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Fr3H – CULTURE Unité1C

2. L’enseignement supérieur en France p.52 (= higher education in France)
French higher education is a system that includes elite schools, universities and private specialized schools.
Any student, once they have passed their BAC (baccalauréat) can apply to university
However, access to the elite schools is achieved through competitive entrance exams
Private higher education establishments all have their own entrance criteria: competitive exams, selection on merit, holding a prior university level BA or MA degree
Preparatory classes prepare students for the entrance exams. These are two years of intensive general education classes, either literature or science/math dominant.
All of the main employment sectors have their own particular school:
ENA (École Nationale de l’Administration – for government positions)
HEC (École des Hautes Études Commerciales – for business & finance)
École Polytechnique (for science)
Écoles Normales Supérieures (for education)
l’École Spéciale militaire de St Cyr (military officer school)
Each of these specialized higher education schools are linked to government ministries (example: Polytechnique is linked to the Ministry of Defense)
VOCAB:
Une Grande École, privé, le concours, proper, le dossier, préalable, unelicence, soit…soit…, préparatoire, le ministère

3. Le mariage: fête civile et fête religieuse p
Le mariage: fête civile et fête religieuse p.53 (= Marriage: civil and religious ceremonies)
In France today, each year 240,000 couples get married and 140,000 sign up for PACS
Marriage is a ceremony which must first be a civil ceremony
Then the couple can decide if they wish to have a religious ceremony or not
The civil ceremony takes place in City Hall before a State official (usually the Mayor or Assistant Mayor) who officially records the agreement between the future spouses. If this is the only ceremony, rings are exchanged at this point, symbolizing the union and the civil authority gives the couple the official family record book that they sign and must keep. All births and deaths in the family will then be written in the family record book.
In a majority Catholic nation, the religious ceremony takes place in a church. This could be a simple blessing or full-on Mass. Young married couples these days like to personalize their ceremony: floral decorations in the church, choice of texts to be read, and especially the music and hymns/songs.
Usually, the wedding ceremony is followed by a reception. In the evening a marriage feast is served to the guests. The full sit-down meal can include: appetizer, fish course, meat course, side dishes, cheese course and desserts, especially the wedding cake. Excellent wines and champagne are served. Dinner is often followed by music and dancing. This is the point that the couple receives gifts, generally from a wedding gift list
VOCAB:
Le livret de famille, conserver, le décès, notamment

4. La Francophonie: Le mariage au Maghreb p
La Francophonie: Le mariage au Maghreb p.53 (= Francophone World: weddings in Maghreb countries)
Le Maghreb = Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia
In North Africa, marriage is both a cultural and religious ceremony which incorporates many different rituals
The henna ceremony is a way for a young Moslem woman to prepare herself for married life and the responsibilities that it brings. This festival takes place seven days before the marriage and the future bride’s parents’ house in the evening and only women are invited. The future bride’s body is dyed with henna in intricate designs with the aim of bringing her good luck in marriage
VOCAB: comporter, le henné, se dérouler