This article attempts a contrast to the contribution by Hugh Starkey. Rather than his account of the inexorable rise of human rights discourse, and of the implementation of human rights standards, human rights are here presented as always and necessarily scandalous and highly contested. First, I explain why the UK has lagged so far behind its…

Many notions can be incorporated into the foreign language commercial course to explain and complement its intrinsic technical content. A course in commercial French was developed at the College of Charleston (South Carolina) in response to the foreign language instruction opportunities and potential graduate employment opportunities provided by…

Courses on French civilization and culture should begin with a presentation of essential information, including historical background, role of the state, and the weight and presence of the past. They should move on through public life--politics, commerce, industry, social structures, the media--to the experiences of day-to-day life. (Author/JR)

Argues that the cultural content of a course derives from official language policies and national educational ideology, and that cultural studies in the classroom center on a balanced relationship between foreign and native cultures and include the management of attitudes towards foreignness and the construction of a new perception of learners'…

Argues that the ethnographic interview gives teachers an insider's understanding of an aspect of a foreign culture and endows them with the insight to interpret the insider account from an observer's perspective. The article describes materials developed for inservice training and a pilot course that tested them with Irish teachers preparing to…

Presents various activities designed to foster the learning of a language. These include the use of everyday "street words" taught to advanced level students, the use of political speeches of French presidential candidates in order to familiarize advanced adolescents with political discourse, and the playing of cassette tapes and videos…

Describes the various steps taken to organize and implement a five-week French summer institute for secondary teachers of French, involving a three-week stay in France. The article details program objectives, course content, administration of the Institute, budget considerations, participants' progress, the evaluation process, and the…

It is argued that a traditional, historically-oriented course in 17th- and 18th-century French civilization continues to be an appropriate and effective approach for undergraduate French study, in preparation for later, more sophisticated cultural analysis. Four course components are discussed: class lectures; literary text selection; textbook…