Une vision nouvelle de l'Afrique d'aujourd'hui ?
Analyses of the death of the continent are not new. While the one of Stephen Smith springs from popular cliches, it is nonetheless nuanced and clarifies a number of points. However, identifying with and addressing oneself to afro-centrists and to their friend's, amounts to an attitude that may be familiar in France but incomprehensible in the south of the Sahara.
Book Review : L'Etat En Afrique
Discussion et critique de l'ouvrage de J. F. Bayart, " l'Etat en Afrique, la politique du ventre " (Paris, Fayard, 1989)
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, the European Language Portfolio, and language learning in higher education
Abstract This article explains the relevance of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and the European Language Portfolio (ELP) to language learning in higher education, especially as regards the definition of aims and learning outcomes and the promotion of students' capacity to manage their own learning. After providing some historical background, the article expounds the CEFR's action-oriented approach, explores it conceptualisation of progression in language learning and its implications for language teaching, and suggests how it can be applied to the design, implementation and assessment of language learning programmes in higher education. It then introduces the ELP, explains how it can be used in conjunction with the CEFR to support coherent programme delivery while promoting reflective learning and student autonomy, and concludes by considering the role of self-assessment in the university's assessment framework. The article ends with a cautionary tale.