French III

The course offers practice in written and spoken French with a focus on business French. Particular attention is given to sustainability issues specific to the economy. The course falls under both French for Specific Purposes (FSP) and French for Academic Purposes (FAP). All course materials are rooted in an economic context and their level of complexity depends on the group to which the student is assigned.

PLEASE NOTE:
The course will begin with a diagnostic test that will allow the instructor to place students in a subgroup or a course appropriate for their level. The diagnostic test will take place during the orientation session (which is the first class session) on September 16 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Students who were unable to take the test on September 16 will be invited to take it during the professor's office hours. Given that the final grade is based in part on continuous assessment, it is essential that students join their proficiency group from the very start of the first term (Q1). 

This course is an alternative to the “Academic English” course in which French and Dutch native speakers will be placed by default. 

The sessions are designed to help students acquire, develop, deepen, or reinforce language structures that will enable them to communicate effectively in a French-speaking academic environment within a program in economics and management engineering. The course aims to develop vocabulary specific to the fields of business and economics.

The sub-objectives vary depending on the level: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Depending on their proficiency level, students must be able to communicate in basic professional situations, read and understand a text (from the press or popular science) in economics, and discuss it; they must be able to analyze economic facts in writing, adopt a critical perspective, and present arguments while adhering to the writing standards specific to this genre in an academic context.

The approach is communicative and aims to develop five skills (written and oral production, reading and listening comprehension, and interaction). Depending on the group, there will be a particular focus on writing.

Active participation is required and necessary for the sessions to run smoothly. Independent homework assignments must be completed between sessions. Certain tasks to be completed outside of exam sessions contribute to the final grade (see Continuous Assessment).

Sessions are held in person: attendance is mandatory and is taken into account in the final grade (see Continuous Assessment).

Support(s) de cours

• Université virtuelle

Contacts

Béatrice Vermeulen
beatrice.vermeulen@ulb.be
 

Campus

Solbosch

Méthode(s) d'évaluation

• Travail personnel
• Examen écrit
• Evaluation continue
• Examen oral

Travail personnel

Examen écrit

Evaluation continue

Examen oral

• Examen hors-session

Construction de la note (en ce compris, la pondération des notes partielles)

Evaluation includes continuous assessment, written and oral exams. Successful completion grants 5 ECTS credits. 

January : ½ of the final grade. 

June  : ½ of the final grade. 

The same weighting applies to both the January and June sessions:

- Continuous assessment : 15%

- Written exam : 20%

- Oral exam : 15%

A student absent from one of the assessments will be marked as absent for the final grade (cf. Art. 70 §1 of the study regulations).

The teaching unit is credited if the grade reaches 10/20. The grade is only credited at the end of the June session. However, it is credited only if the competencies in the 3 components making up the grade have been acquired, which requires the student to obtain a minimum of 10/20 in each of them and if the grades in the January and June partial session each reach a minimum of 10/20.

If the teaching unit is not credited due to a partial grade below 10/20, the lowest grade is retained for the teaching unit as a whole.

If the student does not present or fails for one of the parts in January or in June, he/she will have to retake the exam in the second session. The parties whose scores are higher than 10/20 will no longer have to be represented, only the party concerned by the failure will have to be represented. For the second session, the continuous assessment grade is retained.

NOTE : the professor reserves the right to require any student to attend a supplementary oral examination in order to verify the student's personal mastery of the content of the submitted exam.

Langue(s) d'évaluation

• français