- An undergraduate course
in
Environment, Development and International Studies
and
Languages.
Envol: upper intermediate French
- On this page
| Course facts | |
|---|---|
| About this course: | |
| Course code | L211 |
| Credits | 60 |
| OU Level | 2 |
| SCQF level | 9 |
| FHEQ level | 5 |
| Course work includes: | |
| 5 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| Examination | |
| Includes residential school | |
This course builds on Ouverture: intermediate French (L120), or equivalent knowledge. It will extend your language skills, enhance your cultural knowledge, and develop the skills needed to study at a higher level. You’ll learn to communicate in a wide range of situations; express your opinions; report what other people have said; explain processes and trends; communicate by letter and telephone; make structured notes; and write different types of text. You’ll also improve your command of grammar and vocabulary. A compulsory residential school takes place in France (or you can study an online alternative).
Modules at Level 2 assume that you are suitably prepared for study at this level. If you want to take a single module to satisfy your career development needs or pursue particular interests, you don’t need to start at Level 1 but you do need to have adequately prepared yourself for OU study in some other way. Check with our Student Registration & Enquiry Service to make sure that you are sufficiently prepared.
Register for the course
What you will study
The course draws on a wide range of interactive audio-visual, web-based and printed material. It is structured around themes, each covering a different aspect of life in French-speaking countries today. You will be working with print-based materials as well as practising listening and speaking with video footage and audio interviews. A range of online activities on the course website gives you access to authentic materials from French-speaking countries and fosters your ICT and communication skills. The topics have been selected to provide opportunities for comparison with your own experience.
The themes covered in the course are:
- prendre le temps de vivre (lifestyle)
- habitat (habitat)
- expression artistique (culture)
- gérer l’environnement (environment)
- affaires publiques (local politics)
- science et technologie (science and technology).
There is a reading and writing book, Cours d’écriture, which comprises a continuation of texts and activities incorporating suggested and model answers. It develops your writing skills in particular, but also addresses other skills concerned with comprehension, analysis and manipulation of texts – for example, summarising, expressing opinion on written passages, style and register, appreciation and accuracy.
The course is lively and varied, with a wide range of mixed-media material that has been selected in order to build up your confidence in the different language skills. The structure of the materials allows you to evaluate your progress regularly and provides confidence-building strategies to improve your learning skills. The materials are interactive and encourage your participation.
This course is designed to enable you to achieve a level of language proficiency equivalent to level B2 of the Council of Europe Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
Residential school
A residential school is included in this course. You will attend a one-week residential school in France which takes place in July. The school provides excellent opportunities to enhance and develop the skills covered in the course, to practise your French in a variety of situations and learn more about the country. Attendance at the school is compulsory and you must participate satisfactorily to pass the course. You will be responsible for the cost of your travel to the venue.
The cost of accommodation and meals at the residential school for this course starting in February 2014 is included in the fee shown above.
However, if you cannot attend the school for reasons beyond your control, an alternative learning experience (ALE) is available. This is provided online using a computer conferencing system which allows you to speak with your tutor and fellow students in real time. This alternative to the residential school runs in September (evenings or Sundays). You need to be aware that the residential school in France offers a wider range of learning opportunities than the ALE. The ALE also takes place during the time when you are preparing your final tutor-marked assignment and revising for your examination.
In order to successfully complete the course you have to participate satisfactorily in either the residential school or the ALE.
Entry
This is a Level 2 course, for students who have successfully completed Ouverture: intermediate French (L120) or who have an equivalent knowledge of French.
If you have not studied a language with the OU before or you have any doubt about the standard of your French, you are strongly advised to go to our Language diagnostics website to see some sample materials.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Preparatory work
If you have time before the course begins, we suggest that you continue to use your French in any way you can. You could do this by: redoing some of the activities in in Ouverture: intermediate French (L120); watching and listening to the L120 audio and video materials; listening to French radio broadcasts; borrowing French books and films from the local library; reading a French newspaper; or using online resources. Anything you can do to keep practising your French will be helpful.
If you are new to The Open University, it would be useful to look at some of the L120 materials and work through them. Materials are either available to buy from The Open University Worldwide website or for viewing at your regional or national centre.
Regulations
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the Module Regulations and the Student Regulations which are available on our Essential documents website.
