ACADEMICS General ideas
Courses
Internship (academic aspects)
Methodology
GENERAL IDEAS
• Very intensive program: 1st week = 25 hours of class Internship + classes + internship report Attendance policy + late work
• Cultural immersion: Language Society/Cultural activities Work and daily life • Class experience: Behavior (punctuality, no eating)
Language Participation Help • Grades: Diversity of criteria When Possible problems
COURSES
First week: 5 hours/day After: Tuesdays 5 - 7:30 pm • FR 300 Advanced Language Practicum Emmanuelle FARHI (written / grammar) Hanadi SOBH (oral)
• LF 342 Paris Aujourd’hui: French Society & Civilization through the performing arts Elisabeth MONTFORT-SIEWERT (theater) Hanadi SOBH (cinema / songs)
• LF 343 La France à Paris: Paris in literature Liliane DUSEWOIR
THE INTERNSHIP: ACADEMIC ASPECTS
WHY A « DOSSIER »? • Academic validation • Analytical dimension and broader picture • Work on structure and focus • Work on French
WHY WORKSHOPS? • Share information and experience • Help handling time and structure
Academic work related to your CREDITS
Written and oral components
● WRITTEN: the DOSSIER DE STAGE in French
● DOSSIER ANALYTIQUE: Analytical paper about your sector,
inspired by your work experience 6 pages minimum (1000-1500 words) – week 2 to 6
● DOSSIER PROFESSIONNEL: Interview with a colleague (week 3) Professional experience (week 7)
2 pages minimum each (500 words)
● ORAL: Final oral defense ● A 10-minute formal presentation
+ questions – in front of a jury – week 9
Process: 3 workshops (before classes: 1 - 2:30 pm or 3 - 4:30 pm)
●Week 4: Prepare your work (define subjects and focus)
●Week 5: Send your Interview with a colleague
●Week 6: Validate your Analysis project
●Week 7: Send your Analysis
●Week 8: Hand in your Professional experience
Prepare Final oral defense
●Week 9: Oral defense (Thursday)
Ongoing communication with your professor
Internship Grade Components
• Dossier analytique (50 points)
• Dossier professionnel (25 points)
• Oral defense (25 points)
• Penalties for – Attendance – Work handed in late – Final document presentation and correction
Summary: a typical week • Week 2: Classes - 5 hours a day (11am-5pm)
• Monday – Wednesday - Thursday – Friday: Full-time internship (9am – 6pm)
• Tuesday
Internship Internship workshop (weeks 4/6/8 - afternoon) Class (5 - 7:30pm) Mandatory outings (for some classes - see syllabi)
• Saturday
Cultural activities (optional)
• Week 9: Courses final exam (Tuesday)
Internship oral defense (Thursday)
METHODOLOGY
THE SUBJECT Find an analytical focus
Your initial project and the impact of this
experience on your future professional
choices
Working methods you learned
New issues you
discovered
Case study
Audit of company’s strategies
Importance or originality
of the company in its sector
A very specific theme related to the subject
The main issues in the sector
A certain aspect of the person’s work
One aspect of
working in France
A special project the person is working on
Experience Interview Analysis
THE SUBJECT Define limits
• Time period • Geographical limits • One specific aspect • Case study
Marketing in luxury cosmetics
One specific aspect
One or two brands
One type of product
Where When
THE SUBJECT Make it meaningful
The reasons for the success of the
French movie Amélie Poulain
No question Only static information
Build an ARGUMENTATION around a QUESTION
which implies NUANCES
Was the French movie
Amélie Poulain successful?
Question with obvious
answer
Was the French component essential to
the success of Amélie Poulain?
Question giving meaning to information
THE IDEAS It is not your opinion
No « I »
I think
One could say/think It seems
It is probable/likely Obviously
THE IDEAS But it is your work
No outside correction on French No plagiarism No paraphrase As Mr Hyde, journalist for the
London Tribune, explains: « If things were different, it
would not be the same. » And indeed, this confirms the
complexity of this issue.
•Quotation marks + reference
•Personal comment on the implications or interest of the quotation
THE IDEAS Prove or validate
assertions
As Gérard Bouchard, the company sales
manager, writes in his article Life of a
salesman : “We need to always find new ways to promote our products.”
