Undergraduate Course: French 2 Language (ELCF08013)
Course Outline
| School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The course consists of one ORAL language tutorial AND of one WRITTEN LANGUAGE tutorial per week, in both semesters - using various teaching formats. Exposure to both oral and written French will be supplemented by autonomous active learning, such as podcasts and weekly e-learning grammar exercises.
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| Course description |
ORAL TUTORIALS
Oral tutorials with native language tutors complement the written language course by giving students the opportunity to develop their skills in spoken French through group discussion on a variety of topics relating to contemporary France and the Francophone world.
They also provide essential communicative skills for the year abroad.
Regular attendance, regular preparation and regular participation are essential for the achievement of the learning outcomes on this programme. The course work assessment includes a mark for two oral presentations.
WRITTEN LANGUAGE TUTORIALS
Building on the work done in French 1, the French 2 language programme introduces a number of new exercises and key grammatical points that are essential for the understanding and production of modern French. In the course of the year, three main areas will be covered:
1. Writing in French, including précis
Writing in French is an essential skill not only for the language programme but also for your literature course. (You will be required to write your semester 2 literature essay in French). In Language Tutorials, you will learn how to write a précis in French (i.e. write an accurate summary of a French source text in your own words), how to translate from English into French and, more generally, how to produce idiomatic and correct French. The texts used for these exercises will relate to social, political or cultural debates in present-day France and the Francophone world?
2. Translation from French into English
Both semesters will also focus on translation from French into English. You will be asked to familiarise yourself with grammatical and stylistic differences between French and English and to develop a range of translation skills. The course will cover a variety of texts for translation in class as well as for independent learning. These are taken mainly from Francophone fiction and the Francophone press.
3. Grammar
Grammatical correctness is of the greatest importance. As well as revising essential grammar points covered in French 1, French 2 introduces new areas of grammar via the weekly independent study tasks such as e-learning exercises and quizzes to help you consolidate your prose and translation skills. In addition to working on written language in a variety of interactive settings, language tutors will work with students on formal presentation skills in spoken mode. Oral tutorials (i.e. tutorials with the native language tutors or French Language Assistants) are aimed more specifically at developing skills in conversational French and preparing students for their transition into Year 3 and their year abroad.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Students MUST also take: French 2 Literature and Culture (ELCF08012) |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 139 |
| Course Start |
Full Year |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 40,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
156 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
65 %,
Coursework
35 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
Oral presentation 2 (Semester 2): 35% - Meets LO1
May Diet Exam (3.5 hours: Précis, Translation and Grammar): 65% - Meets LOs 2, 3, 4, 5
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
Translation & commentary 1 (Semester 1)
Précis (Semester 2)
Translation & commentary 2 (Semester 2)
Oral presentation 1 (Semester 1)
E-learning exercises (Semester 1): [Weekly submissions]
E-learning exercises (Semester 2): [Weekly submissions] |
| Feedback |
Students will receive collective feedback on their three written language exercises. For their marked oral presentation 1, students will be given detailed guidance and receive extensive feedback, which will be designed to consolidate their presentation skills and linguistic skills for their second marked oral presentation in Semester 2. |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Minutes |
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| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | French 2 Language | 210 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Oral Comprehension, Production and Interaction: Understand the main ideas of linguistically complex discourse on both concrete and abstract topics delivered in standard language, including discussions on current affairs, cultural and political topics (which will be assessed through in-class presentation). Give clear, detailed descriptions and presentations on a wide range of subjects, expressing and supporting a point of view in a discussion by providing relevant explanations, arguments and examples. Interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party.
- Reading Comprehension: Read a variety of different sources with a large degree of independence. Demonstrate a broad reading vocabulary and convey the significant points contained in complex sources reliably (which will be assessed through the Spring Exam Diet).
- Written Production and Interaction: Produce cohesive, grammatically complex, well-structured texts on a variety of subjects, synthesising and evaluating information and arguments from a diversity of sources, including through summaries of newspaper articles (which will be assessed through the Précis Coursework Assignment and the Spring Exam Diet).
- Mediation: Work collaboratively and inclusively with their peers, creating a positive atmosphere by providing support, asking questions to identify common goals, comparing options for how to achieve them and explaining suggestions for what to do next. Further develop others' ideas, pose questions that invite reactions from different perspectives and propose a solution or next steps.
- Written Mediation: Produce translations from French into English that demonstrate a good understanding of literary and journalistic registers, of varied formulations and of a broad range of complex grammatical structures. Engage with a range of translation strategies, using specialised terminology (which will be assessed through Translation & Commentary Coursework Assignments and the end-of-year Online Review Test).
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Reading List
1. R. Hawkins & R. Towell, French Grammar and Usage (London: Arnold, 1996, 2001). 1SBN 0 340 76075 3
2. R. Hawkins, M-N. Lamy & R. Towell, Practising French Grammar: A Workbook (London: Arnold, 1997).ISBN 340 59830 1
3. Bescherelle, La Conjugaison pour tous 2006 (Hatier)
4. French 2 Language Dossier and Glossary of translation techniques (posted on LEARN)
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
On completion of this course, the student will have gained:
1. a fuller knowledge of the language skills of reading, writing and speaking in the target language.
2. the ability to convey complex information in written and oral form.
3. the ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a group.
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| Keywords | DELC French 2 Language |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Katie Pleming
Tel:
Email: katie.pleming@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Lina Gordyshevskaya
Tel:
Email: pgordysh@ed.ac.uk |
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