CONTENTS

PROGRAMMES
- Courses
- Assessment
- Special study programme
- Reference systems

2008-2009 COURSES
The French Institute of Orléans University (IDF-UO) offers its courses on a semestral or yearly basis and provides four courses of study that prepare for three University diplomas. These may only be obtained after completing a full university year (2 semesters).
Placement Test:   at the beginning of the year (or at the beginning of the semester), a placement test is taken in order to orient students and offer the training that is adapted to their level of French proficiency. Each student then joins the most appropriate course of study for his or her level.

Courses of study offered:
1 Prepa DEF:  this curriculum is aimed at students whose level of proficiency is insufficient to access the DEF level directly. It is therefore a preparatory year that does not result in a University diploma.
2 DEF:  preparation for the Elementary French Language Diploma
3 DAF:  preparation for the Intermediate French Language Diploma
4 DSF:  preparation for the Advanced French Language Diploma

Each course of study includes 18 to 20 hours of class each week, which go to make up the semestral Units of Instruction (UI) that are cumulated; the courses develop a number of skills such as reading comprehension, listening comprehension, written production and spoken production. These skills are acquired by studying the French language, culture and civilisation.
At the DAF and DSF levels, it is possible to take “French proficiency for specific objectives” (FOS - français sur objectifs spécifiques) classes with a view to attending university in France.
Students may take a single semester and may obtain, if they so request, a certificate of coursework, personal progress and results when it ends. They may not earn the diploma, as this requires two semesters (as mentioned above).
The courses given at the French Institute also allow preparing for the DELF and DALF examinations, which are official national diplomas in French as a Foreign Language, issued by the French Ministry of Education.

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1 Preparatory Year (Prepa DEF)
For students whose proficiency level is insufficient to access the DEF curriculum, a preparatory year is available that is not recognised by a diploma. At the conclusion of that year, students may obtain a certificate of regular attendance, coursework and results. Annual semester hours:  456 hours (228 hours of supervised coursework (SC) / semester).
Learning objectives by skill at the end of semester 1:  A1

Listening comprehension	Reading comprehension	Spoken production	Written production
Understanding words or very short documents about familiar everyday topics.	Understanding familiar words, simple phrases (notices, posters, catalogues) and short everyday documents.	- Using simple words and phrases to describe where you live and your friends and family - Asking simple  questions about familiar topics and answering them - Communicating in a simple way with the help of repetition and rewording.	- Writing a postcard - Filling out a form or information request.

Learning objectives by skill at the end of semester 2:   A2

Listening comprehension	Reading comprehension	Spoken production	Written production
- Understanding very short documents about familiar everyday topics. - Understanding simple, clear announcements and messages.	- Understanding short and simple texts. - Finding information in standard documents (advertisements, menus, leaflets and timetables) - Understanding short, simple personal letters.	- Describing friends and family, as well as everyday life and one’s job in simple terms. - Exchanging simple information.	- Writing notes, messages and personal letters (inviting, thanking, excusing oneself, informing, etc.). - Describing one’s personal experience of an event.

Contents of PREPA DEF classes:
· General French (grammar, spoken and written production, listening and reading comprehension)
· phonetics
· civilisation
Detailed Fact Sheet about each first semester course

COURSE OF STUDY	PREPADEF
SEMESTER	1
EQUIVALENCE	DELF A1
CLASS	GRAMMAR
SEMESTER HOURS	72 h
TEXTBOOK	Grammaire progressive du français – niveau débutant (Clé International) (Progressive French Grammar – beginner level)
Number of assessments	4
CLASS SYLLABUS	- Masculine/feminine - Verb tenses:   present, present perfect (passé composé), future continuous or progressive (future proche) - Negation, affirmation, interrogation - Determinatives (articles and adjectives) - Locative prepositions - Disjunctive/tonic pronouns, direct/indirect objects (me, te, se, le, nous, vous, les /en; me te se lui nous vous leur) - Comparative - The meaning of “on” (people in general)

 

COURSE OF STUDY	PREPADEF
SEMESTER	1
EQUIVALENCE	DELF A1
CLASS	WRITTEN PRODUCTION
SEMESTER HOURS	18 hours
TEXTBOOK	Ici, niveau 1, Clé International (Here, level 1)
Number of assessments	2
CLASS SYLLABUS	- Introducing oneself and sharing one’s tastes - Describing a location, a person, the weather - Expressing quantity - Accepting/refusing - Speaking about one’s job - Expressing a positive/negative judgement - Writing a postcard

 

COURSE OF STUDY	PREPADEF
SEMESTER	1
EQUIVALENCE	DELF A1
CLASS	READING COMPREHENSION
SEMESTER HOURS	18 hours
TEXTBOOK
Number of assessments	2
CLASS SYLLABUS	- Reading instructions - Reading to obtain information and for discussion purposes - Understanding one’s mail

 

COURSE OF STUDY	PREPADEF
SEMESTER	1
EQUIVALENCE	DELF A1
CLASS	LISTENING COMPREHENSION & SPOKEN PRODUCTION
SEMESTER HOURS	84 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy	Communication progressive du français – niveau débutant (Clé International) (Progressive French Communication – beginner level)
Number of assessments	6
CLASS SYLLABUS	- Shopping (asking for items, talking about quantities, asking about prices, making an order, making a reservation, making purchases). - Interaction with others (telephoning, giving instructions, inviting, accepting/refusing, asking someone to do something, suggestions).

