French Language and Culture 2 (FREN3113)

Course overview

This course aims to improve students' competencies in the four key areas of reading, writing, listening and speaking. Particular emphasis is placed on the relationship between text and context, with students examining the importance of not just linguistic but historical and cultural understanding in the analysis of authentic cinematic, televisual and written texts in French.

The language goal of FREN3113 is to move students from B1 towards a B2 level French on theﾠ CEFR (Common European Frame of Reference) language proficiency scale because our French-speaking exchange partner universities suggest that in order to study alongside domestic students, you should be at B2 or C1 level.ﾠThis requires students to acquire new knowledge from complex texts in the target language and to be able to speak spontaneously, with detail, and to express opinions about a wide range of topics. To develop these skills, this year the course will focus on the themes of the ﾠAlgerian war (1954-1962), the civil wars in Rwanda (1990-1994) and Burundi, (1993-2005) as well as contemporary immigration to France and Belgium as represented in the following materials:

• The acclaimed and controversial film, La Bataille d'Alger (1966) which retraces a turning point in the Algerian conflict;
• Extracts from Abderrhamane Boufraïne's autobiography, 31, rue de la République (2009), which depicts the life of a French family of Algerian background in the Parisian banlieue;
• A telefilm which reflects on the lives of the second generation: the highly successful Aïcha (2009), written and directed by Yamina Benguigui, about a young woman's desire to leave the banlieue for Paris;
• The acclaimed novel Petit Pays (2016) by Franco-Burundian writer Gaël Faye as well as the film adaptation of the same name (2020) directed by Eric Barbier;
• Songs, press articles, interviews and memoirs provided in documentaries and in the FREN3113 Course Reading List

Rather than focusing on direct grammar exercises, grammar and vocabulary are integrated into written and oral assignments such as oral presentations and the argumentative essay which isﾠa fundamental exercise for Francophone students. Throughout the course, students will learn to develop their argumentation skills and how to structure an argumentative essay in the French style.

Course requirements

Assumed background

Successful completion of FREN3111, FREN2112/FREN3112 or placement test. Students who do not fulfil those prerequisites, but who have an equivalent knowledge of French (e.g. from equivalent formal prerequisites gained interstate or overseas, or from residence in a French-speaking country) are permitted to enrol in FREN3113, but they must consult the course coordinator beforehand. Please also note that enrolment may be refused on the basis of such knowledge or abilities, and enrolment in a different course may be recommended. Any misrepresentation on the placement interview may be raised as a misconduct matter.

Prerequisites

You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:

2 units from FREN2112, FREN3112 or FREN3111.

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

Public holidays:

Alternative arrangements for affected students will be announced through the Blackboard site.

Class allocation:

In order to optimise the student experience, it may be necessary to reallocate students to a different class from their first choice. Before this happens, every effort will be made to enable students to voluntarily change into an alternative class that is suitable.

Please note: Teaching staff do not have access to the timetabling system to help with class allocation. Therefore, should you need help with your timetable and/or allocation of classes, please ensure you email hass.mytimetable@uq.edu.au from your UQ student email account with the following details:

• Full name,
• Student ID, and
• the Course Code

Additional information and support can be found here.

Aims and outcomes

This course aims to develop:

• Your comprehension skills (reading and listening) and in particular your ability to understand complex ideas
• Your ability to acquire new areas of knowledge in the target language
• Your ability to communicate spontaneously and express your opinion on a broad range of topics clearly and accurately
• Your ability to write a coherent argument in the French academic style
• Your knowledge and understanding of the historical context of the Algerian War, the genocides in Burundi and Rwanda and of Maghrebi and sub-Saharan African migration to Europe

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.

Assessment details

Weekly Reading/Viewing Tasks

• Online

Mode

Written

Category

Quiz

Weight

10%

Due date

Task 1 - 4/08/2025 5:00 pm

Task 2 - 11/08/2025 5:00 pm

Task 3 - 18/08/2025 5:00 pm

Task 4 - 25/08/2025 5:00 pm

Task 5 - 1/09/2025 5:00 pm

Task 6 - 8/09/2025 5:00 pm

Task 7 - 15/09/2025 5:00 pm

Task 8 - 7/10/2025 1:00 pm

Task 9 - 13/10/2025 5:00 pm

Task 10 - 20/10/2025 5:00 pm

Task 11 - 27/10/2025 5:00 pm

From WEEK 2, tasks are due by Monday 5pm - except for Task 8 in WEEK 10, which will be due on Tuesday at 1pm due to Monday's Public Holiday.

