BSc French and English Language  

Number of credits: 20

Language of delivery: French

Module Content:

• Revision of French grammar;
• Practice of the following text types: résumé, dissertation.
• Reading comprehension;
• Aural comprehension.

Method of Learning and Teaching: Textual and Grammatical Skills classes will consist of lectures, discussions of reading and personal research, interactive workshops and exercises in class as well as in the computer lab.

Assessment method: Exam (90%), oral presentation (10%).

Number of credits: 10

Module content: This module introduces students to translation as a professional activity. They will be familiarised with key theoretical concepts of translation and their application in practice, so as to develop skills in translating. They will learn to produce translations into English that are appropriate for their specified purpose and readers, and learn to explain their own translation decisions.

Assessment method: group work (20%), coursework (40%) and examination (40%).

Number of credits: 20

Language of delivery: French

Module content: This course aims to give students a basic knowledge of French culture, starting with an attempt at definition and focusing on contemporary literature and text analysis. Rather than attempt to give a very general introduction to French culture, the course will aim to provide students with the tools to analyse, discuss and enjoy aspects of contemporary culture.

In teaching period one, it will focus mainly on 2 texts, L’Etranger by Albert Camus and La Place by Annie Ernaux. These texts will be complemented by a number of extracts from 20th century novels. The focus of group activities during the term will be text analysis and discussion, with a particular emphasis on the themes of alienation and protest or contestation. The course will provide students with the tools required for text analysis, not only of literary texts but also of texts in general.

Other cultural aspects will be studied, in particular the cinema of ‘La Nouvelle Vague’. Students will be given the tools to analyse cinematographic production, and will be expected to view at least 5 films from the period studied.

Teaching period two will be structured around student led sessions, in small groups. These will meet on a rota basis, every 3 weeks. The groups will be expected to concentrate on one aspect of culture, either literature or cinema. 

Method of Learning and Teaching: There will be a weekly lecture in French followed by an hour of group work, discussion and presentations in French in Term 1. Discussion and presentations will be led by students, often in groups of 2 or 3, on topics and texts distributed the week before to give students maximum time to prepare and to read. In teaching period two, there will be student led structured seminars, in 3 groups, each presenting a chosen aspect of French culture in turn. (Each group will therefore meet once in 3 weeks).

Assessment method: Group presentation (20%), exam (30%) and essay (50%).

Assessment method: Portfolio (30%), and exam (70%).

Assessment method: Exam (100%).

Number of credits: 10

Module content: This module looks at language as it is employed for a variety of purposes in both private and public contexts. It also extends methods of communication to cover non-verbal means whereby messages are conveyed, as substitutes for and supplements to the use of words. Topic areas to be covered will include paralinguistics in interaction and in texts (links between image, gesture and word), language and technology, media language and the language of interpersonal communication.

Method of learning and teaching:

• Lecture-type presentations

• Practical exercises

• Work in pairs and groups

• Discussions and questions

Assessment method: Attendance and participation (20%), 2500-3000 word group project (80%).

Number of credits: 10

Module content: This module takes a ‘problem-solving’ perspective, locating the study of the English language within an applied linguistic concern for issues ‘in the world’ where language is implicated. It introduces a range of domains in which language itself is a matter of controversy, as well as exploring the concepts needed for informed analysis of the issues at stake. Each week, a specific domain of language practice will be discussed.

Method of learning and teaching:

• Practical exercises
• Individual work and work in pairs or groups, including presentations
• Discussions and questions

Assessment method: Attendance and participation (20%), 1500-2000 word assignment (80%).

Number of credits: 10

Module content: This module takes a ‘problem-solving’ perspective, locating the study of the English language within an applied linguistic concern for issues ‘in the world’ where language is implicated. It introduces a range of domains in which language itself is a matter of controversy, as well as exploring the concepts needed for informed analysis of the issues at stake. Each week, a specific domain of language practice will be discussed.

Method of learning and teaching:

• Practical exercises
• Individual work and work in pairs or groups, including presentations
• Discussions and questions

Assessment method: Attendance and participation (20%), 1500-2000 word assignment (80%).

Number of credits: 10

Module content: Students will develop an understanding of the interaction between social factors and the language(s) spoken in a given society. They will become familiar with a range of theoretical frameworks for the study of the relationship between language and society, and also acquire the theoretical and descriptive apparatus to enable them to carry out analyses of specific data sets.

