What challenges do families face in today's world? (

Quels sont les défis auxquels les familles font face dans le monde d'aujourd'hui?

Most families face some type of challenge in today's world, right? Some of these are shared challenges regardless of where people live. Below you'll find some descriptions of these challenges in French; these will help you as you develop your skills in describing and discussing modern families.

Les rôles changeants des parents dans la famille moderne:

À quoi ressemble le milieu familial des enfants québécois d’aujourd’hui? Image Courtesy of 

Unit 1 highlights three of the FRQ—the Free-Response Questions:

, but also includes Personal & Public Identities, Contemporary Life as well as Global Challenges.

, you might be asked to describe your family, or explain what you know about family structures of a francophone culture. You may be asked to explain challenges facing families in today's world, the impact of social media on identity, or your own personal interest and goals Don't forget: The email reply is formal! "Vous", monsieur, madame, s'il vous plaît! A successful email reply should include clear examples and appropriate language. Practice using the vocabulary and expressions shared here to prepare. You got this!!  💻

, you'll need to respond (spontaneously!) to questions about contemporary issues (life, your family, your interests, school, friends, even global issues). For the Conversation task, you'll always be speaking with someone your age, so the register is informal—"tu", not "vous"! Your questions and answers should be informal, but you still need to use accurate vocabulary, as well as appropriate greeting and leave-taking expressions. 🗣️

 is a formal presentation, and you'll need accurate vocabulary and clear examples, and good organization to respond well. Past topics include technology, immigration, health care, and recycling, to name a few. Thinking about the theme of Families & Communities, you might be asked to compare family structures or changes to family structures, rites of passage, changing roles in families, or maybe housing structures and affordability. Using the resources above, as well as your own rock-star skills, you'll hit this one out of the park!  ⚖️

Challenges Families Face

What are some of the important aspects of family values and family life in French-speaking societies? 

Quels sont quelques aspects importants de la vie de famille et des valeurs familiales dans le monde francophone?

Family is a cultural institution whose functions include procreation, socialization of children, and transmission of cultural and/ or religious values. There are similarities and differences across French-speaking societies as far as family values go, and over the past 50 years or so, family values have evolved significantly.

Studies of European and African cultures indicate a difference between individualistic vs. collective societies. The two images below provide you with the key differences.

Family Values: Differences Across Culture

✝️ Although in Europe religion played an important role historically (particularly Christianity), France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland, and Quebec are generally secular, or not religious. This means that there's no official religion, and in some situations, legislation prevents the ostentatious displays of religious practices. Religious traditions that influence family structure still exist, but modern family structures are becoming the norm.

🕋 In Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Senegal, Cameroun, Mali, Benin, Madagascar, and other African francophone countries, religion still plays a major role in everyday life. Morocco and Algeria are Muslim countries, whereas other countries are officially secular. Religious traditions that influence family structures still exist (e.g. polygamy) but changes in society are having an impact on family structures.

In Europe and the majority of the European Francophone world, the nuclear family is still the most common structure, although the concept of family is morphing to reflect same-sex couples, single-parent families, etc. Furthermore, in Europe, consensual marriage is the norm. Europeans also focus on the individual, developing children to reach their potential.

In African francophone countries, the extended or multigenerational family is common, as are polygamist families. The nuclear family is less common in rural areas, but exists in urban cities. In the African francophone world, arranged marriages are as common as consensual marriages. When raising children, focus is on the community and what serves the best interests of the whole.

Note: While these comparisons can help you understand and organize what you've learned about francophone countries, they should be considered guides. Be careful not to overgeneralize when describing and discussing individual countries. You'll want to draw on what you have studied and learned in your French classes when writing or speaking about francophone countries, especially for the 

La famille joue un rôle critique dans la socialisation de l'enfant. Les membres de la famille transmettent les règles et les valeurs de la famille et de la société. La famille représente la sécurité pour l'enfant, et les parents ont la responsabilité de garantir le bien-être de l'enfant. 

