academics - boston universityacademics general ideas ... amélie poulain successful? question . with...

ACADEMICS General ideas

Courses

Internship (academic aspects)

Methodology

GENERAL IDEAS

• Very intensive program: 1st week = 25 hours of class Internship + classes + internship report Attendance policy + late work

• Cultural immersion: Language Society/Cultural activities Work and daily life • Class experience: Behavior (punctuality, no eating)

Language Participation Help • Grades: Diversity of criteria When Possible problems

COURSES

First week: 5 hours/day After: Tuesdays 5 - 7:30 pm • FR 300 Advanced Language Practicum Emmanuelle FARHI (written / grammar) Hanadi SOBH (oral)

• LF 342 Paris Aujourd’hui: French Society & Civilization through the performing arts Elisabeth MONTFORT-SIEWERT (theater) Hanadi SOBH (cinema / songs)

• LF 343 La France à Paris: Paris in literature Liliane DUSEWOIR

THE INTERNSHIP: ACADEMIC ASPECTS

WHY A « DOSSIER »? • Academic validation • Analytical dimension and broader picture • Work on structure and focus • Work on French

WHY WORKSHOPS? • Share information and experience • Help handling time and structure

Academic work related to your CREDITS

Written and oral components

● WRITTEN: the DOSSIER DE STAGE in French

● DOSSIER ANALYTIQUE: Analytical paper about your sector,

inspired by your work experience 6 pages minimum (1000-1500 words) – week 2 to 6

● DOSSIER PROFESSIONNEL: Interview with a colleague (week 3) Professional experience (week 7)

2 pages minimum each (500 words)

● ORAL: Final oral defense ● A 10-minute formal presentation

+ questions – in front of a jury – week 9

Process: 3 workshops (before classes: 1 - 2:30 pm or 3 - 4:30 pm)

●Week 4: Prepare your work (define subjects and focus)

●Week 5: Send your Interview with a colleague

●Week 6: Validate your Analysis project

●Week 7: Send your Analysis

●Week 8: Hand in your Professional experience

Prepare Final oral defense

●Week 9: Oral defense (Thursday)

Ongoing communication with your professor

Internship Grade Components

• Dossier analytique (50 points)

• Dossier professionnel (25 points)

• Oral defense (25 points)

• Penalties for – Attendance – Work handed in late – Final document presentation and correction

Summary: a typical week • Week 2: Classes - 5 hours a day (11am-5pm)

• Monday – Wednesday - Thursday – Friday: Full-time internship (9am – 6pm)

• Tuesday

Internship Internship workshop (weeks 4/6/8 - afternoon) Class (5 - 7:30pm) Mandatory outings (for some classes - see syllabi)

• Saturday

Cultural activities (optional)

• Week 9: Courses final exam (Tuesday)

Internship oral defense (Thursday)

METHODOLOGY

THE SUBJECT Find an analytical focus

Your initial project and the impact of this

experience on your future professional

choices

Working methods you learned

New issues you

discovered

Case study

Audit of company’s strategies

Importance or originality

of the company in its sector

A very specific theme related to the subject

The main issues in the sector

A certain aspect of the person’s work

One aspect of

working in France

A special project the person is working on

Experience Interview Analysis

THE SUBJECT Define limits

• Time period • Geographical limits • One specific aspect • Case study

Marketing in luxury cosmetics

One specific aspect

One or two brands

One type of product

Where When

THE SUBJECT Make it meaningful

The reasons for the success of the

French movie Amélie Poulain

No question Only static information

Build an ARGUMENTATION around a QUESTION

which implies NUANCES

Was the French movie

Amélie Poulain successful?

Question with obvious

answer

Was the French component essential to

the success of Amélie Poulain?

Question giving meaning to information

THE IDEAS It is not your opinion

No « I »

I think

One could say/think It seems

It is probable/likely Obviously

THE IDEAS But it is your work

No outside correction on French No plagiarism No paraphrase As Mr Hyde, journalist for the

London Tribune, explains: « If things were different, it

would not be the same. » And indeed, this confirms the

complexity of this issue.

•Quotation marks + reference

•Personal comment on the implications or interest of the quotation

THE IDEAS Prove or validate

assertions

As Gérard Bouchard, the company sales

manager, writes in his article Life of a

salesman : “We need to always find new ways to promote our products.”