For instance, it participates in several fairs
every year.
It opened 5 new offices during the
last 2 years.
By quotations By facts By examples
This company is very dynamic.???? So…
THE IDEAS Think of your reader
Assume he or she doesn’t know
what you are talking about
Nicolas Sarkozy, the former French President, encouraged the enforcement of the Hadopi Law, a law aiming to suppress Internet piracy in France.
Nicolas Sarkozy ???? encouraged the enforcement of the Hadopi Law ???? .
THE IDEAS Think of your reader
Assume he or she cannot read your mind:
explicit the logic
WHY???
After the depression, the products didn’t sell as well ; so the company had to create a new campaign .
After the depression, the company had to create a new campaign.
The colors chosen for this campaign are blue and white.
The colors chosen for this campaign are blue and white, which suggest an image of purity .
AND SO???
THE IDEAS Be explicit
Don’t remain vague
The company should improve its marketing strategies, by developing a more active communication on the Internet, though Facebook and Twitter.
The company should improve its marketing strategies ???? .
I learned how ??? a company functions.
I learned that a company functions thanks to several aspects: a clear distribution of tasks and an ongoing communication between employees.
THE IDEAS The French logic
NEVER
give the answer, judgment, final conclusion in the introduction
or at the beginning of your argumentation.
First, bla. Then bla. Finally bla. From this we can conclude that men come from Mars.
Women come from Venus and here is why. Bla bla bla So women come from Venus.
• Whereas Americans start with the conclusion, demonstrate it, then confirm it
• French start with the reasoning, and end with the conclusion
THE IDEAS Preserve clarity and fluidity
Use visual tools to present facts 1990: Foundation of the company 1994: 1st campaign for its product Glout 1995: Merging with Zlub 1996: Creation of a new collection 1998: Award for the best financial disaster
conflicts 33%
kisses 16%
laughs 22%
complicity
29%
0
10
20
30
40
« Our main goal is to improve the educational system.»
Boxes for quotations
or chronologies
Graphs for statistics
THE IDEAS Avoid redundance
Make an
O U T L I N E
Your paper shoudn’t look like
THIS…
OR THIS
It should be organized like this:
How to make an outline : the temptation
The YES/NO outline:
1. Yes / Advantages / Thesis 2. No / Disadvantages / Antithesis
What happens with a Yes/No Outline
1. ADVANTAGES Tasks are clearly distributed among employees, so everybody knows what he/she has to do.
The general atmosphere is friendly, so the employees are motivated to come to work.
2. DISADVANTAGES Each employee’s tasks are very specific, so there is no general vision on a project.
The employees, who are friends, often talk about personal things during work, which causes a waste of time.
REDUNDANT !!!
The solution: identify themes
1. A VERY RIGOROUS ORGANIZATION (Description) Tasks are clearly distributed among employees.
(Good) So everybody knows what he/she has to do.
(Bad) But there is no general vision on a project.
(Conclusion) Regular meetings could improve this aspect.
2. A FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE (Description) The atmosphere is very friendly ; employees often talk about personal things.
(Good) This motivates people to come to work.
(Bad) But unprofessional interactions often interfere with work requirements.
(Conclusion) This raises the question of productivity, because even if a lot of time is spent in coffee breaks, in the end all projects are completed.
Preserve fluidity: TRANSITIONS
1. A VERY RIGOROUS ORGANIZATION ………
(Conclusion) Regular meetings could improve this aspect.
2. A FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE ……
And this should not be difficult, given the general atmosphere in the office.
Each part begins with an INTRODUCTION, ends with a CONCLUSION of its own,
and announces the next part.
THE INTRODUCTION
• Introduces the main theme / context, • Gives the general information needed, • States the subject (raises the question), • Announces the outline
(= French convention),
without giving any answer
THE CONCLUSION • Synthetizes the main ideas previouly
developed, • Gives an answer to the question raised
in the introduction, • Or gives a general judgment inspired by
these ideas (possible solutions) • Ends with an opening
No « I »
Read the chapter from Au Contraire!
For Workshop 1 Tuesday, June 3
Find a general theme for your Analysis
Find a person and a focus for your Interview
THE END