Aspects of Family Values and Life

According to the United Nations 🇺🇳, a migrant is "any person who is moving or has moved across an international border or within a State."  People may choose to migrate in search of work or economic opportunities, but others are forced to leave their homeland due to conflict, natural disasters, and persecution, among other reasons.  70 million people were forcibly displaced in 2018.  Within this number, there were 26 million refugees, 3.5 million asylum seekers, and more than 41 million internally displaced persons.

Immigration in France has been influenced by the country's colonial history.  Throughout the last century, there has been a steady increase in immigration into France, which has had an impact on French society.

In terms of economics, immigration in France has been regarded as a success.  However, over more recent decades, immigration has increasingly been seen as a root of social problems in the country.  Immigration policies in France, as well as in other European countries, have steadily become more restrictive.  Admission into the country has become more controlled, and the integration of second- and third-generation descendants has become more central to policy-making.

Migration and Borders: La migration et les frontières 🚶↔️🚶

According to the 2020 Global Hunger Index, an estimated 690 million people are undernourished.  As of right now, the world is not on track to achieve the UN's 🇺🇳 sustainable goal of Zero Hunger by 2030.  Hunger takes a particularly large toll on children 🧒: 144 million of which suffer from stunting due to chronic undernutrition and 47 million of which suffer from wasting due to acute undernutrition.  The highest levels of hunger and undernutrition can be found in Africa South of the Sahara and South Asia 🌍 🌏.

Madagascar est classé 161ème sur 189 pays en temps que pauvreté.  63% de la population de Madagascar pratiquent une 

.  En 2014/15, 33% de la population était 

 des enfants de moins de 5 ans est à 62/1000.  56% de ces décès sont liés à la 

.  En 2019, Madagascar était le 4ème pays au monde souffrant le plus de la faim.

Hunger: La faim 🥜

With the increase in industrialization 🏭 and greater demand for products 🚗 💻 , the environment has been placed under ever-growing stress.  The rate at which our planet is degrading is also increasing 📈.  Unfortunately, many human actions, especially since the mid-20th century, have not been taken in the best interest of the planet, leading to global challenges including global warming 🌡️, air pollution, ozone layer depletion, water depletion, and climate change.  

According to NASA 🚀, the evidence for rapid climate change is compelling.  This evidence includes (but is not limited to): 

Problèmes environnementaux de la  France

The past 30-40 years have seen a shift away from industry in France, leading to a reduction 📉 in industrial pollution and therefore improved air quality.  However, an increase in France's transportation infrastructure 🚗 🚉 has caused emissions from that sector to remain constant.  In order to reduce the amount of smog in Paris, has taken two steps:

Parisian government officials have also recommended making entire areas of the city pedestrian only 🚸, banning all diesel vehicles, and closing certain roads to traffic 🛣️.  

In addition to air pollution, France is also dealing with water pollution, great demand for natural resources, and an increase in waste production.  

The Environment: L'environnement 🌏 

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the 

 is the system of trade and industry by which the wealth of a country or region is made and used.

France 🇫🇷 has the fifth largest economy in the world 🗺️.  70% of the country's economy stems from the service sector.  In terms of manufacturing, France is a global leader when it comes to the automotive 🚘, aerospace ✈️ 🚀, and railway 🚄 sectors, as well as cosmetics 💄 and luxury goods 👜.  France has a highly educated 🎓 labor force and the highest number of science graduates 👩‍🔬 👨‍🔬 per thousand workers in Europe.

Of particular note, is the fact that France is the most visited country in the world, making tourism an important sector of the economy 🥐 🍷 🎨 🏛️.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Senegal's Economy

l'impact de la covid-19 sur l'économie du Sénégal

 en réponse à la pandémie covid-19), l'économie du Sénégal a été significativement impactée.  Avant la pandémie, la 

📈 du PIB était projetée à 6,8%.  Mais maintenant elle n'est projetée qu'à 1,1%.  Les secteurs économiques les plus affectés par cette crise sont:

The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on France's Tourism Industry

Les effets de la crise sanitaire de la covid-19 sur le tourisme français

 🗝️ de l'économie française et représente deux millions d'

) du pays.  Il est estimé que durant cette 

 de la covid-19 🦠, le nombre de voyageurs acceuillis en France diminuera de 40%.  En réponse, le gouvernement français a mis en place des mesures de support, par exemple:

Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires Étrangères

The Economy: L'économie

Unit 6 explores how complex issues and phenomena affect those living in Francophone communities around the world.  The unit connects to the themes of Contemporary Life, Science and Technology, and Families and Communities.  For example, students could

 How do environmental, political, and societal challenges positively and negatively impact communities?  