 

COURSE OF STUDY	PREPADEF
SEMESTER	1
EQUIVALENCE	DELF A1
CLASS	PHONETICS
SEMESTER HOURS	36 hours
TEXTBOOK	Phonetics progressive du français – niveau débutant (Clé International) (Progressive French phonetics – beginner level)
Number of assessments	3
CLASS SYLLABUS	Studying the characteristics of spoken French:   rhythm, musicality and intonation, unpronounced letters, word sequencing and continuity.

Detailed Fact Sheet about each second semester course

COURSE OF STUDY	PREPADEF
SEMESTER	2
EQUIVALENCE	DELF A2
CLASS	GRAMMAR
SEMESTER HOURS	48 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy	Grammar progressive du français – niveau débutant (Clé International) (Progressive French Grammar – beginner level)
Number of assessments	4
CLASS SYLLABUS	- The future tense, the present perfect (passé composé), the imperfect tense - The subjunctive (morphology and usage:  desire, feeling, obligation) - The first conditional (conditionnel présent) (morphology and values) - Relative pronouns:  qui, que, où - The use of emphasis - Demonstrative pronouns - The simple expression of time - The cause/consequence (car, parce que, donc) - The expression of a goal and of a hypothesis - The place of the adjective - The pronoun “en” - Speech reported with an introductory verb in the present

 

COURSE OF STUDY	PREPADEF
SEMESTER	2
EQUIVALENCE	DELF A2
CLASS	WRITTEN PRODUCTION
SEMESTER HOURS	18 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy	Ici, niveau 2 (Clé International) (Here, level 2)
Number of assessments	2
CLASS SYLLABUS	- Expressing one’s opinions, one’s tastes, one’s hopes and one’s feelings - Discussing one’s dreams and one’s projects - Writing a potential life itinerary - Requesting and giving information/explanations - Relating events - Presenting results - Debating, opposing/approving - Justifying a choice - Making hypotheses - Presenting/comparing objects

 

COURSE OF STUDY	PREPADEF
SEMESTER	2
EQUIVALENCE	DELF A2
CLASS	READING COMPREHENSION
SEMESTER HOURS	18 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy
Number of assessments	2
CLASS SYLLABUS	- Recognising viewpoints, arguments and feelings - Reading newspaper articles

 

COURSE OF STUDY	PREPADEF
SEMESTER	2
EQUIVALENCE	DELF A2
CLASS	SPOKEN PRODUCTION
SEMESTER HOURS	36 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy	Communication progressive du français – niveau débutant (Clé International) (Progressive French communication – beginner level)
Number of assessments	3
CLASS SYLLABUS	- Speaking about oneself (one’s health, tastes, CV/résumé; expressing surprise, requesting and giving one’s opinion) - Speaking about others (expressing certainty/uncertainty; describing; congratulating; consoling and encouraging; criticising; expressing a feeling) - Discussing locations and objects (obtaining information by phone, comparing, expressing a condition, discussing a need)

 

COURSE OF STUDY	PREPADEF
SEMESTER	2
EQUIVALENCE	DELF A2
CLASS	LISTENING COMPREHENSION
SEMESTER HOURS	48 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy
Number of assessments	2
CLASS SYLLABUS	Understanding recordings and radio shows (commercials, weather reports, TV programmes, televised news bulletins and radio broadcasts)

 

COURSE OF STUDY	PREPADEF
SEMESTER	2
EQUIVALENCE	DELF A2
CLASS	FRENCH CIVILISATION
SEMESTER HOURS	24 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy
Number of assessments	2
COURSE SYLLABUS	- The French “space” (overview, regions) - France in the world (Europe, francophone countries, trade/exchanges) - Daily life (calendar, work, studies, meals, shopping) - Free time (festivals/celebrations, holidays, leisure activities/hobbies, media, friends, neighbours, etc.) - Living in society (politics, family, school, work, religion, citizenship, etc.) - Recent developments (rural/urbanised France, multicultural France)

 

COURSE OF STUDY	PREPADEF
SEMESTER	2
EQUIVALENCE	DELF A2
CLASS	PHONETICS
SEMESTER HOURS	36 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy	Phonetique progressive du français – niveau débutant (Clé International) (Progressive French phonetics – beginner level)
Number of assessments	2
COURSE SYLLABUS	Sounds specific to French ([y], [z], [oe], [a], [R], [u])

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2 Elementary French Diploma (DEF)
The DEF is a course that offers basic French and initiation into French life (spoken and written standard French; acquisition of basic grammar and a lexicon). The objective is to allow students with limited knowledge of French to gain the basics in order to consolidate, develop and expand on them from the grammatical, cultural and communicational standpoint. This curriculum allows students to prepare the DELF exams (A2/B1) if they wish. Annual semester hours amount to 432 hours (216 hours SC / semester).
Learning objectives by skill at the end of semester 1:   A2

Listening comprehension	Reading comprehension	Spoken production	Written production
- Understanding the main ideas about familiar, everyday topics. - Understanding informative and general documents in the standard register and spoken slowly.	- Understanding short informative texts about everyday topics. - Understanding correspondence (feelings, descriptions, hopes).	- Sharing one’s experiences, one’s feelings or emotions. - Giving one’s opinion and justifying it. - Telling a story. - Participating in a conversation about familiar, everyday subjects.	- Writing a simple, coherent text about familiar, everyday topics. - Writing personal letters to share/describe one’s experiences and impressions. - Giving and justifying one’s opinion (essay, mail, article).

