.

Examination Support Material

Grading Scale

The grading scale is A-F, where F is a fail.

Assessment Semester

Fall. Students with valid approvals on their mandatory assignments may also be assessed early in the spring semester.

Reading List

Bernard, De Gunten, Martin og Niogret: Les Institutions de la France (Nathan)

Sanaker, Holter og Skattum: La francophonie, une introduction critique (Unipub).

The reading list provides information about what text are on the curriculum at any given time.

Course Evaluation

Evaluation of the course is carried out in accordance with the University of Bergen quality assurance system.

Programme Committee

The program committee is responsible for the academic content and structure of the study program, and for the quality of all the subjects therein.

Course Coordinator

The Program Board for French Studies.

Course Administrator

The Department of Foreign Languages at the Faculty of Humanities has the administrative responsibility for the course and the study program.

Contact Information

Student councilor: mailto:studierettleiar@if.uib.nostudierettleiar@if.uib.no

Exam administration: mailto:eksamen@if.uib.noeksamen@if.uib.no