French 5: reading group
Term 1: 29/09/2023; 27/10/2023; 24/11/2023
Term 2: 19/01/2024; 16/02/2024; 15/03/2024
Term 3: 19/04/2024; 17/05/2024; 14/06/2024
Aimez-vous lire en français? Venez échanger vos impressions sur des romans sélectionnés par le groupe. Le premier livre à lire sera annoncé début Juillet.
Rendez-vous mensuels les Notez qu'il y a un autre reading group similaire, décalé d'une semaine tout au long de l'année, au cas où les dates vous convienndrez mieux. Entrez LF529 en haut à droite pour aller sur la page web. Notez cependant qu'il n'est pas possible d'assister aux 2 cours alternativement.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
Choose a start date
This course has now started
- Course Code: LF520
- Dates: 29/09/23 - 14/06/24
- Time: 10:15 - 12:15
- Taught: Fri, Daytime
- Duration: 8 sessions (over 38 weeks)
- Location: Online
- Tutor: Nicole Dalle
Course Code: LF520
Please choose another course date
Duration: 8 sessions (over 38 weeks)
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
The course consists of 9 sessions spread over the academic year (3 per term) during which we will have the opportunity as a group to share our reactions to and appreciation of a selection of novels from French and francophone authors.
This is a live online course. You will need:
- Internet connection. The classes work best with Chrome.
- A computer with microphone and camera is best (e.g. a PC/laptop/iMac/MacBook), or a tablet/iPad/smart phone/iPhone if you don't have a computer.
- Earphones/headphones/speakers.
We will contact you with joining instructions before your course starts.
What will we cover?
A range of works of fiction in French. During each session we will discuss various aspects of the novel in question: themes, plot, characters, style, originality, etc. We will also discuss how successful we think the author has been in this particular work.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- discover new works by authors you might not have considered reading before. You might want to do further reading of works by a writer we have discussed in class.
- have a greater ability to read and appreciate various French works of fiction, some more challenging than others.
- express your opinion clearly and take part in group discussions in French.
- focus on particular aspects of a work of fiction, on particular writing styles.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
No special prior knowledge of French/francophone literature is needed but an advanced level of spoken French is
expected.
You should also have:
- an enthusiasm for reading a range of French texts, for discussing in French in large and small groups, where you
will be expected to take an interest in the responses of the other students to the work discussed.
- the willingness and ability to do some reading and preparation outside the class.
- a commitment to acquiring and developing ways of understanding how the writer uses language to achieve effect.
- you also need to understand grammatical terminology at a high level such as pronouns, direct & indirect speech, punctuation, choice of languages.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
Each month, the group will select a novel to be read before the group discussion at the following session. (At the first session we will choose the novels for the following two sessions, in order to be always one book ahead in our selection and have sufficient time to buy the novels.).
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
Before the first lesson you will need to have read the novel: "La Chatte" by Colette. The next novel already chosen for the following session will be "Les vies de Jacob" by Christophe Boltanski.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Any other level 5 course.
Nicole is a qualified and experienced teacher of French language and culture. She graduated in English at the Sorbonne university in France and obtained a post-graduate diploma in Film Studies in London. Her interest in languages also led her to study Spanish and Arabic. She has taught in secondary schools in London and in Africa (Cameroon) and higher-level French at several universities in London. “I now particularly enjoy teaching advanced-level French to adults- which I have been doing for a number of years here- Apart from giving the opportunity to share enthusiasm for learning/teaching a language, it offers free rein to explore together, sometimes in depth, a whole range of topics relating to French and Francophone culture. The shared experience and knowledge benefit everyone; I find this very stimulating.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
