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GAZETTE
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER
1994
D i me n s i o ns in App l i ed Legal F r ench
| The Legal Commercial Environment
The External Environment l|
- T he Legal Structures of French Companies
-France and the EU
-French Government and Politics
-French Economy
-French Society
and Culture
The Internal Organisational Environment
Logistics and Distribution
Manufacturing and Production
Accounting and Finance
Sales and Marketing
Personnel and Training
Ú Ct ú
ú
ú
ú
Ú
Management and Structures.
Grammar Comprehension
Writing
Oral
Aural
F
IGURE
1
modern language skills limits our
graduates ability to tap into European
techniques and practices, by
restricting their horizons to those of
the UK and North American culture
and thinking. On a wider level it is
generally accepted that the study of a
foreign language is of considerable
positive value to students in
developing a knowledge of and
sensitiveness to countries and cultures
other than their own.
3
The Law French Experience
In applied languages the student must
be exposed to the various dimensions
of the language s/he is studying. In
general we can say that the objectives
of an applied languages course e.g.
Legal French are to provide the
student with:
a) practical skills in speaking,
listening and writing French at an
advanced level so it can be used in
a business-legal environment
b) an introduction to French culture
and an insight into French
Business/Commercial and legal
affairs
c) improvement of the students'
grammatical skills in the French
language.
The legal French programme
addresses, therefore, the learning of
French in an applied context, from
three directions or dimensions (see
figure 1).
The External
Environment
The first element is based or centred
on the external environment, in this
case, France. It provides an
introduction and analysis of the
country itself and an appreciation of
the perceptions and motivations which
drive French social, commercial and
political life. The material used during
the classes is designed to give a
complete background of the macro
environment which influences French
law and commerce.
The Internal
Organisational
Environment
The second dimension of the
framework is concerned with the
internal organisational environment. It
reflects the salient issues involved in
the day to day operation of business
entities and the roles and functions
typically carried out. In this regard, it
addresses a variety of topics including
management, accounting and finance,
marketing, manufacturing etc.
The Legal/Commercial
Dimension
The third and final dimension reflects
the legal and commercial law aspects of
business transactions. Topics addressed
include the French legal system,
including the judiciary, law enforce-
ment, commercial law, the legal
profession, court structures and
procedures etc. Because of the specialist
nature of these topics the lecturer is
normally supported by external lecturers
from academic, professional and other
institutions. In the case of this year,
lectures were supplemented by French
visiting lecturers, corporate lawyers,
and other bodies.
Developing Core language Skills
Underpinning each of these dimensions
is the language core consisting of
grammar, comprehension, writing,
oral, etc. To accentuate the more
practical and vocational aspects of the
applied language, an emphasis on
spoken and written French is stressed.
The student needs to be stimulated and
challenged by oral practices on
negotiation, presentations and debating
(communicative approach). And
naturally s/he has to work on the
traditional theme/version to further
his/her business-legal lexique as it is
;
only by total exposure that learners can
learn the appropriate grammatical and
lexical dependencies of the language
itself.
While the course has a strong applied
focus with the emphasis on language
skills it is important to recognise the
need for students to understand
French culture and civilisation. In this
regard students are exposed to French
culture through a variety of media
including literature and film. In the
latter case the students meet on a
weekly basis (outside the normal class
times) to view and discuss French
i
films.
In addition to the existing language
teaching facilities at UCG, the Law
Faculty is also expanding its resource
base using the Eutelsat satellite, to
access seminars, conferences and
debates broadcast by the Law Faculty
of Poitiers' University in France.
Meeting the Demands of the Market
Place
The UCG Law Faculty introduced this
new degree programme to prepare
students for the more business driven
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