Learning objectives by skill at the end of semester 2:   B1

Listening comprehension	Reading comprehension	Spoken production	Written production
- Understanding the essential facts about familiar, everyday topics. - Understanding informative and general documents in the standard register and spoken slowly.	- Understanding short informative texts about everyday topics. - Understanding correspondence (feelings, descriptions, hopes).	- Sharing one’s experiences, one’s feelings or emotions. - Giving one’s opinion and justifying it. - Telling a story. - Participating in a conversation about familiar, everyday subjects.	- Writing a simple, coherent text about familiar, everyday topics. - Writing personal letters to share/describe one’s experiences and impressions. - Giving and justifying one’s opinion (essay, mail, article).

Weekly class scheduling:
· Grammar:  4h
· Written production:  3h
· Spoken production:  3h
· Reading comprehension:  3h
· Listening comprehension:  3h
· Phonetics:  2:
Continuous assessment grades:  they correspond to 6 UI (Units of Instruction):

Grammar (coeff.1)	Written production (coeff.1)	Spoken production (coeff.1)
Phonetics (coeff.1)	Reading comprehension (coeff.1)	Listening comprehension (coeff.1)

 

 

 

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Detailed Fact Sheet

about each first semester course

COURSE OF STUDY	DEF
SEMESTER	2
EQUIVALENCE	DELF B1
CLASS	GRAMMAR
SEMESTER HOURS	48 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy	Grammaire des premiers temps, volume 2, PUG (Introduction to grammar)
Number of assessments	4
CLASS SYLLABUS	- Future tenses (simple future, future continuous or progressive:  future proche) (morphology, usage and values) (reviews) - The conditional - Simple and compound relative pronouns - Speech reports (direct, indirect, present and past) - Prepositions - Expression of the cause - Expression of the consequence - Expression of the goal - Expression of the hypothesis

 

COURSE OF STUDY	DEF
SEMESTER	2
EQUIVALENCE	DELF B1
CLASS	WRITTEN PRODUCTION
SEMESTER HOURS	36 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy
Number of assessments	3
CLASS SYLLABUS	- The class links linguistic means and communication goals with the help of a given theme or verbal form:  expressing one’s impressions/the subjunctive; mobility/the passive voice; fashion/emphasis; work/opposition, adverbs ending in “–ment”; sales/the conditional; fear/expressing fear, etc. - The class has also organised a creative writing workshop.

 

COURSE OF STUDY	DEF
SEMESTER	2
EQUIVALENCE	DELF B1
CLASS	SPOKEN PRODUCTION
SEMESTER HOURS	36 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy	Méthode Rond-Point 2, livre de l’élève, Difusion (Rond-Point Method 2, student’s handbook)
Number of assessments	3
CLASS SYLLABUS	- The class follows the method and progression of the Rond-Point 2 textbook, which is based on learning through tasks (addressing someone, participating in a debate, arguing, narrating, describing, asking complex questions, expressing hopes and resolutions) suggested by audiovisual and written documents about civilisation. - The class links linguistic means and communication goals with the help of a given theme:  reporting a conversation/speech; discussing/the proverbs; proposing, imagining, giving advice/the hypothesis, the condition, the conditional; making a judgment / giving one’s opinion; claiming/the subjunctive; presenting an exposé /addressing an audience.

 

COURSE OF STUDY	DEF
SEMESTER	2
EQUIVALENCE	DELF B1
CLASS	READING COMPREHENSION
SEMESTER HOURS	36 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy	Alors ?, niveau B1, Didier, 2008 (And so? level B1)
Number of assessments	3
CLASS SYLLABUS	1) The class follows the thematic and lexical progression in the textbook, Alors ? (B1 level), and uses its written documents. 2) The class also works with other authentic documents: - Understanding varied texts that use a less basic lexicon and syntax. - Identifying and understanding a viewpoint (argumentation). - Analysing the contents of a simple text (function, tone, register, structure, arguments, logical and temporal connectives, essential and secondary ideas, substitution processes).

 

COURSE OF STUDY	DEF
SEMESTER	2
EQUIVALENCE	DELF B1
CLASS	LISTENING COMPREHENSION
SEMESTER HOURS	36 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy	Alors ?, niveau B1, Didier, 2008 (And so? level B1)
Number of assessments	3
CLASS SYLLABUS	The class is divided into two parts: work calling on the authentic audiovisual media about everyday topics (newspapers, films, debates, songs, etc.) in the language lab. listening work that makes use the civilisation-related sound documents in the textbook:  Alors ? (B1 level) comprehension, the lexicon and the language activities of level B1. Authentic documents are also used.

 

COURSE OF STUDY	DEF
SEMESTER	2
EQUIVALENCE	DELF B1
CLASS	PHONETICS
SEMESTER HOURS	24 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy	La Phonetique, Clé International (Phonetics)
Number of assessments	2
CLASS SYLLABUS	Systematic study of phonemes and their spelling (speech/writing correspondence, spelling rules, pronunciation, punctuation)

3 Advanced French Language Diploma (DAF)
The DAF entails developing in-depth linguistic skills, developing written and spoken production abilities, as well as learning more about French literature and civilisation. This curriculum allows students to prepare the DELF (B1/B2) if they wish. Annual semester hours amount to 432 hours (216 hours SC / semester).

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Learning objectives by skill at the end of semester 1:  B1

Listening comprehension	Reading comprehension	Spoken production	Written production
- Understanding the main ideas about familiar everyday topics. - Understanding general and informative documents in the standard register and spoken slowly.	-Understanding short informative texts about everyday topics. - - Understanding correspondence (feelings, descriptions, hopes).	- Sharing one’s experiences, one’s feelings or emotions. - Giving one’s opinion and justifying it. - Telling a story. - Participating in a conversation about familiar, everyday subjects.	- Writing a simple, coherent text about familiar, everyday topics. - Writing personal letters to share/describe one’s experiences and impressions. - Giving and justifying one’s opinion (essay, mail, article).

