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A PROPOSAL FOR THE TEACHING OF FRENCH AS A GENERAL STUDIES PROGRAMME IN LINE WITH THE NUC BENCHMARK MINIMUM ACADEMIC STANDARDS FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES IN NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES
1.0 BACKGROUND
The National Universities Commission recommended that French be taught as a General Studies Course for all undergraduate programmes in Nigerian Universities. This recommendation is in line with the 1996 Presidential Declaration of French as “the second official language in Nigeria”. The natural geographical location of Nigeria as an Anglophone oasis in a desert of Francophone neighbours, as well as the challenges of a globalised world economy, imposes, as it were, the teaching of French in the Nigerian educational curricular as a child of necessity, if our graduates must be globally competitive. There is no doubt that our graduates will be better and hotter professionals if they are bilingual.
In response to NUC’S BMAS, several Nigerian Universities have since been teaching French as a General Studies Course. Some of these include University of Nigeria, Nsukka, University of Lagos, Delta State University. Others are Benue State University, Akwa Ibom State University, Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo and Caleb University, Imota-Lagos, Covenant University, Bells University and Redeemers University, among others. Some, like the University of Nigeria, Nsukka teach French as a compulsory course to some faculties for two academic sessions.
With an ultra-modern language laboratory, a corps of qualified and dedicated staff, the University of Calabar is today better positioned to mount the French programme and, thus, fulfil the NUC requirement in this regard, hence this proposal.
2.0 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME
The Communication in French programme has been designed with the following specific objectives in mind:
i. To develop in the learners competencies for the pronunciation of French words (sounds, intonation, rhythm, etc)
ii. To develop communication skills in the learners’ everyday life situations.
iii. To enable the learners to develop oral expression competencies in French
iv. To make the learners understand simple messages written in French.
At the end of the two semester programme, it is expected that learners should be able to understand and react to oral and written messages expressed in French, understand questions, statements, orders and instructions; know how to ask questions, give orders and issue out instructions; know how to introduce themselves and be able to find their way around or describe same to others. They should also be able to express themselves in writing, especially in giving personal information, providing answers to questions, as well as filling out questionnaires and other personal data forms, among others.
3.0 CURRICULUM/STRUCTURE OF THE PROGRAMME
The design of a two semester one session programme in French is as follows:
FIRST SEMESTER
Course Title: Communication in French 1 2 credit units
Week 1: Introduction générale - Expressions prioritaires/consignes utiles en classe (general introduction- useful expressions in class).
Week 2: Se présenter/présenter quelqu’un (how to introduce oneself and others)
Week 3: La salutation – saluer et répondre à des salutations (greetings – how to greet and respond to greetings).
Week 4: L’alphabet de français et guide de prononciation (the French alphabets and pronunciation guide).
Week 5: Le temps – les saisons, les mois et les jours (time – seasons and months of the year; days of the week, etc.).
Week 6: Les chiffres – les nombres cardinaux et ordinaux (number work, how to count, ordinary numerals, cardinal numbers).
Week 7: Décrire des objets et des personnes autour de soi- emploi de "voilà, voici, il est, elle est, Il y a, c’est, etc". (describing objects and people around you using demonstratives like ‘that is, this is, it is; and he is, she is, etc).
Week 8: Le nom et l’article – le genre du nom (nouns and articles, the gender of nouns).
Week 9: Le verbe «avoir» et son emploi au présent de l’indicatif; expressions avec «avoir». (the verb ‘to have’ and its uses; expressions with the verb ‘to have’).
Week 10: Exprimer l’appartenance – c’est mon/ma; c’est le mien/la mienne; il/elle est à moi et les formes plurielles. (Expressing possession – it’s my, it’s mine, it belongs to me, etc).
Week 11: Le verbe “être” et son emploi au présent de l’indicatif – expressions avec «être» (the verb ‘to be’ and how to use it in the present tense; fixed expressions using the verb ‘to be’).
Week 12: Demander/donner les informations pratiques – âge, nationalité, temps, lieu, etc. (asking and giving practical information about one’s age, nationality, time, place, etc).
Week 13: Le verbe “aller” et son emploi au présent de l’indicatif. (The verb ‘to go’ and its use in the present tense).
Week 14 – 15: Révision générale (general revision).
Week 16: Examens (Examinations).
SECOND SEMESTER
Course Title: Communication in French 2 2 Credit units
Week 1: Vocabulaires pratiques – à la maison, au marché…l’achat et la vente; au restaurant…commander quelque chose. (daily vocabulary – at home, at the market…buying and selling; at the restaurant…order for something to eat).
Week 2: Inviter/répondre à une invitation (inviting and responding to invitations)
Week 3: Vocabulaires pratiques – à l’aéroport, a l’hôpital, à la banque (practical daily vocabulary at the airport, at the hospital, at the bank).
Week 4: Les verbes du premier groupe ‘–er’ (the first group verbs, that is verbs which have their suffixes as ‘–er’).
