BERGAMO
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
At the end of the module, students will have acquired the tools to understand and analyse French used in specialist contexts, with particular reference to business discourse. They will also have consolidated or improved their French language skills in the four communication skills of the Common European Framework of Reference to reach level C1+/C2.
Course Prerequisites
Passing the French Language LM 1 exam
Teaching Methods
Lectures, delivered with the aid of multimedia tools, will alternate with individual or group work that will contribute to the final assessment. Constant dialogue and discussion with the class will be encouraged.
Students are also invited to participate in the language learning activities (AAL) scheduled within the weekly timetable for their level of proficiency, as well as the tutoring activities planned throughout the year (see Language Competence Centre).
Assessment Methods
SUBJECT KNOWLEDGE:
The examination will consist of an oral interview. Non-attending students will be questioned on the reference literature. Those who have attended the course are asked to present and explain their individual project in PowerPoint during the oral interview. The project will focus on a dossier of one or more commercial websites of brands with the following characteristics: strong cultural impact on a hexagonal scale or in the wider French-speaking world, and multilingualism of the commercial website. The presentation of the project will follow the analysis grid provided during the course, with particular attention to the argumentative functions of corporate discourse. Any individual or group work required during the year will contribute to the final assessment.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS:
In order to be admitted to the oral exam, students must have passed each individual written or oral test assessing their level of competence (see
Learning objectives).
The tests are organised as follows: 1) Thème (translation from Italian to French); 2) Note de synthèse.
For a detailed description of these tests, please consult the AAL French Language C1+/C2 sheet on the Language Competence Centre pages.
For details on the tests, please consult the Language Competence Centre pages: https://www.unibg.it/studia-noi/ti-aiutiamo/apprendimento-linguistico/fr
The final exam mark is calculated based on the assessment of the oral interview on the two modules that make up the course. The achievement of the expected level of communication skills (C1+/C2) contributes to the final mark.
The AAL tests account for one third of the final mark. The oral exam accounts for two thirds of the final mark.
The marks are divided into thirtieths according to the following bands:
Excellent (30 with honours) – Knowledge and skills fully acquired and applied with precision, effectiveness and autonomy. No errors.
Very good (30–27) – Very solid knowledge and skills, applied correctly and with confidence. Any errors are minor and non-recurring.
Good (26–24) – Adequate knowledge and skills, with some uncertainty or inaccuracy.
Errors are present but not serious or systematic.
Sufficient (23–18) – Basic knowledge and skills acquired, but applied partially or
with obvious errors. Sufficient general understanding.
Insufficient (less than 18) – Incomplete knowledge and inadequately developed skills.
Numerous errors that compromise the success of the task.
Contents
Module A: Corporate discourse – Discourse analysis of a corpus of multimodal corporate websites of culturally important brands in France and French-speaking countries. The focus will be on exploring argumentative strategies and the legitimisation of statements in order to go beyond content analysis. Particular attention will also be paid to corporate terminology and its synonymic variation in use depending on the various cultural and geographical contexts in which the brand operates (France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada).
Online Resources
More information
We recommend consulting the course's e-learning website and the language learning activities website: French Language C1+/ C2 AAL.
As indicated in the assessment methods, access to the oral exam is subject to passing all the French language communication skills tests.
For more information on acquiring French language communication skills, please refer to the University Language Centre website.
Non-attending students and Erasmus students are also advised to contact the lecturer at the beginning of the course. Please note that the lectures are accompanied by materials that reproduce the contents of the reference texts provided in the bibliography and which are studied by non-attending students. This ensures that all students, whether attending or not, have access to the same content, while taking into account the different ways in which they access it (in class, individually from a book or other sources).