Learning objectives by skill at the end of semester 2:  B2

Listening comprehension	Reading comprehension	Spoken production	Written production
- Understanding long, complex documents. - Understanding informative and argumentative documents (newspapers, interviews, exposés, documentaries, etc.)	- Understanding informative and argumentative texts about current events. - Understanding literary texts written in prose.	- Giving and justifying one’s opinion about genera topics. - Communicating spontaneously and with ease. - Actively taking part in a familiar conversation.	Writing argumentative texts (essays, formal letters, debates, critical articles, etc.)

Weekly class scheduling:
· Grammar:  4h
· French writing practice:  3h
· French speaking practice:  3:30 h
· Literary texts:  2:
· Contemporary civilisation:  1:30 h
· History:  1h
· Geography:  1h
· Option*:  2h:
*Students will be able to select an additional option (elective) that will replace their compulsory option if the grade they have earned on the elective is better than the one for the compulsory option.
Continuous assessment grades:  they correspond to 7 UI (Units of Instruction):

Grammar (coeff.2)	French writing practice (coeff. 2)	French speaking practice (coeff. 2)
Literary texts (coeff.1)	Contemporary civilisation (coeff. 1)	History et Geography (coeff. 1)
Option (coeff.1)

 

 

 

Detailed Fact Sheet about each first semester course

COURSE OF STUDY	DAF
SEMESTER	1
EQUIVALENCE	DELF B1
CLASS	GRAMMAR
SEMESTER HOURS	48 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy	Grammaire progressive du français, niveau avancé, Clé International (Progressive French Grammar, advanced level)
Number of assessments	4
CLASS SYLLABUS	- Review:  number and gender agreement - articles (indefinite, definite, partitive) - personal and adverbial pronouns (form, place, order) - interrogative forms (language level, complex inversions, indirect interrogation, temporal agreement) - The past tenses:  imperfect, present perfect (passé composé), preterite/past simple (passé simple) (morphology, usage, values and aspect) - Temporal complements (temporal situation, speech/narration, duration) - Forms ending in “–ant” (present participle/ verbal adjective, gerundive, participial preposition) - The investigation media presenting the grammar system are both textual and audio (songs) and are followed by numerous exercises.

 

COURSE OF STUDY	DAF
SEMESTER	1
EQUIVALENCE	DELF B1
CLASS	FRENCH WRITING PRACTICE
SEMESTER HOURS	36 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy
Number of assessments	3
CLASS SYLLABUS	- In reading comprehension, methodological work analysing authentic informative and argumentative texts (paratext, layout, lexical/semantic fields, punctuation, logical connectives, tags, simple and complex phrases, etc.) - In written production, summary method (reformulation, text outline, logical connectives) - The class is also organising a creative writing workshop.

 

COURSE OF STUDY	DAF
SEMESTER	1
EQUIVALENCE	DELF B1
CLASS	FRENCH SPEAKING PRACTICE
SEMESTER HOURS	42 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy
Number of assessments	3
CLASS SYLLABUS	- In Listening comprehension, study of the specific characteristics of French (phonetics:  accentuation, intonation, liaison, silent “e”, registers, review of phonemes, etc.) in the language laboratory and methodological study using authentic audiovisual documents of themes selected by the students (nature of the document, origin of the message, number of interlocutors, figures and percentages, etc.). - In Spoken production, the French exposé style (methodology and practical usage) employed to discuss a civilisation topic selected by each student concerning his or her country.

 

COURSE OF STUDY	DAF
SEMESTER	1
EQUIVALENCE	DELF B1
CLASS	LITERARY TEXTS
SEMESTER HOURS	24 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy
Number of assessments	2
CLASS SYLLABUS	- Study of French poetry:  tradition and modern era, from the poem to the love song. (versification, lexical/semantic fields, lyricism, vocabulary, stylistic devices, etc.) - The objective is to introduce the specific characteristics of the lyrical genre in France and its historical development based on a given theme.

 

COURSE OF STUDY	DAF
SEMESTER	1
EQUIVALENCE	DELF B1
CLASS	CONTEMPORARY CIVILISATION
SEMESTER HOURS	18 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy
Number of assessments	2
CLASS SYLLABUS	- Thematic files selected by the students, which are composed of authentic written and audio documents:  the French education system, the European Union today, food consumption in France, Christmas in France. - Using these thematic files to analyse texts, study the vocabulary and make comparisons between the students’ countries of origin.

 

COURSE OF STUDY	DAF
SEMESTER	1
EQUIVALENCE	DELF B1
CLASS	HISTORY and GEOGRAPHY
SEMESTER HOURS	24 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy
Number of assessments	2
CLASS SYLLABUS	- Study of French landscapes and land contours (cartography) - Gastronomy, French dialects and regions - French climate and population - Study of key historic periods (prehistory, Gauls and Romans, Antiquity)

 

 

Detailed Fact Sheet about each second semester course

COURSE OF STUDY	DAF
SEMESTER	2
EQUIVALENCE	DELF B2
CLASS	GRAMMAR
SEMESTER HOURS	48 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy	Grammar progressive du français, niveau avancé, Clé international (Progressive French grammar, advanced level)
Number of assessments	4
CLASS SYLLABUS	- Relative pronouns (choice and use of pronouns) - The subjunctive (morphology, usage in conjunctives, infinitive) - Indefinite pronouns (adjectival, pronominal and adverbial forms, negative indefinite pronouns, l’un/l’autre, tout and même) - Passive, pronominal and impersonal forms - Hypothetical system (condition, hypothesis, modal imperfect, conditional) - Logical relation (cause, goal, consequence, opposition, concession) (nominal/prepositional groups, circumstantial elements, logical connectives) - The investigation media presenting the grammar system are both texts and audio (songs) and are followed by numerous exercises.