If you have a disability
Please note that this course makes substantial use of audio and visual materials. Full transcripts of the audio and video materials are provided, except those used for assessment purposes. The study materials are available in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). Components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader and mathematical, scientific, and foreign language materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way. Other alternative formats of the study materials may be available in the future. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
You are advised to talk to our Student Registration & Enquiry Service about the support which can be given to meet your needs before you register. After you have registered you will receive detailed information about the residential school site and the facilities available to help with the academic programme.
You’ll need to make extensive use of a personal computer and will need to access the course website on a regular basis. You will also be offered tutorials some of which will be via an online conferencing system.
If you have particular study requirements please tell us as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Visit our Services for disabled students website for more information, including:
- help to determine your study requirements and how to request the support that you need
- Disabled Students' Allowances (DSAs)
- using a computer for OU study
- equipment and other support services that we offer
- examination arrangements
- residential school arrangements, including the support and equipment available
- how to contact us for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Study materials
What's included
Books and a dedicated website with access to a range of electronic tools including real-time conferencing and asynchronous tools such as forums. As a registered language student you will have automatic access to an online forum where you can talk to fellow students over the internet. This will be linked directly from the website.
You will need
You will need a headset with a microphone and earphones to take part in online tutorials, record spoken TMAs and complete speaking activities.
Please also check the Computing requirements and Assessment sections.
Computing requirements
You will need a computer with internet access to study this course. It includes online activities – you can access using a web browser – and some course software provided on disk.
- If you have purchased a new desktop or laptop computer running Windows since 2007 you should have no problems completing the computer-based activities.
- A netbook, tablet or other mobile computing device is not suitable for this course – check our Technical requirements section.
- If you have an Apple Mac or Linux computer – please note that you can only use it for this course by running Windows on it using Boot Camp or a similar dual-boot system.
You can also visit the Technical requirements section for further computing information including the details of the support we provide.
Materials to buy
Set books
- Collins-Robert French Dictionary, Collins £35.00 - ISBN 9780007331550
- Isabelle Fournier French Grammar (BBC Active), Pearson Education £6.99 - ISBN 9780563519546
Students could use any other dictionaries or French grammar.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You will have a tutor to help you with the study material and mark and comment on your written and spoken tutor-marked assignments (TMAs). You can also ask your tutor for advice and guidance. This course usually includes a mix of face-to-face and online tutorials. Please note that depending on where you live, the mix will vary and in some places face-to-face tuition may be replaced by telephone conferencing. Although you are not obliged to attend any of these, you are strongly encouraged to take part as they will provide you with plenty of opportunities to speak and listen to French. How tutorials are held will depend on the distribution of students taking the course in your area. Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
You must use the online eTMA system to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs).
The TMAs test a range of skills including written and spoken. There is a Writing Test at the end of the course which takes the form of a three hour examination at a standard examination centre. You may have to travel some distance to the examination centre.
Professional recognition
The Chartered Institute of Marketing now recognises this course under their Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme.
Future availability
The details given here are for the course that starts in February 2014. It will be available again in October 2014. We then expect it to be available once a year, in October.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
How to register
To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button.
Student Reviews
“Had an excellent tutor which really helps, but must comment that the week in Caen was very disappointing. If the ...”
Read more
“I really enjoyed this course, especially the week in Caen. I would strongly urge anyone attempting this to attend this ...”
Read more
Distance learning
The Open University is the world’s leading provider of flexible, high quality distance learning. Unlike other universities we are not campus based. You will study in a flexible way that works for you whether you’re at home, at work or on the move. As an OU student you’ll be supported throughout your studies – your tutor or study adviser will guide and advise you, offer detailed feedback on your assignments, and help with any study issues. Tuition might be in face-to-face groups, via online tutorials, or by phone.
For more information read Distance learning explained.
Undergraduate
| Course facts | |
|---|---|
| About this course: | |
| Course code | L211 |
| Credits | 60 |
| OU Level | 2 |
| SCQF level | 9 |
| FHEQ level | 5 |
| Course work includes: | |
| 5 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| Examination | |
| Includes residential school | |
Course satisfaction survey
See the satisfaction survey results for this course.
Your questions
Try our frequently asked questions.
Come and meet us at an event near you.
Or contact an adviser by Email or call +44(0) 845 300 60 90 +44(0) 845 366 60 35
Get a prospectus
Download ororder
Share
This PageThe University wishes to emphasise that, while every effort is made to regularly update this site, the material on it is subject to alteration or amendment in the light of changes in regulations or in policy or of financial or other necessity.