French - Advanced level (C1) - "Professional Communication Strategies" [ LFRAN1505 ]

Students must have a minimum level of B2 in French  (Common European Framework  of Reference of the Council of Europe).

To achieve this goal, students will

• Observe, understand and experience various oral or written professional situations of communication based on authentic or pseudo-authentic documents (movies, documentaries, interviews with managers');
• write 4 texts in professional language;
• make a professional presentation;
• perform job interviews both as a candidate and as a recruiter ;
• take part in oral negotiations, playing different roles;
• manage complicated oral situations;
• experience group e-working situations using the Moodle platform;
• use professional vocabulary
• progressively compile  a communication profile;

At the end of this C1-level class, students will:

• understand oral and written discourse in a French speaking professional context without too much difficulty;
• develop, using professional language, communication strategies appropriate to the situation;
• write professional texts (emails, reports, letters of complaint, CV) using the appropriate register, complex sentences and specific vocabulary;
• be able to express themselves precisely and with a certain ease in professional situations requiring oral communication (presentations, job interviews, negotiations, meetings) and cope with unpredictable situations;
• know and use vocabulary specific to the French professional world ;
• formulate precisely some of their skills and weaknesses in oral professional communication ;
• use collaborative e-tools (forums, web platform) efficiently.
   

Students will be assessed on their work during the year (40 %) and on a final exam (60 %):

Continuous assessement 10%

• Active participation in a minimum of 75 % of classes
• Regular and active participation in on-line exercises
• Written work = 30%

Final exam 60 %

• Vocabulary test
• Completion of a communication profile sheet
• Oral exam : Group negotiation
• Written exam : Writing  a professional report

This course is taught in blended learning, with an alternate in-class sessions and distance sessions. Each distance-session requires between 2 and 4 hours of work.

Oral and written situations of communication will be studied using authentic  and semi-authentic documents (extracts from movies and documentaries about the business world, interviews with business people, lectures given by specialists').
By means of regular exercises in class and on the Web-platform, students will improve their language skills in professional situations analysed in class, and develop their professional vocabulary.
Students will undertake a group project culminating in an oral presentation. The teacher will tutor each step of this project.
Each oral or written production will be assessed (with or without a grade), based on criteria specified in advance.

NB : This is not a grammar class. However, grammar and spelling will be assessed in oral and written productions. Students are expected to work by themselves using reference material to improve their morpho-syntaxic skills.
 

1. Course notes (given in class)
2. Moodle Platform
3. French dictionnary Le petit Robert 
4. Grammaire progressive du français, niveau avancé (Clé International).

This class corresponds to the C1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Maximum  group size = 15 students
The teacher is available during her office hour, and by email.