Georgetown University Dept. of French & Francophone Studies
Course Syllabus (Summer 2016)
FRENCH 119 – GROUP A
CULTURAL INTEGRATION WORKSHOP (CIW)
ATELIER D’INTEGRATION CULTURELLE
Program Director (Tours) / Aaron Emmitte /Program Director (Tours+Paris) / Amandine Andrade /
Program Faculty / Boutheina Bridaa /
Please read the following information carefully to ensure your success in the CIW.
I. COURSE GOALS
The Cultural Integration Workshop (CIW) is designed to bridge the gap between your theoretical knowledge of contemporary French culture and life and the reality that you are going to experience while in Tours. This two-week course (including many field trips and other "hands-on" learning opportunities) gives you not only the necessary tools to make sense of what you see, hear, and do on a daily basis but also some strategies to optimize the way you look, listen, and act in this authentic French setting.
II. OBJECTIVES
Our objectives are to facilitate your engagement with the French language and culture through exposure to a wide variety of textual and visual materials (articles, book chapters, maps and charts, songs, comics, video recordings, realia, etc.) as well as to actual linguistic and cultural manifestations surrounding you. First, you will need to learn how to make sense of these complex documents and experiences. Then, you will learn how to interpret them with a critical stance. This involves not only acquiring vocabulary and content knowledge but also the strategies needed to function in a native French-speaking environment.
III. METHODOLOGY
This workshop demands constant, active participation: you must come to class each day fully prepared to discuss the assigned documents and to contribute your own cultural and/or linguistic observations. Linguistic acquisition (vocabulary and grammar rules) occurs entirely in the context of content learning in thematic areas that are linked to the experience of living in France (see below). A crucial aspect of this work is developing your ability to function entirely in French, both orally and in writing. Several assignments require you to do on-site observations and conduct inquiries and interviews outside of class.
IV. SCHEDULE & WORKLOAD
Classes. As a rule, classes are held daily (Monday–Friday) from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm (with a 15-minute break around 10:45), at various locations within the Institut de Touraine. You are expected to be present every day and arrive promptly at 9:30 a.m. Any unjustified absence or tardiness will severely affect your course grade.
Co-Curricular Activities. In addition to daily classes, all field trips (excursions), lectures, and other programmed activities are treated as an integral part of the CIW course. You are expected to be present, attentive, and to participate in these activities. There will be also graded quizzes to verify that everyone is paying attention.
V. FULL IMMERSION & LANGUAGE PLEDGE
Shortly after your arrival in Tours, all students will sign a pledge to use French exclusively for the duration of the program. This is a full immersion experience: no English will be used in class or outside of class by instructors, and students are expected to communicate in French among themselves as well. Exceptions will be made for dire emergencies only, such as serious medical/psychological conditions. Bilingual dictionaries are prohibited in class and during all program activities.
Any violation of this immersion principle will be treated as an academic demerit, and repeated violations will result in significant penalties to the participation grade (potentially all the way down to an "F"). Other students (from various universities) at the Institut—and their teachers— may not feel bound to maintain a French-only environment, but we do. If addressed in a language other than French, you are expected to respond in French and insist that others do not keep addressing you in anything but French. Note that immersion does not simply involve speaking French: you must also write, read, and listen to French to the fullest extent possible.
VI. WORK ASSIGNMENTS
Blog. You will post a daily (including weekends) message in French (through the “Discussion Board” feature in Blackboard) for the duration of the CIW. For the remainder of the program (four weeks), the frequency will decrease to twice a week. This blog gives you an opportunity to write in French in a rather informal manner and to record and share what you experience. The length of each blog entry should be between 75 – 150 words.
Note that satisfactory entries must not be purely descriptive ("Today, I did this and that; I went to this and that place," etc.): they should be reflective, including critical commentary and analysis, even if the level of linguistic expression remains simple.
Carnet. Upon arrival in Tours you will be provided with a carnet, which you will then carry with you at all times for the duration of the program. In this notebook, you are expected to record "words of the day," "phrases of the day," and "events of the day" that you hear, read, or witness. Entries should be made on the basis of novelty from your perspective but also for their potential interest to your fellow classmates. Entries will be discussed in class daily with complementary explanations supplied by the instructor. A minimum of 10 entries per day is expected (including at least 5 words).
Enquêtes. These are investigative activities for which students are asked to go on fact-finding assignments that may include visiting a specific place (a store, a public building, a church) to look for information, interviewing native informants and conducting other kinds of "hands-on" research. An answer sheet must be turned in for grading.
Feuilles de route. Students are expected to complete worksheets (in groups) that are handed out before field trips and lectures. At the end of the day, every group must turn in a completed worksheet for a grade.
VII. COURSE MATERIALS
All students are expected to purchase a portable monolingual dictionary, such as Le Robert Micro Poche.
