French Linguistics

Postgraduate course

Course description

Objectives and Content

The course comprises the following components

¿ French grammar (2/3 of the course)

¿ Variable topic in linguistics (1/3 of the course)

The study of grammar and other linguistic topics aims to give students further insights into and competencies in modern French linguistics.

Learning Outcomes

Students who have completed the course will have gained the following objectives:

Knowledge

The student

¿ Has insights into modern scientific approaches to French grammar

¿ Has insights into studies of language use or language acquisition.

Skills

The student

¿ Can explain main topics in modern French grammar

¿ Can discuss different theories of language use or language acquisition and use these theories in their own analyses.

¿ Can analyze sentence structures and various aspects of language use or language acquisition.

General competencies

  • The student has a basis for working scientifically with modern French grammar and theories of language use or language acquisition.

ECTS Credits

15

Level of Study

Master¿s level

Semester of Instruction

Spring

Place of Instruction

Bergen and Trondheim
Required Previous Knowledge
No formal requirement, but see Recommended Previous Knowledge.
Recommended Previous Knowledge
100 or 200 level French or the equivalent
Credit Reduction due to Course Overlap
Due to certain overlaps in content, credits for completing FRAN313 will be reduced by 10 ECTS if combined with FRAN302, FRAN306, FRAN310, FRAN309, FRAN309L, FRAN311, or FRAN313L.
Access to the Course
The course is open to students enrolled in the Master¿s program in French at the University of Bergen.
Teaching and learning methods

Lectures, seminars, and group sessions for ca. 12 weeks. Students are expected to actively participate by presenting or discussing articles, their own analyses or other course-related material.

The majority of the teaching is conducted online as a cooperation between NTNU and the University of Bergen (UiB).

There may also be some shared classes with students at the ENS in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Compulsory Assignments and Attendance

In order to be eligible for the exam, students must

1. Have one assignment in grammar approved

2. Participate in a seminar on the scientific use of sources related to the obligatory assignment.

Approved obligatory activities are valid for the one semester after the course is taught.

Forms of Assessment

The assessment is a term paper on a given topic (three-weeks).

The exam paper covers both parts of the course. The paper should be about 3000 words long: Ca. 2000 words in French grammar and ca. 1000 words in the variable linguistics topic.

Grammar counts for 2/3 and linguistics for 1/3 of the grade.

Students will be offered supervision during the exam.

Grading Scale
The exam is marked on a scale from A to F, where F means that the candidate fails.
Assessment Semester
Autumn. Students with approvals on their mandatory assignments may also be assessed early in the spring semester.
Reading List
Grammar: around 200 pages from a work on French grammar, and between 50 and 100 pages of linguistic theory.
Course Evaluation
The evaluation is conducted in accordance with the quality control system of the University of Bergen.
Examination Support Material
Does not apply.
Programme Committee
The program committee is responsible for the academic content and structure of the program and for the quality of the program and all the courses that comprise it.
Course Coordinator
The program committee for French.
Course Administrator
The Faculty of the Humanities through the Department of Foreign Languages is responsible for the administration of the course and the program as such.