CONTROVERSES is built around the goals of the National Standards and French thought (including point/counterpoint/synthesis), presents timely and provocative issues that are important to the French and francophone world, and is relevant to today's students. This student-centered, advanced intermediate French program is geared toward the communicative, analytical classroom. The high-interest topics and well-crafted activities presented in the text stimulate conversation and thoughtful debate in the classroom, foster students' conversational skills, and encourage students to learn and practice the language. Each chapter provides students with the opportunity to express themselves verbally and in writing while systematically addressing each of the 5 Cs.

PRÉLIMINAIRE. Un premier contact.
1. Changer l'éducation ou la société?
2. L'amitié est-elle possible à travers les réseaux sociaux?
3. La technologie pour tous: Pouvoir ou vulnérabilité?
4. La parité entre les sexes.
5. Le bien collectif et la liberté individuelle.
6. La mondialisation: Est-ce une réalité inévitable ou une cause à combattre?
7. L'immigration est-elle une menace ou un enrichissement?
8. Langue et société: Le statut de la langue française dans le monde.

CONTROVERSES is built around the goals of the National Standards and French thought (including point/counterpoint/synthesis), presents timely and provocative issues that are important to the French and francophone world, and is relevant to today's students. This student-centered, advanced intermediate French program is geared toward the communicative, analytical classroom. The high-interest topics and well-crafted activities presented in the text stimulate conversation and thoughtful debate in the classroom, foster students' conversational skills, and encourage students to learn and practice the language. Each chapter provides students with the opportunity to express themselves verbally and in writing while systematically addressing each of the 5 Cs. Liens socioculturels readings have been updated throughout the book and replaced with new selections in Chapter 7, “L'immigration est-elle une menace ou un enrichissement?” Three listening segments have been replaced with new selections. Manual and SAM exercises have been revised and updated throughout. The Student Activities Manual (SAM) is revised to include new grammar topics and clarified explanations in addition to new Atelier d'écriture writing assignments in Chapters 3 and 5. Each chapter provides students with opportunities to express themselves both verbally and in writing while systematically addressing each of the 5 Cs. By addressing these national standards, students are able to communicate more effectively in French while drawing cultural and structural comparisons between the francophone world and their own. One of the strongest and most distinguishable features of the program is the presentation of opposing viewpoints. Unlike many programs' static approach to cultural presentation, CONTROVERSES invites students to analyze a topic “in the French style” by reading and studying several viewpoints before deciding on a personal point of view. To stimulate class discussion, chapter topics center on several culturally relevant issues such as bilingualism, globalization, immigration, the media and private life, and individual versus collective freedom. The “Rédaction guidée” section in the text aids students in the development of their writing about the given topics. Students are asked to present and describe their topic and then express the arguments both for and against this topic. Next, in the “Synthèse” section, students must introduce a third and completely new perspective on the topic, which challenges them to rise above the two sides previously presented. Finally, in the conclusion, students summarize and express their opinions on the issue. The Student Activities Manual (SAM) is the companion volume to the text and contains user-friendly grammar explanations and practice, exercises to build oral and written accuracy, listening activities, and reflective exercises. Additional writing in the “Atelier d'écriture” section encourages students to rehearse how to describe and explain familiar objects and phenomena, how to write for different purposes and different audiences, and how to articulate personal and persuasive arguments.