En quoi les défis environnementaux, politiques et sociaux ont-ils un impact positif et négatif sur les communautés?

 What role do individuals play in identifying and potentially solving complex societal issues?  

Quel rôle l'individu joue-t-il en identifiant et éventuellement en résolvant des problèmes complexes de société?

 How do challenging issues affect a society's culture?  

En quoi les enjeux difficiles affectent-ils la culture d'une société?

Unit 6: Environmental, Political, and Societal Challenges

En quoi les arts sont-ils utilisés pour témoigner de l’histoire?

"Un art qui a de la vie ne reproduit pas le passé ; il le continue." ~ Auguste Rodin 

Le Penseur, Rodin (1904) Image Courtesy of 

This essential question really gets at the role of art in our lives. Painting 🖼️  literature 📖  music 🎶 and other forms of art are really the archives of a society’s collective memory. Rodin's quote above expresses this idea: art that has life doesn't reproduce that past; it continues it. As long as we have art, the past is alive!

The Bayeux tapestry (seen above) depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest and culminating in the Battle of Hastings in 1066. It was created in 1070, and could be considered an early version of a storyboard. 

Dans un café, (1875) Edgar Degas (Image Courtesy of 

Art preserves what historical records cannot: how it felt to exist in a particular space and time. So we can say that art is a form of communication; it allows people from different cultures and different times to communicate with each other through images, stories, and even sounds.  What is Edgar Degas communicating about middle-class Parisians in his famous painting, 

? What are the subjects of the painting telling us?

How Art Records History

Pourquoi les communautés accordent-elles de l’importance à la beauté et aux arts?

In Unit 2, we saw how public art brings great value to the cultural and aesthetic vitality of a community and contributes to a sense of belonging and pride of one's community. Public art is one of several ways in which communities demonstrate the value of art 🎨. Those involved in public planning and development recognize the intrinsic value of the arts and their impact on the emotional well-being 🙏🏽  of the community.

Musée du Louvre, Paris (Image Courtesy of 

In the United States, museums are largely supported through private patronage. While there are donors in France, historically the French government plays a major role in subsidizing the arts: museum collections 🖼️  theater 🎭  music 🎶  literature 📖  and even cinema 🎬. This governmental support of the arts is common in many francophone countries such as Belgium and Switzerland. Fun fact! There are over 100 museums in Paris! Maybe that's why it's the most visited city in the world? 

How Communities Value Art

How does art both challenge and reflect cultural perspectives?

En quoi les arts à la fois défient-ils et reflètent-ils les perspectives culturelles?

Art influences society by challenging opinions, translating experiences across space and time, but also promoting shared values.  At a time when youth culture controls the world, these public art exhibits invite the observer to consider the importance of these two old men. 

Hommage à Leonard Cohen - Street art in Montréal Québec Image Courtesy of 

Art encourages us to value our creativity and to search constantly for new ideas. Artists 🎨  often aim to break rules and find unorthodox ways of approaching contemporary issues. In fact, the impressionist movement (19th century France) emerged from artists who did just this: 

"Radicaux à leur époque, les premiers impressionnistes ont violé les règles de la peinture académique...Ils ont également peint des scènes réalistes de la vie moderne, et souvent peint à l’extérieur, englobant ce que ses adhérents soutenaient était une manière de voir différente" (

Monet Impressionisme: Soleil levant (Image Courtesy of 

What was once outrageous 😲  to both Parisian society and the art world is now appreciated by art aficionados all over the world 🌍   Paintings of everyday people and objects may seem normal or even boring to us today, but in the 1850s, art was for the privileged few. Impressionist artists like Monet, Manet, Renoir, Degas, and Morisot portrayed the lives of the working and growing middle-class and made appreciation of art accessible to all. By defying established standards of the art world, these artists created new standards for beauty and an appreciation of everyday life through art.

