Deciphering French culture - Mindsets and practices

EM023M2GA1

Semester
A
Discipline
Interpersonal development techniques
Contact hours
27 H
Number of spots
45
Open to visitors
Yes
Language
Coordinator
Patricia TEHAMI

List of lecturers

Lecturer(s) Email Contact hours - lecture
Patricia TEHAMI patricia.tehami@em-strasbourg.eu 27 h

Pedagogical contribution of the course to the program

No educational contribution associated with this course for this program.

Description

This course aims to allow students to better identify and understand some underlying cultural factors that may impact mindsets, behaviours and practices in today’s France, particularly in the working environment. Beyond unearthing significant trends and patterns, such an approach will also enable students to revisit some workplace clichés traditionally associated with France -quality of life, incessant strikes, the 35-hour week, an overreaching state, to name a few-. By comparing facts and experiences in the home and host countries, whether within or outside Europe, the students will enhance their cross-cultural awareness and their ability to better adapt to an ever-changing world. The observation of the French emphasis on continuity through change will finally allow for an assessment of some salient strengths and weaknesses of France as a cultural entity to be reckoned with in social or business interactions and dealings.

Teaching methods

Face-to-face

- Lectures
- Tutorials
- E-learning

In group

- Exercises
- Oral presentations
- Projects
- Case studies/texts

Interaction

- Discussions/debates
- Personal accounts

Others

No items in this list have been checked.

Learning objectives

Cognitive domain

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to
  • - (level 1) Identify characteristic behaviours and practices
  • - (level 2) Distinguish facts from clichés
  • - (level 3) Interpret cultural determinisms
  • - (level 5) Incorporate data pertaining to different fields
  • - (level 6) Evaluate one's own observations and interpretations

Affective domain

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to
  • - (level 3) debate ideas, opinions and feelings with peers from different cultural backgroungs

Outline

Course Outline 1° The Overall Picture. Some Facts and Figures. Preliminary observations about the new COVID-19 context. 2° French Paradoxes and Mysteries 3° Education and Work 4° Money and Business 5° From "Made in France" to Brand France 6° Luxury and Innovation 7° Self-Representations: French Symbols - French Exceptionalism 8° The French Language 9° Revisions and exam preparation The above outline is an indicative one. Sections may be expanded or pared down based on emerging news items in France. This will allow for hands-on observations and more challenging opportunities to form informed opinions.

No prerequisite has been provided

Knowledge in / Key concepts to master

None apart form a willingness to observe, identify and interpret situations and behaviour while remaining non-judgmental and to further further grasp intrinsic similarities and differences with situations and behaviour in one's home country. A B2 level of English: https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=090000168045bb52

Teaching material

Mandatory tools for the course

- Computer

Documents in all formats


- Newspaper articles
- Case studies/texts
- Worksheets

Moodle platform

- Upload of class documents
- Interface to submit coursework

Software


- Keynote

Additional electronic platforms


- AssessFirst
- CrossKnowledge
- goFLUENT

Recommended reading


A relevant bibliography/webography is provided in the Course Reader handed out in the first session. - Gannon, M. and Pillai, R. (2015). Understanding global cultures: methaphorical journeys through 34 nations, clusters of nations, continents, and diversity. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage. - Hazareesingh, Sudhir. How the French think. [Place of publication not identified]: Penguin Books, 2016. D'Iribarne, philippe. - ‘‘Giving French Management a Chance’’, December 2nd, 2005 Report by Sylvie Chevrier, Translation by Rachel Marlin https://ecole.org/en/session/586-giving-french-management-a-chance - https://hbr.org/1991/07/the-making-of-a-french-manager - http://johngaynardcreativity.blogspot.fr/2012/03/french-strangeness-philippe-diribarne.html Hazareesingh Sudhir. - ‘‘The Dimming of the light’’. https://aeon.co/essays/french-thought-once-dazzled-the-world-what-went-wrong Related video: https://archive.org/details/Sudhir_Hazareesingh_on_How_the_French_Think Hofstede Geert - Country Comparison https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-comparison-tool?countries

- https://uk.france.fr/en (the official web site of the French Government Tourist office) - http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/ (the official web site of the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs) - http://www.insee.fr/en/ (National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies, in English) - The Conversation (Select English as a language option) https://theconversation.com/global/search?q=France - The Local https://www.thelocal.fr/ - Le Monde diplomatique in English https://mondediplo.com/ - Politico https://www.politico.com/news/france - Euronews TV Channel https://www.euronews.com/tag/france - France24 TV Channel https://www.france24.com/en/ - RFI in English (Radio France International) https://www.rfi.fr/en/

EM Research: Be sure to mobilize at least one resource

Textbooks, case studies, translated material, etc. can be entered
Patricia Tehami, ''Brand France: A Battle of Wits and Insights'', The Global Interdisciplinary Conference: Green Cities, Nancy, 30 juin 2018

Assessment

List of assessment methods

Intermediate assessment / continuous assessment 1Other (date, pop quiz, etc.) :
Oral / Group / English / Weight : 50 %
Details : Individually graded group presentation on a research topic. Probably scheduled in the last two/three sessions depending on class size. Please check the dates on Moodle. 50% of the overall mark
This evaluation is used to measure ILO2.3-PGE, ILO3.1-PGE, ILO4.1-PGE, ILO4.2-PGE
Final evaluationExam week
Written (120 Min.) / Individual / English / Weight : 50 %
Details : Individual essay or case study. The two-hour exam will take place during exam week. Please check the date with your Student Office. 50% of the overall mark.
This evaluation is used to measure ILO2.3-PGE, ILO3.1-PGE, ILO4.1-PGE, ILO4.2-PGE
No assessment methods have been attributed to this course yet.