French for specific purpose; French for academic purpose; academic writing; types of discourse; academic discourse; course design

Abstract

French for academic purpose is a recent development of French for specific purposes. This new branch of didactics aims to facilitate studies of non-native speakers at French or French speaking universities. Its concern is also to analyze the needs and diffi culties of foreign students so that a tailored course enabling them to follow any course in their fi eld of study could be worked up. The purpose of this article is to see if such an approach can be applied into a department of French where French language is at the same time aim, content and means of study. It will be briefl y explained what French for academic purpose is all about. We will then outline the diffi culties experienced by our students when writing their BA and MA theses. Finally we will take into account the practical aspects and difficulties of such an approach.

Keywords

• French for specific purpose
• French for academic purpose
• academic writing
• types of discourse
• academic discourse
• course design