Week 5: Exprimer son état de santé (how to express one’s state of health)
Week 6: Affirmation et négation – oui/non; vrai/faux; c’est…/ce n’est pas; ne…pas, etc. (how to express affirmations and negations)
Week 7: Exprimer l’accord et le désaccord (how to express agreements and disagreements)
Week 8: Les verbes du deuxième groupe -ir, oir (treatment of the second group French verbs; verbs with suffixes in ‘ir and oir’)
Week 9: Le pluriel des noms et des adjectifs (the plural of nouns and adjectives)
Week 10: Structure des interrrogatives simples - emploi de "est-ce que", ‘n’est-ce pas’ et l’inversion du verbe
Week 11: Les verbes du troisième groupe- "re" (treatment of the third group verbs with suffixes in ‘re’)
Week 12: Exprimer ses goûts et préférences (how to express one’s tastes and preferences)
Week 13: Engager une conversation -des canevas (how to engage in simple conversations)
Week 14-15: Lectures en français facile et révision générale (readings in simple French texts)
Week 16: Examens (Examinations)
4.0 STAFF DISPOSITION
5.0 SS/N/N6.0 / NAME / QUALIFICATION / RANK / SPECIALIZATION
1. / Prof. I. A. Noah / B.A.(ABU); M.A., Ph.D
(Paris III) / Professor / Literature/Language& Grammar
2. / Prof. Z. I. Akpagu / B.A, M.A., (Calabar); Ph.D (Benin City); PGDE (Calabar) / Professor / Literature/Culture& Civilisation
3. / Prof. F. U. Angrey / NCE (Okene); B.A. (Nsukka); M.A., Ph.D (Calabar) / Professor / Literature/Language& Grammar
4. / Prof. G. Simire / NCE (Abraka); B.A. (Ibadan); M.A., MPil (Grenoble III);PhD (Nice-France) / Professor / Language Didactics
5. / Dr. C. N. Odock / M.Sc., DEA, Ph.D (Bordeaux-France) / Assoc. Prof. / International Relations
6. / Dr. (Mrs.) C. A. Agbor / B.A. (Hons), M.Ed, Ph.D (Calabar) / Assoc. Prof. / French Education
7. / Dr. E. I. Iwunze / B.A., M.A., Ph.D (Uturu) / Senior Lecturer / Translation
8. / Dr. B. O. Oben / B.A., M.A., Ph.D (Calabar); Diplôme d’Études françaises (Besançon) / Senior Lecturer / Literature
9. / Dr.(Mrs.)V.E. Odey / NCE (Uyo); B.A.Ed. M.A., MPA, Ph.D (Calabar); Diplôme d’Études françaises (Besançon) / Senior Lecturer / Language & Grammar
10. / Dr. S. F. Nzuanke / B.A. (Calabar); M.A. (Buea-Cameroon); MPA, Ph.D (Calabar) / Senior Lecturer / French in International Relations/Translation& Interpretation
11. / Dr. (Mrs.) O. E. Ebong / B.A, M.A., Ph.D (Calabar); PGDE / Lecturer I / French in International Relations/Translation
12. / Dr. (Mrs.) T. B. Akpama / NCE (Nsukka); B.A. (Ife); M.Ed., Ph.D (Calabar) / Lecturer I / Language Education
13. / Dr. E. N. Nwobu / NCE (Awka); B.A.Ed. (Nsukka); PGD, M.A., Ph.D (Awka) / Lecturer I / French Linguistics & German
14. / Dr.(Mrs.) A. A. Ajimase / NCE (ABU); B.A. (Uyo); M.A., Ph.D (Calabar); Diplôme d’Études françaises (Besançon) / Lecturer I / Literature/Translation
15. / Dr. G. M. Umukoro / B.A., M.A., PGDPA, Ph.D (Calabar) / Lecturer I / Culture& Civilization/Literature
16. / Dr. Q. O. Ayeni / B.A. (Uyo); M.A., PDGE Ph.D (Calabar); Diplôme d’Études françaises (Nantes) / Lecturer I / French in International Relations/Translation
17. / Mr A. I. Asuquo / Licence, Maitrise (Paris) / Assistant Lecturer / Language Education
18. / Mrs Endong,Grace N. / Licence (Spanish) Dschang; M.A. (Yaounde I) / Assistant Lecturer / Spanish French Languages
19. / Mrs. G. J. Ibatt / B.A. (Hons) , M.A. (Calabar) / Assistant Lecturer / Language & Grammar
20. / Mr. E. Oza Anaba / B.A. Hons. (Nsukka) / Assistant Lecturer / Translation
21. / Mrs.Ohanyere,Lilian O. / B.A. (Hons), M.A. (Owerri) / Assistant Lecturer / Literature
22. / Mrs.J. Benjamin Inyang / B.A. (Hons), M.A. (Calabar) / Assistant Lecturer / Translation
23. / Mr. Chinweze Nwagwu / B.A. (Hons), M.A. (Uturu) / Assistant Lecturer / Translation
24. / Mr. Etete G. Mbey / B.A. (Hons), M.A. (Calabar) / Assistant Lecturer / Translation
25. / Miss. K. Okoi Itam / B.A. (Hons) (Banjul) / Graduate Assistant / Language & Grammar
26. / Mr. P. Akongfeh Agwu / B.A. (Hons) (Calabar) / Graduate Assistant / Language &Literature
27. / Mr. Kati Ushie George / B.A. (Hons) (Calabar) / Graduate Assistant / Language & Grammar
28. / Ms. Grace Ngaji / B.A. (Hons) (Calabar) / Graduate Assistant / Language & Grammar
29 / Mr. Waliya Yohanna Joseph / B.A. (Hons) (Calabar) / Graduate Assistant / Language &Literature
We shall also engage lecturers from other Departments who have competencies in French as the need arises.
5.0 PRAYERS AND CONCLUSION
The Senate of the University of Calabar is hereby prayed to approve the teaching of Communication in French as a General Studies Course to all undergraduate programmes of the University, with effect from the next academic session, in line with the NUC recommendations.