 

COURSE OF STUDY	DAF
SEMESTER	2
EQUIVALENCE	DELF B2
CLASS	FRENCH WRITING PRACTICE
SEMESTER HOURS	36 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy
Number of assessments	3
CLASS SYLLABUS	- In reading comprehension, analysis of authentic argumentative texts (theses, arguments, examples, logical connectives, expressions of opinion, reformulation, etc.) - In written production, drafting of argumentative essays and formal argumentative letters. - The class is also organising a creative writing workshop.

 

COURSE OF STUDY	DAF
SEMESTER	2
EQUIVALENCE	DELF B2
CLASS	FRENCH SPEAKING PRACTICE
SEMESTER HOURS	42 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy
Number of assessments	3
CLASS SYLLABUS	- In listening comprehension, review of the specific characteristics of spoken French and of the speech/writing correspondence, then study of varied authentic audiovisual documents on themes selected by the students. - In spoken production, debates with the class based on authentic texts about current events or an argumentative exposé about a civilisation issue that exists in the country of origin of the students.

 

COURSE OF STUDY	DAF
SEMESTER	2
EQUIVALENCE	DELF B2
CLASS	LITERARY TEXTS
SEMESTER HOURS	24 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy
Number of assessments	2
CLASS SYLLABUS	- The objective is to introduce students to the specific characteristics of the narrative genre in France and the different types of short stories. - Study of some Maupassant short stories (narrative tools, lexicon, portrait, realism, fantasy, etc.). - Reading a complete work selected by students to be presented in the form of reading notes.

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COURSE OF STUDY	DAF
SEMESTER	2
EQUIVALENCE	DELF B2
CLASS	CONTEMPORARY CIVILISATION
SEMESTER HOURS	18 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy
Number of assessments	2
CLASS SYLLABUS	- Thematic file selected by the students and composed of authentic written and audio documents:  leisure activities in France, the French family today, political life in France, the French and foreigners. - Use of these thematic files to analyse texts, study the vocabulary and make comparisons between the students’ countries of origin.

 

COURSE OF STUDY	DAF
SEMESTER	2
EQUIVALENCE	DELF B2
CLASS	HISTORY and GEOGRAPHY
SEMESTER HOURS	24 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy
Number of assessments	2
CLASS SYLLABUS	Study of key historical periods in French History (Middle-Ages, Antiquity, Ancien Régime (pre-revolutionary times), the Revolution, colonialism, wars, May 1968, etc.), and France’s key historical figures (Joan of Arc, Louis XIV, Napoleon, etc.)

4 Advanced French Language Diploma (DSF)
The DSF reflects the consolidation of grammatical acquisitions, the perfecting of written production and spoken production (expression techniques) and greater in-depth study of French culture, literature and civilisation. This diploma is more specifically designed to prepare for university studies (in particular by the choice of specialised options). It also enables preparing for the DELF B2 and the DALF C1. Annual semester hours amount to 432 hours (216 hours SC / semester).
Learning objectives by skill at the end of semester 1:  B2

Listening comprehension	Reading comprehension	Spoken production	Written production
- Understanding long, complex documents. - Understanding informative and argumentative documents (newspapers, interviews, exposés, documentaries, etc.).	- Understanding informative and argumentative texts about current events. - Understanding literary texts written in prose.	- Giving and justifying one’s opinion about general topics. - Communicating spontaneously and with ease. - Taking an active part in a familiar conversation.	Writing argumentative texts (essays, formal letters, debates, critical articles, etc.).

Learning objectives by skill at the end of semester 2:  C1

Listening comprehension	Reading comprehension	Spoken production	Written production
- Understanding long, complex documents that make use of the implicit. - Understanding televised and cinematographic documents.	- Understanding long, complex factual or literary texts. - Understanding texts that express ideas and specialised articles.	- Presenting an exposé based on a documentary brief. - Expressing oneself fluently, spontaneously. - Giving and justifying one’s opinion.	- Drafting a synopsis. - Writing essays, letters, reports, complex articles, editorials and summaries.

Weekly class scheduling:
· Grammar:  3 h
· French writing practice:  3 h
· French speaking practice:  2:30 h
· Literary texts:  2 h
· Contemporary civilisation:  1:30 h
· History:  1 h
· Geography:  1 h
· 2 options*:  2 h each
*Students will be able to select an additional option (elective) that will replace their compulsory option if the grade they have earned on the elective is better than the one for the compulsory option.
Continuous assessment grades:  they correspond to 7 UI (Units of Instruction):

Grammar (coeff. 2)	French writing practice (coeff. 2)	French speaking practice (coeff. 2)
Literary texts (coeff. 1)	Contemporary civilisation (coeff.  1)	History and Geography (coeff. 1)
Options (coeff. 2)

 

 

 

  Detailed Fact Sheet about each first semester course

COURSE OF STUDY	DSF
SEMESTER	1
EQUIVALENCE	DELF B2
CLASS	GRAMMAR
SEMESTER HOURS	36 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy	L’expression française écrite et orale, PUG, éd 2003 (French written and spoken expression)
Number of assessments	3
CLASS SYLLABUS	- Punctuation - Nominalization - Sentence structure - Transitive and intransitive verbs - Active and passive - Past tenses - Past participle agreement - The subjunctive (values and usage) - Expressing thoughts - Expressing resolve - Expressing feelings

 

COURSE OF STUDY	DSF
SEMESTER	1
EQUIVALENCE	DELF B2
CLASS	FRENCH WRITING PRACTICE
SEMESTER HOURS	36 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy
Number of assessments	3
CLASS SYLLABUS	- Writing a text based on a given model. - Summary method. - Synthesis method. - The class also includes a creating writing workshop.

