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| Reviewed: |
Apr 26, 2002 by World Languages Editorial Board |
| Overview: |
Developed by Philippe Lavergne Magister -Travaux diriges de francais offers a
comprehensive tutorial in literary reading and text analysis, best suited for
students seeking training in these classic exercises called "dissertation" and
"analyse de texte."
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| Learning Goals: |
To develop writing and analytical skills, and knowledge of French literature and
culture. To practice for oral and written tests in literary criticism.
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| Target Student Population: |
Native speakers preparing for the French baccalaureat or at university level.
Graduate and advanced FSL students at college level who want to learn and
practice text analysis, as well as AP and International Baccalaureate students
will also find this site useful.
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| Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills: |
Advanced to superior reading and writing competence. For tests culturels, prior
knowledge of French literary history.
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| Type of Material: |
Tutorial and reference materials
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| Recommended Uses: |
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| Technical Requirements: |
Activation of Javascript in the browser for interactive exercises.
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| Strengths: |
The concept behind Magister is to provide students with an online, comprehensive
textbook on literary commentary that will help them write successful text
analyses and dissertations for their courses and exams. The contents of the site
have been carefully prepared with this pedagogical goal in mind. The language
used in the tutorial parts is accurate and proper to the discipline without
being "jargonnesque". The tutorial itself suggests approaches to the texts and
activities as training exercises, without imposing a line of interpretation on
the readers. The directed readings ("lecture analytique") lead the readers step
by step to deepen their understanding of the texts and develop their own
commentaries.
The site features dossiers (9) on the vocabulary and techniques of literary
analysis as well as a digital library, a dossier on Voltaire and l'affaire Calas
(Furie en Languedoc) and a wealth of links to external resources for literary
studies. Within the dossiers the readers will find suggested topics for text
analyses and commentaries as well as instructions on how to develop their
analyses. Magister encourages the readers to send their papers for comments and
suggestions. The website also features a test bank (on literature and
stylistics) and it has its own very efficient search engine.
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| Concerns: |
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Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool |
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| Strengths: |
Keeping in mind that Magister was first developed for an audience of
French-speaking students preparing for the baccalaureat, the site can be used in
many ways by instructors of FSL as well as students. For example AP Instructors
will find ideas of texts to study with their students, directed reading
exercises, groups of texts on a same theme and well-thought instructions on how
to build a commentary. The students and especially those who work independently
or wish to get additional training in the fie
ld of literary studies will
appreciate Magister's advise on writing and the possibility of receiving
feedback on their work. Magister can be used in conjunction with other resources
such as La Cle des Procedes litteraires or Le Grimoire.(See MERLOT Peer Review
of Le Grimoire)
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| Concerns: |
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Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty |
Rating:  |
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| Strengths: |
Magister consists mainly of HTML documents. It does not require advanced
technical skills. The various sections of the tutorial are linked together, with
linked pages opening in new windows. The topics (i.e. link names) all appear in
the top title bar of the new windows, which helps the user find his way back to
the page where he started. A simple, consistent design, with discrete use of
colors and pictures, supports a rich content without making the screen too busy.
Links to external resources all worked well with few exceptions.
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| Concerns: |
The quizzes in the section "Testez votre culture litteraire" did not work on the
Mac with Internet Explorer 5 at the time of our testing (March 31, 2002). They
do not work with Netscape. They could be optimized for both platforms and
browsers since Hot Potatoes allows it.
In the Testing matching exercises, it is sometimes troublesome to have to scroll
vertically to match up the drag and drop items. The content and feedback in
these tests are very good, but the user could be frustrated by the scrolling.
The link to the service provider that appears at the bottom of each page should
open a new window. We would also suggest to give access to the search engine in
each page.
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| Other Issues and Comments: |
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