The following volumes, published by the Association for French Language Studies in association with the Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research (CILT), are now available at the special price of £5.00 per volume (including postage and packing).

To order please contact Marie-Anne Hintze, French Department, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT (e-mail: M.M.J.Hintze@leeds.ac.uk). Cheques should be made payable to: Association for French Language Studies.

These thematic volumes in the series Current Issues in University Language Teaching, are intended to bring together work founded on recent research, by both UK and international scholars, designed to encourage informed debate on aspects of language teaching and learning. The volumes available are described below, with comments from published reviews.

Edited by James A. Coleman & Annie Rouxeville. 1993. ISBN 1 874016 09 7.

After an introduction describing the real state of university language teaching and the pressures the profession faces, Integrating New Approaches evaluates both traditional and innovative approaches and concepts, including information technology, authentic texts, learner autonomy, literature and the year abroad. Contributions are not specific to French, and look at the whole languages degree programme in the current context of quality, cost-effective provision.

‘This powerful work … is one of the first authoritative collections to examine what new ideas and techniques exist and how they can be used to expand and enrich language teaching.’ ‘The collection elicits admiration for the ingenuity, creativity and optimism of the recounted efforts to situate language learning in contexts as diverse as overall syllabus design, hypermedia, cultural competence, learner autonomy, horizontal integration, and – one of the most original – an ethnographic approach to the year abroad.’

Edited by James A. Coleman & Robert Crawshaw. 1994. ISBN 1 874016 27 5.

Twelve chapters address the theoretical, descriptive and pedagogical issues related to the way language varies according to its context of use. Historical and theoretical surveys are followed by analyses of different text types, and practical discussion of the integration of discourse variety into French language teaching programmes.

‘Reflects recent research on the elaboration of a theoretical framework for the definition and study of discourse variety while also exploring pedagogical implications for advanced foreign language learning. The strength of this volume – which is both scholarly and approachable – lies in the constant interplay between theory and practice.’

Edited by Gabrielle Parker & Catherine Reuben. 1994. ISBN 1 874016 31 3.

Debates on the nature of scientific culture are coinciding with expanded opportunities for science students to study foreign languages and to work abroad. A score of individual contributions together cover theoretical, descriptive and pedagogical issues, starting with discussion of the place of languages in the curriculum, and of the specificity of scientific discourse. Practical chapters examine the consequences of this specificity from both the linguists’ and the scientists’ viewpoint, and several case studies analyse and evaluate the reality of language study for science students.

‘A variety of contributions which look at the issues of marrying science with modern languages … provide ideas on how it is possible to link science teaching with the acquisition of relevant language’.

Edited by Gabrielle Parker and Annie Rouxeville. 1995. ISBN 1 874016 52 6.

A mandatory period of residence abroad has long been a distinctive feature of British language degree courses, but the new climate of accountability has led to critical examination of current practice. A dozen chapters review research into student residence abroad, and discuss crucial factors including intercultural awareness, assessment and accreditation, while analytical case studies allow reflection on the diversity of current practice.

‘A mine of examples of good practice.’ … ‘The editors state their ambition … to be to promote a critical appraisal of current practice by reflection on existing best practice in terms of monitoring and evaluation, thereby to enhance the student experience. It will stimulate such reflection in interested readers.’

Edited by Dulcie Engel & Florence Myles. 1996. ISBN 1 874016 54 2.

Teacher-researchers in France, Belgium and the UK consider a crucial and topical issue: the ‘grammar deficit’ of new students, often attributed to the adoption of communicative approaches in secondary schools. Within a framework of linguistic theory, language learning research, and language pedagogy, the authors address the integration of grammar into communicative syllabuses, practical definitions of pedagogical grammars, and two problematic areas of French grammar: articles and the subjunctive.

‘This little volume of research, echoing as it does the concerns of colleagues in university departments both here and elsewhere in Europe, is bound to enthral all who teach French language’