 

COURSE OF STUDY	DSF
SEMESTER	1
EQUIVALENCE	DELF B2
CLASS	FRENCH SPEAKING PRACTICE
SEMESTER HOURS	30 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy
Number of assessments	3
CLASS SYLLABUS	- In spoken production, the objective is to encourage students to express themselves spontaneously and precisely about a variety of topics (press, audiovisual documents) and to help them acquire the French technique of presenting an exposé. - In listening comprehension, work on long, varied and complex authentic documents; summary technique.

 

COURSE OF STUDY	DSF
SEMESTER	1
EQUIVALENCE	DELF B2
CLASS	LITERARY TEXTS
SEMESTER HOURS	24 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy
Number of assessments	2
CLASS SYLLABUS	The objective is to have students read a complete French literary work and to study its specific literary characteristics: - analysis and interpretation of a literary text with the help of short excerpts (work on language and analysis of effects) and the work’s structural foundations:  the rules and codes of a given genre, cohesion and underlying issues. - viewing the work as a element of culture and of civilisation:  by intertextual work; by having students work on presentations of literary works that belong to the same genre in their own country. - developing the reading of texts aloud in order to better appreciate them.

 

COURSE OF STUDY	DSF
SEMESTER	1
EQUIVALENCE	DELF B2
CLASS	CONTEMPORARY CIVILISATION
SEMESTER HOURS	18 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy
Number of assessments	2
CLASS SYLLABUS	- Searching for information that enables understanding the attitudes, behaviours, opinions and values of the French in ordinary everyday situations by comparing them with those in other European countries. - Work on a variety of authentic written documents (press, websites, Francoscopie excerpts) and audiovisuals, on themes selected by the students (the individual, the family, leisure activities, work, money, etc.) - Techniques for note-taking, reporting and drafting an exposé.

 

COURSE OF STUDY	DSF
SEMESTER	1
EQUIVALENCE	DELF B2
CLASS	HISTORY and GEOGRAPHY
SEMESTER HOURS	24 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy
Number of assessments	2
CLASS SYLLABUS	- Study of French relief and landscapes (cartography) - Gastronomy, dialects and French regions - French climate and population - Study of key historical periods (prehistory, the Gauls and the Romans, Antiquity)

Detailed Fact Sheet about each second semester course

COURSE OF STUDY	DSF
SEMESTER	2
EQUIVALENCE	DALF C1
CLASS	GRAMMAR
SEMESTER HOURS	36 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy	L’expression française écrite et orale, PUG, éd 2003
Number of assessments	3
CLASS SYLLABUS	- The language levels - The conditional (values and usage) - The reported speech - Expressing the condition and the hypothesis - Expressing the cause / the consequence - Expressing opposition and concession - Expressing the goal

 

COURSE OF STUDY	DSF
SEMESTER	2
EQUIVALENCE	DALF C1
CLASS	FRENCH WRITING PRACTICE
SEMESTER HOURS	36 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy
Number of assessments	3
CLASS SYLLABUS	- Synthesis method based on thematic briefs (sects, art, fashion, changes in society, etc.). - Writing reports and argumentative essays. - The class also includes a creative writing workshop.

COURSE OF STUDY	DSF
SEMESTER	2
EQUIVALENCE	DALF C1
CLASS	FRENCH SPEAKING PRACTICE
SEMESTER HOURS	30 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy
Number of assessments	3
CLASS SYLLABUS	- In spoken production, the objective is to encourage the students to express themselves spontaneously and precisely about a variety of topics (press, documents, audiovisuals) and to help them acquire the technique of the presentation followed by a debate. - In listening comprehension, work on authentic long, varied and complex documents.

 

COURSE OF STUDY	DSF
SEMESTER	2
EQUIVALENCE	DALF C1
CLASS	LITERARY TEXTS
SEMESTER HOURS	24 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy
Number of assessments	2
COURSE SYLLABUS	Study of a complete work and its specific generic characteristics.

 

COURSE OF STUDY	DSF
SEMESTER	2
EQUIVALENCE	DALF C1
CLASS	CONTEMPORARY CIVILISATION
SEMESTER HOURS	18 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy
Number of assessments	2
CLASS SYLLABUS	- Searching for information that enables understanding the attitudes, behaviours, opinions and values of the French in ordinary everyday situations by comparing them with those in other European countries. - Work on a variety of authentic written documents (press, websites, Francoscopie exerpts) and audiovisuals, on themes selected by the students (the individual, the family, leisure activities, work, money, etc.). - Synthesis technique.

 

COURSE OF STUDY	DSF
SEMESTER	2
EQUIVALENCE	DALF C1
CLASS	HISTORY and GEOGRAPHY
SEMESTER HOURS	24 hours
TEXTBOOK to buy
Number of assessments	2
CLASS SYLLABUS	Study of key historical periods in French History (Middle-Ages, Antiquity, Ancien Régime (pre-revolutionary times), the Revolution, colonialism, wars, May 1968, etc.), and France’s key historical figures (Joan of Arc, Louis XIV, Napoleon, etc.)