For instance, it participates in several fairs

every year.

It opened 5 new offices during the

last 2 years.

By quotations By facts By examples

This company is very dynamic.???? So…

THE IDEAS Think of your reader

Assume he or she doesn’t know

what you are talking about

Nicolas Sarkozy, the former French President, encouraged the enforcement of the Hadopi Law, a law aiming to suppress Internet piracy in France.

Nicolas Sarkozy ???? encouraged the enforcement of the Hadopi Law ???? .

THE IDEAS Think of your reader

Assume he or she cannot read your mind:

explicit the logic

WHY???

After the depression, the products didn’t sell as well ; so the company had to create a new campaign .

After the depression, the company had to create a new campaign.

The colors chosen for this campaign are blue and white.

The colors chosen for this campaign are blue and white, which suggest an image of purity .

AND SO???

THE IDEAS Be explicit

Don’t remain vague

The company should improve its marketing strategies, by developing a more active communication on the Internet, though Facebook and Twitter.

The company should improve its marketing strategies ???? .

I learned how ??? a company functions.

I learned that a company functions thanks to several aspects: a clear distribution of tasks and an ongoing communication between employees.

THE IDEAS The French logic

NEVER

give the answer, judgment, final conclusion in the introduction

or at the beginning of your argumentation.

First, bla. Then bla. Finally bla. From this we can conclude that men come from Mars.

Women come from Venus and here is why. Bla bla bla So women come from Venus.

• Whereas Americans start with the conclusion, demonstrate it, then confirm it

• French start with the reasoning, and end with the conclusion

THE IDEAS Preserve clarity and fluidity

Use visual tools to present facts 1990: Foundation of the company 1994: 1st campaign for its product Glout 1995: Merging with Zlub 1996: Creation of a new collection 1998: Award for the best financial disaster

conflicts 33%

kisses 16%

laughs 22%

complicity

29%

0

10

20

30

40

« Our main goal is to improve the educational system.»

Boxes for quotations

or chronologies

Graphs for statistics

THE IDEAS Avoid redundance

Make an

O U T L I N E

Your paper shoudn’t look like

THIS…

OR THIS

It should be organized like this:

How to make an outline : the temptation

The YES/NO outline:

1. Yes / Advantages / Thesis 2. No / Disadvantages / Antithesis

What happens with a Yes/No Outline

1. ADVANTAGES Tasks are clearly distributed among employees, so everybody knows what he/she has to do.

The general atmosphere is friendly, so the employees are motivated to come to work.

2. DISADVANTAGES Each employee’s tasks are very specific, so there is no general vision on a project.

The employees, who are friends, often talk about personal things during work, which causes a waste of time.

REDUNDANT !!!

The solution: identify themes

1. A VERY RIGOROUS ORGANIZATION (Description) Tasks are clearly distributed among employees.

(Good) So everybody knows what he/she has to do.

(Bad) But there is no general vision on a project.

(Conclusion) Regular meetings could improve this aspect.

2. A FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE (Description) The atmosphere is very friendly ; employees often talk about personal things.

(Good) This motivates people to come to work.

(Bad) But unprofessional interactions often interfere with work requirements.

(Conclusion) This raises the question of productivity, because even if a lot of time is spent in coffee breaks, in the end all projects are completed.

Preserve fluidity: TRANSITIONS

1. A VERY RIGOROUS ORGANIZATION ………

(Conclusion) Regular meetings could improve this aspect.

2. A FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE ……

And this should not be difficult, given the general atmosphere in the office.

Each part begins with an INTRODUCTION, ends with a CONCLUSION of its own,

and announces the next part.

THE INTRODUCTION

• Introduces the main theme / context, • Gives the general information needed, • States the subject (raises the question), • Announces the outline

(= French convention),

without giving any answer

THE CONCLUSION • Synthetizes the main ideas previouly

developed, • Gives an answer to the question raised

in the introduction, • Or gives a general judgment inspired by

these ideas (possible solutions) • Ends with an opening

No « I »

Read the chapter from Au Contraire!

For Workshop 1 Tuesday, June 3

Find a general theme for your Analysis

Find a person and a focus for your Interview

THE END