FREN 295-62
CULTURAL INTEGRATION WORKSHOP
ATELIER d'INTÉGRATION CULTURELLE
SUMMER 2008
Dr. Roger Bensky - Dr. Michelle Ghattas - Dr. Guy Spielmann

GOALS

The Cultural Integration Worshop is designed to bridge the gap between Georgetown students' largely theoretical, abstract knowledge of contemporary French culture and life, and the reality that they are going to experience while in Tours. This two-week course (including many field trips and other "hands-on" learning opportunities) gives them not only the necessary tools to make sense of what they see, hear and do on a daily basis, but also some strategies to optimize the way they look, listen and act in this authentic French setting.

OBJECTIVES

Our objectives are to get students engaged with French culture and language through exposure to a wide variety 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 them. First of all, students need to learn how to make sense of these complex documents and experiences; then they must 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 environment.

METHODOLOGY

This workshop demands constant, active participation: students have to come to class fully prepared to discuss documents and to contribute their own 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 developping the ability to function entirely in French, both orally and in writing. Several assignments require students to do on-site observations and conduct inquiries and interviews outside of class.

COURSE LOGISTICS

Placement
Students will be initially grouped in three sections according to their initial level of attainment in French:
Section 1 - (Registered in FREN-099-62)
Students having completed High School French / Intro I-2 (001/002) / Intensive basic (011) / Intermediate 1-2 (021/022) / Intensive Intermediate (032)
Section 2 - (Registered in FREN-199-62)
Students having completed Advanced 1-2 (101/102) / Intensive Advanced 1-2 (111-112) / Advanced Grammar (151) / Topics for Oral Proficiency (161) and any course numbered 1--
Section 3 - (Registered in FREN-299-62)
Students having completed any course numbered 2--, 3-- or 4--
(Some section adjustments may be made during the first three days of class)

Schedule and Workload
Classes
Classes are held daily (Monday-Friday) from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., with a 15-minute break around 11:30.
Students are expected to be present every day and arrive promptly at 10 a.m. Any unjustified absence or repeated tardiness will severely affect the participation grade.
Co-Curricular Activities
In addition to daily classes, field trips (excursions), lectures and other activities are considered an integral part of the CIW curriculum. Students are expected to be present and attentive; some participation will almost always be required and there will be quizes to verify that everyone is paying attention.
Full Immersion and Language Pledge
Shortly after their arrival in Tours, 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 dictionnaries 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")

Work Assignments
Blog
Students will keep a daily blog in French for the duration of the CIW. This blog provides them with an opportunity to record and share what they have experienced, in the form of observations or questions.
Carnet
Students will keep a notebook in which they will record "words of the day", "phrases of the day", and "events of the day," that they hear, read or witness. Entries will be made on the basis of novelty from the student perspective, but also for their potential interest for the whole class. Entries will be discussed in class daily, with complementary explanations supplied by the instructor.
Enquêtes
Enquêtes 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 conduction other kinds of "hands-on" research.
Feuilles de route
Feuilles de route are worksheets that are handed out before field trips and lectures, to be completed by students by culling information from what they see, read and hear during the activity. The next day, everyone must turn in his/her completed worksheet for evaluation.

Course outline
The CIW is structured around six thematic areas:

1) Institutions, vie publique et sociale
2) De l'espace national à l'espace urbain
3) Foyer et vie familiale
4) Éducation, scolarité et formation
5) Histoire et patrimoine
6) Vie culturelle

For each thematic strand, we will study source materials of three kinds:
- Texts and discourse (including newspapers, magazines, commercial items, inscriptions in public spaces)
- Images and objects (including ads, billboards, movies, commercial items)
- Behavior and Interaction (from direct contact or observation)

MATERIALS

- A portable monolingual paperback dictionnary such as Micro-Robert (purchase)
- A coursepack including reference documents (maps, charts...) and reading selections (articles, excerpts from books), to be made available in PDF format through BlackBoard for FREN 295-62 (print and bring with you).
- On-line resources, including some available through BlackBoard for FREN 295-62

EVALUATION

- Preparedness and Participation (incl. notebook entries): 40%
- Daily Blog: 20%
- Writing assignments: 15%
- Worksheets: 15%