Method of learning and teaching: 

• Practical exercises
• Individual work and work in pairs or groups, including presentations
• Discussions and questions

Method of assessment: Attendance and participation (20%), 1000-1500 proposed research project (80%).

Number of credits: 20

Language of delivery: French

Module content: Along with a variety of language exercises, the module will focus on your textual comprehension skills and on the analysis of an advertising report (for Joint, Single, and Combined Honours French programmes) or a marketing report (for IBML) in the first TP, and on textual production in the second TP. Here, we concentrate on the production of a report based on a portfolio of press documents relating to specific issues in contemporary French society.

Method of learning and teaching: Classes of two hours in French (lectures, seminars, workshops, group work and presentations) are organised weekly. You will be asked to prepare material for the following session and to submit written analyses for regular feedback. Whilst oral proficiency is not explicitly tested in this module, you are required to participate actively in-group discussion, expressing and justifying your views. Translation exercises are used as a method to further the learning experience.

Assessment method: Exam (80%), grammar test (20%).  

Number of credits: 10

Language of delivery: French.

Module content: This module aims at furthering students’ understanding of the origins, evolution and development of French in its social context. It shows how extra-linguistic factors have an impact on the dynamics of variation and change. Lessons are a mixture of lecture, discussion of readings and in-class activities.

Method of learning and teaching: Lectures and interactive seminars (discussions, reading and analysis), consultations, as well as directed work.

Assessment method: Essay (80%), class work (20%).

Number of credits: 10

Language of delivery: French

Module content: This module examines social conflicts and issues that have been critical in the making of contemporary France. It considers how such conflicts and issues have changed with the evolution of French society, from those that defined France in the post-war years (economic modernisation, demographic change, new employment patterns, the ‘rural exodus’ etc) to those that define France today (national identity, immigration, religion, the banlieues, law and order, unemployment, gender etc). The module looks closely at a number of fault lines and fractures in French society and seeks to assess how social ‘conflict’ and ‘consensus’ are negotiated in France today.

Method of learning and teaching: Each two-hour session comprises both lectures in French and seminar/group activities also in French. The lecture programme provides the necessary background that underpins the learning outcomes listed above. Discussion and activities in the seminar hour permit the development of key themes and issues, and provide the opportunity for addressing related questions.  

Assessment method: Exam (100%).

Number of credits: 10

Language of delivery: French

Module content: A number of assessed and practice exercises will structure the course. They will include:

• Exercises in receptive language skills developed through listening and reading exercises. This will entail synthesising audio-visual or written material, reporting back orally on written or audio-visual material.

• Exercises in productive language skills (speaking) developed through individual presentation of press reviews, group presentation based on a video project and debates, as well as role-plays.

Method of learning and teaching: A one-hour weekly class in French. The classes will be structured around the practice of the assessed exercises, which will involve work as a whole class (debates and their preparation; comprehension exercise), in small groups (group project and presentation) or individual contributions (press reviews). Students will be expected to critically evaluate each other’s work, and to give oral feedback to each other. They will be expected to prepare for each class, either by gathering material and acquiring information on a topic (discussion and debate) or by preparing a structured presentation (press review).

Assessment method: class exercises (100%).

Number of credits: 10

Language of delivery: French

Module content: This course, delivered in French, enables students to acquire familiarity with main areas and problems of French politics, and with key concepts used in the analysis of political institutions and political culture. This knowledge forms the conceptual, methodological and analytical basis for many of the politics-related issues students will treat throughout their programmes.

Method of learning and teaching: Lectures: weeks 1-5, 7-10, Seminars: Group Work / Discussions / Presentations: Weeks 2-5, 7-11.

Students are expected to familiarise themselves quickly with the general literature, and then go on to more specialised reading in preparation for seminars and the exam. Week 6 is reserved for Guided Study and Consultation, and in week 11, the 2-hour seminar will help students reflect on the course content and prepare for the exam. 

Assessment method: Exam (100%).

Number of credits: 10

Module content: Topics covered include: What is research?; Action Research and Ethnography; Collecting spoken data; Transcribing data; Using electronic resources; Questionnaires; Ethical issues in research; Reading week; Quantitative Analysis; Writing a research report; Review of the Module.