Renoir, Déjeuner des canotiers (1881) (Image Courtesy of 

The impressionists weren't the only group to challenge ideals of beauty. In fact, every major art movement questions the aesthetic of the preceding movements. This is true of all forms of art. One could say that the role of art is, precisely, to both reflect and challenge cultural norms. 

Picasso, Portrait de Dora Maar (1937) (Image Courtesy of 

Art as a Challenger of Perspective

How do ideals of beauty and aesthetics influence daily life?

En quoi les idéaux de beauté et d’esthétique influencent-ils la vie quotidienne?

Beauty is a universal, but also a very personal, ideal. Stendhal, a 19th-century French writer, stated "La beauté n'est que la promesse du bonheur." 

(Beauty is nothing more than the promise of happiness). 

Studies show a link between beauty and happiness, which explains why we may find pleasure in creating attractive spaces in our lives or developing a personal style that reflects our ideals of beauty. What does beauty mean to you? How do you express your personal aesthetic? Can you articulate these ideas in French 🇨🇵 ? 

La beauté: qualité de quelqu'un, de quelque chose qui est beau, qui conforme à un idéal esthétique (

Pour être considérés comme beau, les individus doivent respecter et correspondre à des normes : ces normes représentent un canon de beauté. Les canons de beauté varient et évoluent au fil des siècles. L'apparence d'une personne sera alors jugée comme belle en fonction du siècle dans lequel elle vit (

 appréciation personnelle de ce qui peut être beau; recherche de ce qui est beau (

La beauté est relative aux cultures, aux époques, aux conventions de la société parce que c'est définie par le plaisir esthétique qu’elle suscite (

 (aka Mona Lisa) by Leonardo Da Vinci is one of the most recognized images in the world. Why? Was she beautiful? Is the portrait a masterpiece? 🖼️  Does her smile speak to your inner happiness? 🙏🏽  Why do millions of tourists flock to see her at the Louvre every year?

La Joconde (dit Mona Lisa, 1503) de Leonardo da Vinci. Image Courtesy of 

La beauté physique  - le sujet du tableau, une femme, représente le beau. 

Le tableau 🖼️  - c'est un chef d'oeuvre de l'artiste Da Vinci. 

Les conventions de la société - le tableau plaît au visiteurs du musée 🏛️ 

L'expérience personnelle - la visite au Louvre provoque un sentiment de bonheur 🙂  

La femme idéale est constamment mise en évidence par les médias; elle devient un idéal à atteindre mais cet idéal est faussé par ces derniers : il est donc impossible à réaliser. (

Beauty in Everyday Life

In this unit, we explore the significance of beauty and art 🎨  in francophone countries in daily life, as well as throughout history. The beauty-happiness connection helps us understand why we stop to appreciate a landscape 🌄, splurge on a new outfit 🛍️, or spend hours wandering through museums 🖼️.

Des goûts et des couleurs, on ne discute pas.

 🎨*, on ne discute pas* ("There's no accounting for taste). This French saying reflects the very personal nature of beauty and taste. While each culture defines standards of beauty in its own ways, we as individuals have our own internal sense of what beauty is (which is why we say there's no accounting for taste, or, in French, on n'en discute pas! 🤫 ).

3.1: How do ideals of beauty and aesthetics influence daily life? / 

En quoi les idéaux de
beauté et d’esthétique influencent-ils la vie quotidienne?

3.2 :How does art both challenge and reflect cultural perspectives? / 

En quoi les arts à la fois
défient-ils et reflètent-ils les perspectives culturelles?

3.3: Why do communities value beauty and art? / 

Pourquoi les communautés accordent-elles de
l’importance à la beauté et aux arts?

3.4:   How is art used to record history? / 

Unit 3 Possible Conversation & Cultural Comparison Prompts

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Unit 5﻿

Factors That Impact the Quality of Life﻿

Unit 6﻿

Environmental, Political, and Societal Challenges﻿