COURSE CONTENTS

1) Institutions, vie publique et sociale
- Institutions exécutives, législatives, et judiciaires
- Rapports des citoyens à l'État
- Symbolique de l'État, de la République, de la nation
- Classes sociales, groupes socio-économiques, rôles sociaux et stéréotypes (hommes/femmes/enfants, figures d'autorité, marginaux, "minorités")
Documents: «L'État français: structures exécutives et legislatives» (Infographie) - Gérard Mermet, «Politique», Francoscopie 2007, p. 222-225 - «Vendez-nous une présidente», Marie-Claire (2002) - Discours de Jacques Chirac du 11 mars 2007 (texte et clip)- «Guerre des nerfs à tous les guichets», Le Point, 16 mars 2006, p. 64-67 - Raymonde Carroll, «Se Renseigner», Évidences invisibles, p. 163-182
2) De l'espace national à l'espace urbain
- Structure administrative du pays, collectivités territoriales
- Organisation physique de la ville, répartition de l'espace (avenues, rues, places...)
- Repères, orientation, perception des distances
- Gestion des déplacements et modes d'usage des espaces publics
- Notions de quartier, de centre ~ périphérie, de banlieue
Documents: «Provinces et régions de France» (carte) - «Le Réseau urbain français» (carte) - «Les Divisions administratives françaises», Les Institutions de la France, Nathan, coll. «Repères Pratiques» - Pierre Falga et Michel Feltin «Où vit-on le mieux en France? Le palmarès 2006 des départements heureux», L'Express du 11 mai 2006 (Texte et infographie) - Gérard Mermet, «La France dans le monde», Francoscopie 2007, p. 230-233 -
3) Foyer et vie familiale, valeurs
- Structuration et usage des espaces intérieurs (maison ou appartement)
- Usages et notions liées aux pièces, au mobilier, aux équipements
- Structuration de la vie familiale et domestique: rituels, rythmes, notions fondamentales
- Conception et pratique des rapports entres membres d'une maisonnée (famille, amis proches, animaux domestiques)
Documents: Raymonde Carroll, «La Maison», Évidences invisibles, p. 31-41 - Gérard Mermet, «Les Valeurs», Francoscopie 2007, p. 238-246
4) Éducation, scolarité et formation
- Le système scolaire et universitaire (filières et parcours)
- Notions et perceptions liées au travail: typologies (fonctionnaires ~ «le privé»), rythmes (35 heures, RTT), chômage, recherche d'un emploi.
Documents: «Le Système éducatif français» (infographie) - «Universités-Grandes Écoles: sortir de la rivalité», Le Monde de l'éducation (Octobre 2005), p. 33-34 - Paul Quinio, «Malgré un système éducatif plus ouvert, l'inégalité des chances résiste à l'école», Libération du 28 août 1997 - «L'importance de bien connaître le système scolaire», entretien avec l'historien Antoine Prost, par Karim Talbi, Libération du 28 août 1997
5) Histoire et patrimoine
- Balisage historique/chronologique à partir des ressources locales - La notion de patrimoine; les monuments, les musées, les manifestations.
Documents: Répertoire chronologique des dirigeants de la France depuis 987 (en ligne)
6) Vie culturelle
- La culture «populaire» ou de divertissement: TV, cinéma, BD, musique (Rock, Rap, Musette?...), magazines
- La culture «savante»: beaux-arts, théâtre, musique classique, littérature....
- Habitudes / attitudes alimentaires, gastronomie
Documents: - «Consommation», Francoscopie 2007, p. 334-338 - Raymonde Carroll, «La Conversation», Évidences invisibles, p. 43-66 - «Alimentation - Consommation par jour» et «emploi du temps», 24 heures dans la vie des Français, Gallimard «découvertes» (infographies) - «Je mange proprement», Youpi! - «Les Plats préférés des Français en 2006» (Document SOFRES) - «Les Nouvelles Habitudes alimentaires», Le Monde - Ginette Mathiot, La Cuisine pour tous (extraits) - «L'avenir du camembert au lait cru», Le Monde.

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