Junior Freshman

The programme in the Junior Freshman (first) year includes an introduction to many aspects of contemporary France, general linguistics and literature. First year subject areas include:

French grammar and grammatical analysis

Comprehension of the written and spoken language

Contemporary short stories, novels, theatre, films and a specially prepared anthology of French poetry

You will spend approximately five hours each week working on language and grammar and approximately two hours each week studying literature, as outlined below:

LANGUAGE

Students attend five hours of language teaching weekly, two lectures and three classes.

All five hours form an integrated course, which aims to develop a wide variety of language skills, written and oral, receptive and active. All students are required to attend weekly language classes, and submit weekly written assignments.

1. Grammar and grammatical analysis

The overall aims of this element are to provide a foundation of basic grammatical concepts and terminology relating to the French language; and to develop grammatical precision in written and oral expression. Students will be required to submit weekly grammar exercises from Hawkins and Towell, Practising French Grammar: A Workbook (London : Arnold, 1997)

2. Oral & Contemporary Contemporary France

The overall aims of this element are to develop key language-learning skills, notably:

- aural and reading comprehension;

- acquisition of vocabulary and expressions associated with specific areas;

- exploitation of such vocabulary in written and spoken expression.

The course also aims to introduce students to a number of aspects of contemporary France, and in HT, to a number of the important historical periods which influenced the creation of modern France. Each of which will be introduced in the lecture, and further examined in both the Language Assistant class and the class with a staff member. Students will thus acquire some familiarity with specified aspects of contemporary French society and culture.

The last class of each term takes the form of a revision / question session. A new topic will not be introduced at this point.

TEXTS

The aims of this course are:

- to develop reading skills, in particular in relation to contemporary literary language;

- to develop the skills of text-analysis and commentary;

- to develop an understanding of the conventions specific to various genres.

The selection of texts is primarily contemporary, but includes an introduction in Hilary Term to the traditions of French literature through the inclusion of a selection of lyric poetry from the fifteenth-century to the present day.

There will be one weekly lecture and one weekly seminar in small groups throughout the academic year. You will be expected to submit a written commentary twice in each term. You will also submit an Assessment Essay on the first day of Hilary Term and an Assessment Commentary at the start of week 10 in Hilary Term. One of these pieces of work must be in French. These two Assessment Essays / Commentaries together count for a total of 20% of the overall mark in the Annual Examinations.

Whatever genres are assessed through essay / commentary will not be assessed again in the annual examination.