Method of learning and teaching: 

• lecture-type presentation

• practical exercises

• work in pairs or groups,

• discussions and questions

Assessment method: Students will be required to submit a completed task or tasks totalling the equivalent of 1,800 words. The nature of the task or tasks will be notified in week 3, and may include exercises in areas such as the specification of a research question, outline research design, transcript analysis, the manipulation of qualitative and quantitative data, and/orshort answer responses to set questions. (100%).

Number of credits: 10

Module content: This module aims toinvestigate the ways in which English functions in society; to introduce you to phonology; and to introduce you to research methods in sociolinguistics.

It covers topics such as : contemporary accents and dialects of English in England; varieties of English across the world; Global English and written and spoken English,  within the context of variation theory and other sociolinguistic theories.

Method of learning and teaching: Students are expected to familiarise themselves quickly with the general literature, and then go on to more specialised reading in preparation for their own investigation based upon fieldwork. In weeks 1-10 there will be a lecture, followed by (e-)seminars. Week 11 is reserved for Fieldwork and Week 12 for individual Consultations (appointments on demand during normal session hours).

Assessment method: 1,500 word analysis of spoken data, accompanied by a 500 word transcript (100%).

Number of credits: 10

Module content: This module aims to introduce you to the ways in which media texts both reflect and construct our social practice and values. It addresses a range of issues, such as what makes something newsworthy, whether there is objectivity in news reporting, whether different social groups are equally represented in mass media texts, and what part visual images and layout play in our media messages; and it introduces you to a variety of methods for describing and critically evaluating media texts in relation to these issues.

Method of learning and teaching: Weekly core readings will be assigned and supporting readings recommended to enable students to familiarise themselves with and consolidate their understanding of concepts introduced in lectures. Workshops will be devoted to practising analytical skills and discussing the implications of the practical descriptions that are produced. Weeks 11 and 12 are set aside for work towards the module assessment, a case study (based on an analysis of independently collected data) of a topic agreed in consultation with the tutor.

Assessment method: Participation in workshop exercises and contributions to discussion (20%). 2,000 – 2,500 word case study on a topic agreed in guided consultation with the tutor (80%).

• Lesson planning, practice and evaluation

• Materials design and evaluation

Assessment method: Group work (50%), open book written exam (50%).

Number of credits: 20

Module content: Building on the year abroad, the module is designed to further improve students’ productive language skills. We focus on a range of current issues and controversies in French politics and society, and classes encourage development of increasingly sophisticated written and oral skills and increased fluency, accuracy and comprehension. These activities are underpinned by ongoing grammar learning.

Method of learning and teaching: The module will comprise one two-hour seminar, taught by the module tutor.

Each two-hour seminar will involve a range of activities using written textual material from a range of sources, using French as the medium of communication. Activities will include practical work with regular feedback on written practice work, pairs and group work. Much research, preparation and analysis will take place independently, through guided practice.

Each 2-hour seminar will also incorporate oral/aural skills, giving students the opportunity to further develop their productive oral and their aural comprehension skills.

The module objectives will be developed through in-class discussion, based on reading and preparation as indicated each week. Documentation skills will be developed through guided research using both the School Intranet and the Internet, in conjunction with other printed resources available in the School and in the main university library.

The seminars will also involve student oral group presentations, as a means of preparation towards assessed written work. Students will have the opportunity to practice and develop their presentation skills in a structured programme throughout the academic year.

Assessment method: Exam (75%), group oral presentation (25%).

Number of credits: 20

Language of delivery: French
 
Module content: This is an independent study module, for which you devise, research and write a dissertation on a topic of your choice, related to France or another Francophone country. The module develops your analytical and evaluative skills as well as your linguistic fluency and accuracy. Independent study is supplemented by small group classes and/or one-to-one consultations with your dissertation supervisor, enabling you to develop your presentational and communication skills.

Method of learning and teaching: Plenary sessions will provide information on the expectations for an LTS dissertation and viva and will present objectives, methodology, and a timetable for the module. These sessions will be supplemented by individual and group meetings between supervisors and students. It is the responsibility of the student to comply with deadlines set by the supervisor.  

Assessment method: 5000-6000 word dissertation and separate 300 word abstract in the target language (70%). 20-minute viva: 3/4 minutes of presentation on the dissertation topic and 15 minutes of questions from two examiners (30%).