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Options offered in the DAF and DSF curricula
I. Panorama of French Literature
First semester:  From antique origins to French texts
Objective:  to develop students’ knowledge about French literature and give them access to the literary and mythological contents of antiquity, which are the foundation of Western literature.
Method:  presentation of French translations of short Greek and Latin excerpts and then comparing them to French texts inspired from them, based on a chronological and thematic outline.
Second semester:  From the Middle-Ages to the 19th century
Objective:  to develop students’ knowledge about French literature through a brief historical panorama of successive literary authors and movements, and to enable them to acquire or improve their ability to analyse texts written in “the French style”.
Method:  Historical literature class illustrated with the help of some excerpts and the study of texts for the purpose of making literary commentaries.
II. Newspaper Workshop
Objective:  writing a newspaper (drafted in French) that gives accounts of events that touch the lives of students at the FRENCH INSTITUTE, allowing them to publish their thoughts, their creative writings, etc., and that serves as an exchange forum for foreign students – not only among themselves but also with the exterior, and with the Humanities Faculty in particular.
III. Corporate French
The objective of this class is to help students acquire knowledge about the French corporation and its environment, as well as about how to use the appropriate linguistic communication methods in the professional world; it should also enable them to understand the specialised written and audiovisual press.
It strives to meet the linguistic needs of students intending to join the business world by:
- introducing them to the corporate world and its vocabulary (types of corporations, activity sectors, organisation charts, employment contracts, statements of earnings, marketing, counterfeit goods, etc.);
- helping them to acquire greater language proficiency in business situations (telephone conversations, meetings, presentations, commercial correspondence, reports, minutes, memorandums, etc.).
During the first semester, emphasis will be placed on speaking skills.
During the second semester, the focus will be placed on the written skills.
IV. Introduction to economics and law studies
The purpose of this class is to provide students intending to study law and/or economics with the necessary linguistic tools, by studying a number of fundamentals notions. The following topics will be examined, for instance:
- the major economic functions:  production, exchange and consumption
- the markets
- productivity and its consequences on the economy in legal terms
- constitutional law
- executive, legislative and judicial powers
- the judicial system in France
- the employment contract
V. The Francophone World
During the first semester, the objective of this class is to introduce students to the Francophone world and to the varieties of French in existence, providing an overview and explaining the structure of institutional Francophonie. The purpose is also to provide a historical perspective that explains how Francophonie became established.
During the second semester, we will most particularly focus on the rituals and traditions in Francophone countries with the help of a variety of documents.
VI. Theatre Workshop
The goal of this workshop, offered during the second semester in the form of training courses during the holidays and over the weekends (14 days), is to improve spoken production by using the French language in the context of theatrical communication and acting, to improve listening comprehension, to work on interaction and to practice dramatic writing skills (writing workshop).
This workshop is evaluated by an overall grade that takes into account participation, regular attendance in class and in the activities offered, the personal investment of students and the efforts contributed to the production of a public show. It is compulsory to take part in the show.
VII. Singing Workshop
This workshop is evaluated by an overall grade that takes into account participation, regular attendance in class and in the activities offered, the personal investment of students and the efforts they contribute. It is compulsory to take part in the end-of-semester show.
VIII. Cinema
A French film in the original version will be viewed at each class session, and its vocabulary and significance will be studied. A writing assignment is systematically given after each viewing.
The films selected either belongs to French film heritage (e.g. “Les enfants du Paradis”) or to current French cinematography (e.g. “Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain”).
IX. Art History
This class offers an historic panorama of the major Western artistic trends from Antiquity to the 20th century.

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2008-2009 Assessment

1. The continuous assessment
From the start of the 2008 academic year, student assessments are being conducted solely through various assessments throughout the year:  the continuous assessment. There is no longer a final exam except for students registered under the special study programmes and for the make-up in June.
The continuous assessment (CA) is a permanent process throughout the semester. It is an integral part of each class and it is based on the method defined by the teacher. It includes the grades obtained during unsupervised coursework (e.g.:  homework, research, exposés, etc.) and during supervised coursework (in class). Any absence during this continuous assessment process must be justified.
The minimal number of CAs for each Unit of Instruction (UI) is defined as follows:
DEF 

Grammar: 4 grades	Written production: 3 grades	Spoken production: 3 grades
Reading comprehension: 3 grades	Listening comprehension: 3 grades	Phonetics: 2 grades

DAF 

Grammar: 4 grades	Writing practice: 3 grades	Speaking practice: 3 grades	Literary text: 2 grades
Civilisation:  2 grades	History-Geography:  2 grades	Compulsory option:  2 grades

DSF 

Grammar: 3 grades	Writing practice: 3 grades	Speaking practice: 3 grades	Literary texts: 2 grades
Civilisation:  2 grades	History-Geography:  2 grades	Compulsory option 1:  2 grades	Compulsory option 2:  2 grades

Continuous assessments, as is true of exams, may be in form of written assessments, oral assessments or a combination of both.
The results of the various IUs taken during any single academic year are combined (there are no eliminatory grades). The IUs for which a student has not obtained the average mark are only credited, via this type of offsetting, if the student passes for the year (i.e.:  if the average is obtained after calculating all the grades for the year, even if the student has earned lower than average marks for some UIs)
Any absence of a mark for an UI, either during the first or the second semester, will result in deferring the diploma.
2. The minimal assessment
This concerns the students enrolled in the special study programmes for the first session (see page 16), as well as the students who are doing a make-up (second session).
Length of the final exams:

