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.

• Course notes (given in class)
• Moodle Platform
• French dictionnary Le petit Robert
• 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.