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Understanding French-speaking Cultures and Societies - LAN00066C

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  • Department: Language and Linguistic Science
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: C
  • Academic year of delivery: 2024-25
    • See module specification for other years: 2023-24

Module summary

The module will engage students in the study and discussion of selected topics of current debate, relevant to French-speaking countries.

It will expand students’ knowledge and understanding of key socio-political issues and will develop their academic communication skills in French.

The module will lay the groundwork for more advanced study of French language and cultures modules in year 2 and in the final year.

The medium of instruction and assessment is French.

Related modules

French Language and Cultures: Upper intermediate or equivalent level of proficiency.

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Semester 2 2024-25

Module aims

This module aims at expanding knowledge, skills and strategies necessary to effectively and accurately communicate in French, and to further develop a plurilingual and pluricultural communicative competence (i.e. students’ ability to use their own linguistic repertoire for effective communication).

The module is intended to enable students to develop their knowledge of academic writing conventions as well as their independent critical thinking, research, written, and presentation skills.

This module seeks to equip students with the knowledge and academic skills to understand and analyse key issues of the French-speaking world, with a particular focus on culture(s) and the challenges faced by cultural policies.

Module learning outcomes

Upon satisfactory completion of the course, students will be able to:

  • understand the main points and arguments of written, audiovisual and digital documents related to historical, cultural and social aspects of French-speaking countries

  • interpret and explain a document or event in French and relate it to documents or events from cultures with which they are familiar (including their own)

  • discuss contemporary written and aural authentic materials and have some understanding of the social, cultural and institutional references they contain

  • research, synthesise and present on a range of topics studied in the module, expanding and supporting (complex) ideas with subsidiary points and relevant examples

  • interact with an appropriate degree of fluency and spontaneity

  • express views effectively and coherently and use the language accurately and effectively on a range of topics

  • communicate with grammatical control.

Module content

This module will explore some key social, cultural, political and/or linguistic aspects such as:

  • the cultural policies in France since the creation of a dedicated Ministry of culture in 1959

  • the use of quotas in the music sector

  • the challenges of globalisation and the digital age; the importance of the notion of “exception culturelle”,

  • the challenges of cultural policies today

Selected grammar topics, which will also form part of the module content in the form of exercises, revision, and independent study, may include:

  • sequence of tenses - including reported speech and If clauses

  • the subjunctive mood

  • relative clauses

Students will engage, individually and/or in groups, in communicative activities focussing on three modes of communication:

1) reception activities (oral, audio-video and reading comprehension);

2) production activities (oral and written production);

3) interaction (oral, written and online interaction).

Students will, independently and/or with their peers, complete a range of activities (in class and/or asynchronously online).

Regular oral and written contributions will develop students’ communicative and academic skills further and will foster their ability to work in teams.

Indicative assessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 60
Oral presentation/seminar/exam 40

Special assessment rules

None

Indicative reassessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 60
Oral presentation/seminar/exam 40

Module feedback

Students’ performance will be monitored through formative work throughout the semester and assessed via end of semester exams.

Formative assessment and feedback

  • Formative tasks done individually and/or in groups throughout the module

  • Feedback will include written comments for written formative work

  • Oral feedback during class discussions.

Summative assessment and feedback

Students will be given written feedback and marks for their work, in line with the University’s marking and feedback turnaround policy.

Indicative reading

Course materials and guided readings will be provided by the module convenor(s) in class and/or via the VLE at the start of the semester.


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University constantly explores ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary. In some instances it may be appropriate for the University to notify and consult with affected students about module changes in accordance with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.