Additionally, students will be provided with a CIW Coursepack via Blackboard, which includes reference documents (maps, charts, etc.) and reading selections (articles, excerpts from books). Please print these documents or download them before departing for France.
VIII. COURSE OUTLINE
The CIW is structured around six thematic areas:
1. L’espace et la langue
2. La vie culturelle et la consommation
3. L’éducation, la scolarité et la formation
4. La France et le monde francophone
5. Les institutions, la vie publique et sociale
6. La famille et les relations interpersonnelles
For each thematic strand, we will study source materials of three kinds: 1) texts and discourse (including newspapers, magazines, commercial items, inscriptions in public spaces), 2) images and objects (including ads, billboards, movies, commercial items) and 3) behavior and interaction (from direct contact or observation).
IX. GRADE & EVALUATION
Your grade for the CIW will be evaluated according to your performance in the following areas:
Daily preparedness for class and participation…………………... 25%
Excursion/Lecture worksheets…………………………………… 20%
Blog entries………………………………………………………. 20%
Written assignments………………………………………………15%
Carnet entries……………………………………………………..10%
Final Presentation/Project………………………………………... 10%
CALENDRIER
L’ESPACE ET LA LANGUEDate / Heure / Documents / Activités liées au cours
lundi
13 juin / 9h30 – 13h00 / À consulter:
· La France Physique (pdf)
· France: Divisions territoriales et administratives (pdf)
À lire:
· La carte définitive des 13 régions de France (pdf)
· Nouvelle régions: laquelle est la plus riche? La plus peuplée? (pdf)
· L’Accent de Tours (pdf)
LA VIE CULTURELLE ET LA CONSOMMATION
Date / Heure / Documents / Activités liées au cours
mardi
14 juin / 9h30 – 11h45 / À consulter:
· Que font les français? (pdf)
· Alimentation/Consommation par jour (pdf)
À lire:
· Insee: Cinquante ans de consommation alimentaire (pdf) / 12h00: Visite pédestre des halles (marché couvert)
14h30: Excursion à Chenonceau
L’´EDUCATION, LA SCOLARITE ET LA FORMATION
Date / Heure / Documents / Activités liées au cours
mercredi
15 juin / 9h30 – 13h00 / À consulter:
· Le système d’éducation français (pdf)
À lire:
· Universités-Grandes Ecoles: sortir de la rivalité (pdf)
· Universités-Grandes Ecoles: Le Match (pdf) / 14h30: Rencontre avec des étudiants français en classes prépas
LA VIE CULTURELLE ET LA CONSOMMATION
Date / Heure / Documents / Activités liées au cours
jeudi
16 juin / 9h30 – 11h00 / À consulter:
· Je mange proprement (jpg)
· Le vocabulaire du vin (pdf)
À lire:
· Les plats préférés des Français (pdf)
· Les vins de France (pdf) / 11h00: Conférence – Dégustation: le vin de Touraine
LA FRANCE ET LE MONDE FRANCOPHONE
Date / Heure / Documents / Activités liées au cours
vendredi
17 juin / 9h30 – 13h00 / À consulter:
· La Francophonie: Etat des lieux 2015 (jpg)
À lire:
· Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (pdf)
· Le français gagne du terrain dans le monde (pdf)
· Francophonie: la France fait-elle cavalier seul? (pdf)
LES INSTITUTIONS, LA VIE PUBLIQUE ET SOCIALE
Date / Heure / Documents / Activités liées au cours
lundi
20 juin / 9h30 – 13h00 / À consulter:
· L’Etat français: structures exécutives et législatives (pdf)
À lire:
· Les Elections présidentielles en France, 1962-2012 (.docx) / 14h30: Test écrit de placement à l’Institut
LES INSTITUTIONS, LA VIE PUBLIQUE ET SOCIALE
Date / Heure / Documents / Activités liées au cours
mardi
21 juin / 9h30 – 13h00 / À consulter:
· La place des femmes en politique (pdf)
À lire:
· Vendez-vous une présidente (pdf) / Après-midi: Film
LA FAMILLE ET LES RELATIONS INTERPERSONNELLES
Date / Heure / Documents / Activités liées au cours
mercredi
22 juin / 9h30 – 13h00 / À consulter:
· Couples et familles en France (jpg)
À lire:
· Insee: Où vivent les familles en France? (pdf)
· Trois évolutions de la famille française (pdf) / Après-midi: Visites individuelles en ville
17h30: Pot de clôture de l’AIC
LES PRESENTATIONS ET LES OBSERVATIONS FINALES
Date / Heure / Documents / Activités liées au cours
jeudi
23 juin / 9h30 – 13h00 / 14h00: Entretiens individuels à l’Institut
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