Through the study of French Language, students should develop certain skills, attitudes and knowledge that will enhance their general education as well as provide a foundation for further studies and for the world of work.  This syllabus aims to give students a deeper understanding, first of themselves as members of a wider Caribbean community which is multi-lingual and multi-cultural, and secondly, of their place in a global setting.

The syllabus emphasises the development of the four language skills and the acquisition of knowledge of Francophone culture through the study of selected topics and contemporary writing of relevance to Caribbean society.  While the topics have been selected to provide knowledge and understanding of issues pertinent to Caribbean people in a global context, it must be stressed that the emphasis will be on language competence rather than on content knowledge.

In developing this syllabus, care has been taken to ensure that it meets the knowledge, understanding and skills requirements common to post-secondary syllabuses in Modern Languages.  However, the approaches to both the teaching and assessment aspects reflect an awareness of our particular context and are geared specifically to the Caribbean student learning Modern Languages in a Caribbean region as part of the international community.

The syllabus aims to:

• Develop an understanding and appreciation of aspects of the cultural and historical contexts of Caribbean society;
• Develop and understanding of a variety of registers in the standard spoken and written forms of French.
• Enable students to communicate clearly and appropriately in French with an education native speaker;
• Acquire skills necessary for collection, analysis and exchange of information, ideas and opinions in French;
• Enhance students’ linguistic skills through the study of a variety of written discourse;
• Promote the study of modern Francophone authors to acquire knowledge of contemporary society and institutions and encourage openness to life and culture in countries where French is spoken;
• Encourage the development of techniques of literacy analysis.

The syllabus is arranged into two Units.  Each Unit consists of three Modules, each Module requiring 50 contact hours.

Unit 1: La Famille, La Société et L’environnement

• Module 1: L’individu, La famille et la Vie Journalière
• Module 2: La Société et les Affaires Sociales
• Module 3: L’environnement

Unit 2: L’actualité, le Commerce et la Technologie

• Module 1: L’actualité
• Module 2: La Science et la Technologie
• Module 3: L’industrie, le Commerce et l’économie