Test	Coefficient	Test name	Final Exam (nature and length)
DEF 11 and 21	1	Grammar	Written, 2:30
DEF 12 and 22	1	Written production	Written, 1:30	3 h
DEF 14 and 24	1	Reading comprehension	Written, 1 h 30
DEF 13 and 23	1	Spoken production	Oral, 10 min. per student
DEF 15 and 25	1	Listening comprehension	Written and oral, 1:30 h
DEF 16 and 26	1	Phonetics	1st session:  written and oral, 1:30 h
			2nd session; oral, 10 min. per student

 

Test	Coefficient	Test name	Final Exam (nature and length)
DAF 11 and 21 DSF 11 and 21	2	Grammar	1s session:  written, 3 h
			2nd session DAF:  oral, 15 min. per student
			2nd session DSF:  written, 2 h
DAF 12 and 22 DSF 12 and 22	2	Writing practice	Written, 3 h
DAF 13 and 23 DSF 13 and 23	2	Speaking practice
		a) Listening comprehension	Written and oral, 1:30 h
		b) Spoken production	Oral, 10 min. per student
DAF 14 and 24 DSF 14 and 24	1	Literary texts	Written, 2 h
DAF 15 and 25 DSF 15 and 25	1	Civilisation	1st session:  written, 1 h
			2nd session:  oral, 10 mn per student
DAF 16 and 26 DSF 16 and 26	1	History and Geography	Written, 2 h
DAF 17 and 27 DSF 17 and 27	1 2	Option(s)	Written, 2 h except 2nd session of the Economics option:  oral, 15 min. per student

All UIs for which the student has obtained the average are definitively credited and cannot be taken over again.

3- Admission to the diploma:
REMINDER:  Situation of students in Prepa DEF:  As this preparatory year does not result in a University diploma, students may obtain a certificate of regular attendance, if they for it.
The first session:
The final grade is the result of the combined average of all the grades obtained at the end of each semester. The overall grade that is taken into account at the end of each semester is the average of the continuous assessment grades (except for students who have registered for the final exam).
At the second session or make-up session (which is held in June):
Only the grades obtained on the final exam tests will count.
2- Results
The examination results for the sessions (admission to IU or diploma) are posted after deliberations by the jury, whose decisions are final.
Graduation honours are only attributed after obtaining the complete diplomas:

10/20:  Passing

12/20:  Satisfactory

14/20:  Good

16/20:  Very good

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SPECIAL STUDY PROGRAMME
Those entitled to take advantage of the special study programme include:
- students who hold jobs and who can justify working 10h per week;
- students who hold special responsibilities in university activities, student activities or associative activities;
- students heading a family;
- students enrolled in several study programmes;
- students with disabilities;
- top athletes.
Students holding jobs and who cannot attend all of their classes must inform their group’s advisory professor, as well as the academic secretariat at the beginning of the semester. They must provide justifications that correspond to their situation and must, in particular, provide their activity timetables or schedules so that the incompatibility with the course scheduling at the Faculty may be checked.

For classes that they cannot take, a special exam programme may be suggested to them:  they may elect to list the UIs they cannot attend at the academic secretariat. In order to be admitted for the diploma, only the grade obtained at the end of the semester on the Final Exam will then be taken into account.
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REFERENCE SYSTEM
EQUIVALENCY GRID

CECR	DELF DALF	TCF	FRENCH INSTITUTE UD
A1 (elementary level)	DELF A1 (score out of 100)	Level 1 (100 to 199 points)	Prepa DEF (semester 1)
A2 (advanced elementary level)	DELF A2 (score out of 100)	Level 2 (200 to 299 points)	Prepa DEF (semester 2) DEF (semester 1)
B1 (intermediate level)	DELF B1 (score out of 100)	Level 3 (300 to 399 points)	DEF (semester 2) DAF (semester 1)
B2 (upper intermediate level)	DELF B2 (score out of 100)	Level 4 (400 to 499 points)	DAF  (semester 2) DSF (semester 1)
C1 (advanced level)	DALF C1 (score out of 100)	Level 5 (500 to 599 points)	DSF (semester 2)
C2 (upper advanced level)	DALF C2 (score out of 100)	Level 6 (600 to 699 points)

INTERPRETATION GRID

LEVEL	SIGNIFICANCE
Level 1:  elementary level (A1)	Basic French proficiency. The person is capable of understanding simple, concrete situations concerning everyday life. He or she can communicate in a simple manner if the other person speaks slowly.
Level 2:  upper elementary level (A2)	Elementary language proficiency. The person can understanding isolated phrases about familiar areas. He or she can communicate in routine situations and bring up issues that concern their lives via simple means.
Level 3:  intermediate level (B1)	Efficient language proficiency but limited. The person understands clear, standard language if it concerns a familiar area. He or she can deal with situations when travelling, talk about their personal interests and provide a brief explanation about a project or idea.
Level 4:  upper intermediate level (B2)	General, spontaneous language proficiency. The person can understand the main ideas in a complex text. He or she can discuss a general or professional topic with others in a clear, detailed fashion and back up opinions with logical arguments.
Level 5:  advanced level (C1)	Good language proficiency. The person can understand a wide range of long, demanding texts containing implicit meaning. He or she speaks fluently and in a structured manner about social, academic or professional topics and about complex subjects.
Level 6:  upper advanced level (C2)	Excellent language proficiency. The person understands virtually everything he or she reads or hears with ease and can summarise the information coherently. They express themselves fluently and precisely, while differentiating finer shades of meaning about complex topics.

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