Learning outcomes

L01

Task description

Submission guidelines

The tasks are to be completed through the FREN3113 Blackboard site.

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

No extensions will be granted, as students are provided with ample flexibility to complete the assessment: 1) each task is open for a seven-day window, and 2) only the best 10 out of 11 quiz results are counted towards the final grade. Answers are released to all students after the submission deadline.

Late submission

You will receive a mark of 0 if this assessment is submitted late.

No late submission is possible as students will receive results after the due date has passed. However, please note that the best 10 of 11 tasks will count.

In-class test: Essay on the Algerian War

• Identity Verified
• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Essay/ Critique, Examination

Weight

20%

Due date

25/09/2025 12:45 pm

WEEK 9

Thursday in class

Other conditions

Student specific, Secure.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03

Task description

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

Academic essay

• Hurdle
• Online

Mode

Written

Category

Essay/ Critique

Weight

30%

Due date

31/10/2025 5:00 pm

Please note: This is a multi-staged task. You must post to the Blackboard journal a draft introduction of the essay by Friday before 5pm (WEEK 11) and a draft development of the essay before 5pm Friday (WEEK 12) in order for your final essay to be marked. Final draft submission due on Friday before 5pm (WEEK 13)

Other conditions

Student specific.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

You must post your essay drafts in your personal journal on Blackboard and submit a final electronic copy through TurnItIn.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension length of 7 days will allow for students' suitable progression with their sequence of learning and preparation for the following assessment submission. 

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Discussion : "Petit pays" and course texts

• Hurdle
• Identity Verified
• In-person

Mode

Activity/ Performance, Oral

Category

Performance

Weight

40%

Due date

17/11/2025 - 19/11/2025

EXAM WEEK 2

Timetables for the Oral Assessment will be posted on Blackboard. Students sign up for a timeslot by Friday Exam Week 1. The student's assigned timeslot will be considered the due date and time for this assessment.

Other conditions

Student specific, Secure.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Additional course grading information

Marking criteria and/or marking rubrics are available in the ‘Assessment’ folder in Blackboard for this course. 

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Additional assessment information

STATEMENT ON EMAIL USE AND IDENTIFICATION

All students must have a UQ email address and UQ identification card. Students are expected to check their UQ email routinely as this address will be used for information about the course and its assessment. An official UQ ID card is required for attendance at the final examination.

STATEMENT ON HELP WITH ASSIGNMENTS

All submitted tasks should be the work of the student and theﾠstudent alone. This means that students are NOT to seek unauthorised outside help (which may include help from other students,ﾠteachers, private tutors, ghost writers, native speakers, etc.) either in theﾠpreparation of written tasks or in checking for errors before tasks are submitted.ﾠPlease check each assessment item for explicit instructions on the use of generative artificial intelligence and machine translation tools.ﾠCases where students are suspected of having used unauthorisedﾠoutside help will be referred to the School of Languages and Cultures Integrity Officer for further investigation.

Where assignments are to be uploaded to Turnitin:

*ﾠ It is the student's responsibility to upload their own work to Turnitin and to ensure that the digital copy uploaded is the final copy of the assignment and not a draft.ﾠ Students are also encouraged to fully reference their articles even as they are drafting (putting quotes in quotation marks, references and page numbers in parentheses, footnotes etc).

NB: You must achieve a minimum of 40% on the final assessment task to pass the course.

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Own copy required

You'll need to have your own copy of the following reading resources. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Additional learning resources information

The films shown in class are all available through the library.ﾠ

• La Bataille d'Algerﾠcan be streamed through the library website with subtitles in English (in class the French version will be played)
• Aïcha can be accessed through the Blackboard site, isﾠavailable in the library, and on YouTube
• N￩ quelque part is available in the library.

ﾠ

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.