Number of credits: 10

Language of delivery: French

Module content: This module analyses the French overseas territories, and critically situates their role and status with respect to France and, more widely, the international system. We analyse the different geopolitical contexts in which the territories operate, and discuss their social, cultural, political, economic and strategic identities and relationships with France.

Method of learning and teaching: A one-hour lecture followed by a one hour seminar each week, where students will be required to present an analysis, based on selected texts or audio-visual material, of one of the topics addressed during the lectures. These presentations will be followed by general discussions involving all the students. There will form part of the assessment for the course. 

Assessment method: Essay (70%), presentation (30%).

Number of credits: 10

Language of delivery: French

Module content: This module examines the Vichy regime of 1940-44, when France was occupied and collaborated with Nazi Germany. It shows how the liberal, democratic, assimilationist model of French Republicanism was abolished by an authoritarian, repressive, ultra-nationalist regime. It explores the historical and political background to Vichy, its policies and personalities, its progressive radicalisation, the tensions between state collaboration and pro-Nazi ‘collaborationism’, and the difficulty of defining Vichy as a political regime. It also considers the aftermath of Vichy and the legacy of this brief regime within the Republican culture of contemporary France.

Method of learning and teaching: The module aims to build subject specific knowledge (historical, political, cultural) as well as developing analytical and textual skills, and to improve proficiency and range in the use of both spoken and written French. Proficiency in spoken French will be developed in seminars, for which students will be required to read, prepare and discuss set texts and other materials, and to participate actively in discussion.

Each two-hour session comprises both a lecture and seminar/group activities. The lecture programme provides essential historical and contextual background as a foundation for the learning outcomes listed above. Seminar work will include analysis of diverse materials, printed, audio-visual and other (historical studies, political writings and documentation, political speeches, propaganda tracts and posters, video documentaries and extracts). The seminars will provide the opportunity for detailed discussion of key themes and issues. Supplementary guidance on reading will also be provided to support coursework and revision for the Examination by which this module is assessed.

Assessment method: Exam (100%).

Number of credits: 10

Module content: In this module, students learn the key concepts and terminology of corpus linguistics and how to use corpus tools to conduct research into language in use, and look at some areas of applied linguistics in which corpora are used, such as lexicography, pedagogy, and translation.

Method of learning and teaching:

• Practial exercises
• Individual work and work in pairs or groups
• Discussions and questions

Assessment method: 2000 assignment (50%), practical project report (50%).

Number of credits: 10

Module content: This module will provide an introduction to key approaches to the analysis of authentic spoken language in interaction.It will give you an overview of how conversations are ‘constructed’ and the relationship between what is said and what is meant, as well as some of the ways in which these two crucial aspects vary according to context and culture. It will therefore equip you to describe and evaluate a range of types of spoken text in English, and will enable you to anticipate and resolve issues of data collection and transcription, including ethical considerations.

Method of learning and teaching: Lecture, seminar, e-seminar, project preparation with consultation.

Assessment method: 2500 word research project (100%).

Number of credits: 10

Module content: This module will focus on one specialist area of Applied Linguistics, the application of the tools and techniques of language description to spoken and written texts which have a significance in court cases. The module will look at topics such as: techniques for authorship attribution; questions of copyright and the detection of plagiarism; disputed police records of interview and confession; suspect suicide notes; and anonymous letters.

Method of learning and teaching: Lecture, workshop analysis and discussion, project preparation with consultation.

Assessment method: Participation in workshop exercises and contributions to discussion (20%), 3,000 word research project (80%).

Number of credits: 20

Module content: This course aims to enable students to research in significant depth a topic in English Language, and address, elaborate and apply key concepts used in the linguistic analysis of discourse, in professional, social, educational and/or cultural institutions and contexts. The dissertation allows students to undertake supervised research on a topic that is new to them. It is the longest and most sustained piece of research undertaken in the English Language part of their degree programme.

Method of learning and teaching:

• Research supervision meetings as indicated throughout Teaching Periods 1 and 2, as decided by supervisor and student.

• Students are expected to familiarise themselves quickly with the general literature and sources relating to their area, and then go on to more specialised reading in preparation of their chosen topic.

• Throughout the two Teaching Periods, the supervisor will provide advice on the dissertation.

Assessment method: Dissertation, 4,000-6,000 words (80%); research Proposal (20%).