This special topics course invites students of advanced French to reflect critically on historical and sociocultural aspects of France, the Francophone world, and the French language through texts and materials from a variety of sources. The medium of instruction and assessment will be French. Specific topics covered will vary.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

Upon successful completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Critically analyse primary texts, especially in terms of their aesthetic, linguistic, and sociohistorical elements.
2. Compare and contextualise viewpoints in French.
3. Formulate, present, and evaluate an original argument in French.
4. Engage in critical dialogue with classmates in French.

Required Resources

1) Tahar Ben Jelloun, La Réclusion solitaire. Paris : Denoël, 1976 (Edition Points).

2) Dany Laferrière, Vers le sud. Paris : Grasset. 2006.

3) Clément Baloup, Mémoires de Viet Kieu, Vol. III, Les Mariées de Taïwan. Paris : Boite à Bulles, 2017.

4) Marie Darrieussecq, Truismes. Paris : P.O.L, 1996. (Edition Folio).

Staff Feedback

Students will receive personal feedback on their written assignments and oral presentation. In class, feedback will be given to the whole group by remedial tasks when needed.

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Other Information

Students are expected to complete assignments on their own and are not permitted to ask help from other individuals (i.e., native speakers, tutors, family or friends) when the task is submitted for assessment. Improper collaboration of this nature constitutes academic misconduct and will be dealt with in accordance with ANU policy.

Language resources

Tex’s French grammar: http://www.laits.utexas.edu/tex/

La conjugaison des verbes: http://la-conjugaison.nouvelobs.com/

French students association

Students can join the French Collective club, which organises film screenings, breakfasts and other fun events:

Follow at: https://www.facebook.com/anufrenchcollective

Contact: cf.anu09@gmail.com

Alliance Française de Canberra

The Alliance Française, McCaughey St, Turner, offers a range of activities and facilities. SBS shows French news and many French films (subtitled). Households in a number of Canberra suburbs receive TV5 Monde.

The Alliance also runs the French Film Festival each Feb-March.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Please see wattle for a detailed course schedule.

Tutorial Registration

If it is necessary to run two groups in this course, students will register for their group on Wattle.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Reading quiz	15 %	07/03/2019	21/03/2019	1,2,3,4
Oral presentations	20 %	01/01/2029	02/01/2029	1,2,3,4
Comprehension questions	25 %	01/01/2029	02/01/2029	1,2,3,4
Research analysis paper	40 %	01/01/2029	02/01/2029	1,2,3,4

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website. Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Assessment Task 1

Reading quiz

The reading quiz will take place in Week 2 and will reflect the material covered in Week 1 on reading and interpreting literary and visual materials. You will be assessed on your assimilation of the vocabulary used in literary and visual analysis, your ability to analyse literary and visual texts and your written expression in French.

Value: 15%

Estimated return date: Week 4

Assessment Task 2

Oral presentations

The oral presentations will begin in Week 3 and will offer the opportunity to apply your literary and/or visual analysis skills to one of the course texts in a 10-minute, unscripted presentation. You will choose a topic/question for the text we are studying that week (or a text previously studied) and develop a literary or visual analysis of the text in question using specific examples from that text to support your ideas. This is not a research assignment, and as such, this work is to be entirely your own. You will use PowerPoint to present relevant context, your textual support, etc. You will be assessed on the organization and clarity of your presentation, the quality of your analysis, and your oral expression in French. Assignment details to follow. See Wattle for the assessment rubric.

Value: 20%

Estimated return date: The class session following your presentation.

Assessment Task 3

Comprehension questions

Each week’s reading will be accompanied by 4-5 comprehension questions to help guide your reading and further refine your literary and visual analysis skills. You will print these questions out and bring them to the Thursday session, where you will turn them in to me in class. These questions will be the basis for our group discussions for that class session, and you must attend class in order to hand them in. You must hand in 10/12 of these comprehension questions over the semester (ie, you may miss two without penalty). You may type these answers up or write them by hand. You may also make extra notes as you’re discussing with classmates. Please ensure, however, that the documents are neat and legible. This is not a research assignment, but rather, an exercise in textual interpretation, and as such, you will be assessed on the thoughtfulness of your response and on your expression in French (though please note that I will not correct every error I note). There is no required word count for these exercises, but you should be aiming for roughly 300-350 words total per worksheet.

Value: 25%

Estimated return date: Suggested answers will be posted on Wattle following the class session; Comprehension questions will be returned weekly.

Assessment Task 4

Research analysis paper

Two weeks following your oral presentation, you will submit a research paper (1,500-2,000 words) that extends the interpretive work begun in the presentation. In this assignment, you will further refine your topic and literary/visual analysis based on class and instructor feedback. This may involve shifting the focus of your topic/question, bringing in other textual examples, rethinking the examples and interpretations offered in the presentation, etc. You will also situate your analysis in relation to the existing scholarship on the text, region, themes, et., as appropriate. You will be assessed on the organization and clarity of your writing, the quality and depth of your research, the creativity of your literary/visual interpretation, and your written expression in French. Assignment details to follow. See Wattle for the assessment rubric.

Value: 40%

Estimated return date: Two weeks after submission.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

Assignments are submitted using Turnitin in the course Wattle site. You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment (no cover sheet required). Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Students who choose to opt out of Turnitin will be required to produce the composition as an in-class writing assignment; there will be one 50-minute session for all students and it will be arranged at the course convenor’s convenience.

Hardcopy Submission

The paper version will be submitted on the day it is due in class or in my mailbox or under my door (mailbox in department centre, 2^nd floor AD Hope; room: 153 AD Hope). A cover sheet is not required because this will be the exact copy that you submit online.

Late Submission

Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Returning Assignments

Assignments will be returned in class.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

Not applicable.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students