French 4 (FREN20017)

The subject builds on the skills developed in French 3 and focuses primarily on the development of oral and listening skills. More complex sentences and verb forms will be introduced with a view to adding additional nuances to the students’ linguistic repertoire. The subject will draw on a wide range of authentic material for reading and listening. Tasks will be informed by real-life activities including some derived from social media. Students will develop their learning autonomy as they study authentic documents in French, learn how to conduct extensive and targeted internet searches in French and how to use grammar resources and online dictionaries.

In terms of content, the subject will focus on important transnational and transcultural events that took place in the 20th century to gain greater awareness and appreciation of the way in which these events have shaped ideas and ideals of France and French society up to today. Contemporary topics and issues relevant to French-speaking contexts will also be examined and problematised. The objective will be to deepen students’ knowledge and understanding of the complex intermeshing of the local cultures of French speaking communities and the way it combines - and at times collides - with more global phenomena in terms of language, culture and identity.