UCL - Economic and commercial texts in French: discourse genres and terminology

[ROM2670]

[22.5h] 4 credits

This two-yearly course is taught in 2008-2009, 2010-2011,...

Teacher(s):

Language: French

Level: Second

Aims
Main themes
Content and teaching methods
Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Aims

At the end of the course, students should be able to identify the principal characteristics (linguistic, and sociolinguistic) of different economic and commercial texts in French and have acquired a solid vocabulary in these areas ( C1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference).

Main themes

The course is based on a detailed description of the linguistic features (grammatical, lexical and stylistic) that are typical of the economic and commercial domain as opposed to other registers of the French language. The focus is on significantly increasing specialised vocabulary to enable students to easily understand any text in this domain.
Articles from newspapers, magazines, scientific books and websites are used for reading comprehension and vocabulary extension exercises.

Content and teaching methods

The course is based on a detailed linguistic and sociolinguistic analysis of economic and commercial English using original texts. These articles focus on important themes, particularly macro-economics, trade, sales techniques, accounting, the management and structure of companies, insurance and banking. Various exercises and internet research are used to enhance reading skills and vocabulary extension in this domain.
The course is based on articles from newspapers, magazines, scientific books and websites.

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Prerequisites: B1+ level of listening and reading in French (Common European Framework of Reference).
Evaluation: Written examination: reading comprehension questions on original texts related to themes covered in class and vocabulary exercises based on vocabulary studied in class.
Course materials: Texts used include newspaper and internet articles on current economic affairs and theoretical texts on economic issues.