The changing status of French academics: what are their attitudes towards English as a language of research and instruction?

Titre en français: Enseignants-chercheurs: apprendre l’anglais pour enseigner en anglais. Quelles sont les attitudes des enseignants-chercheurs face à l’évolution de leur statuts? En France, les enseignants-chercheurs utilisent l’anglais pour écrire des articles scientifiques et pour participer à des colloques internationaux. Désormais ils seront également invités à enseigner des matières scientifiques en anglais. Comment vivent-ils ces différentes obligations d’employer cette langue dans le cadre de leur travail ? Lors de cette enquête sociolinguistique menée à la Faculté des Sciences de Nantes, des chercheurs ont partagé leurs sentiments vis à vis de leur vécu d’apprenants et d’utilisateurs de l’anglais sur une durée d’au moins 20 années. Les outils méthodologiques ont été des questionnaires, des narrations d’expérience en forme de “journal intime de l’apprenant”, des schémas en forme de mind-map, des tables rondes et des entretiens filmés et enregistrés. Cette étude socio-interactive s’appuie sur des théories d’identités professionnelles et communautaires (Zhang, Meinhoff, Wenger). De plus, suite à cette campagne d’entretiens, certains enseignants-chercheurs ont pu s’exprimer sur leur vécu à propos de la loi Fioraso. Nous avons ainsi réfléchi sur l’impact qu’elle pourrait avoir sur les vies professionnelles au sein de la communauté scientifique internationale. Nous articulerons donc nos réflexions autour de ces vécus d’enseignants-chercheurs (ponctués d’exemples) pour mieux comprendre les effets de cette interaction complexe qu’ils entretiennent par nécessité avec la langue anglaise. Une relation professionnelle avec la langue anglaise, comme vecteur de connaissances, peut en effet influencer des aspects identitaires, tels la vie personnelle, communautaire et relationnelle. The aim of this article is to highlight some examples from a recent and ongoing socio-linguistic study carried out at Nantes science faculty. The participants, who are researchers at Nantes science faculty, France, were asked to reflect on how they had learnt English, how they used it today and how they perceived using it in the future. The context of the Fiaroso law (2013) also meant that the participants of this study could imagine teaching their specialist subject in the near future. The recent law has had an impact on the interest in my own study on English is used and perceived by members of a scientific community. The qualitative data were helpful in answering the research questions: How do certain scientists at Nantes science faculty relate to a perceived obligation of having to use English at work, how does being part of a professional scientific community relate to attitudes to L2 English and how do individuals position themselves within the macro-institutional context of the Fioraso law (2013)? This paper will describe the current institutional legislation concerning the use of English in French higher education. The main arguments will be centred on how institutional, global and local attitudes come into play in one individual. The data for this study was collected via questionnaires, semi-directive interviews, mind-mapping, classroom observations and teacher journals. The methodology will be explained and a few examples of the arising data will be given. This socio-interactive study is based on theories of professional identity (Zhang 2007, Mondada 2013) where the individual is considered within communities of practice (Wenger 1999, Norton 2000)

‘Nature doesn’t care that we’re there’: Re-Symbolizing Nature’s ‘Natural’ Contingency

This article draws upon the work of Timothy Morton and Slavoj Žižek in order to critically examine how mountain bike trail builders orientated themselves within nature relations. Beginning with a discussion of the key ontological differences between Morton’s object-oriented ontology and Žižek’s blend of Hegelian- Lacanianism, we explore how Morton’s dark ecology and Žižek’s account of the radical contingency of nature, can offer parallel paths to achieving an ecological awareness that neither idealises nor mythologises nature, but instead, acknowledges its strange (Morton) and contingent (Žižek) form. Empirically, we support this theoretical approach in interviews with twenty mountain bike trail builders. These interviews depicted an approach to trail building that was ambivalently formed in/with the contingency of nature. In doing so, the trail builders acted with a sense of temporal awareness that accepted the radical openness of nature, presenting a ‘symbolic framework’ that was amiable to nature’s ambivalent, strange and contingent form. In conclusion, we argue that we should not lose sight of the ambivalences and strange surprises that emanate from our collective and unpredictable attempts to symbolize nature and that such knowledge can coincide with Morton’s ‘dark ecology’ – an ecological awareness that remains radically open to our ecological existence

Orthopedic Surgery Planning Based on the Integration of Reverse Engineering and Rapid Prototyping

This paper describes orthopedic surgical planning based on the integration of RE and RP. Using symmetrical characteristics of the human body, CAD data of the original bone without damages for the injured extent are generated from a mirror transformation of undamaged bone data for the uninjured extent. The physical model before the injury is manufactured from RP apparatus. Surgical planning, such as the selection of the proper implant, pre-forming of the implant, decision of fixation positions and incision sizes, etc., is determined by a physical simulation using the physical model. In order to examine the applicability and efficiency of surgical planning technology for orthopedics, various case studies, such as a proximal tibia plateau fracture, a distal tibia comminuted fracture and an iliac wing fracture of pelvis, are carried out. As a result of the examination, it has been shown that the orthopedic surgical planning based on the integration of RE and RP is an efficient surgical tool.Mechanical Engineerin

Objets sadiques, objet sadien

Dans le musée lugubre de l'auteur des trois Justine, ce n'est pas tant les éléments du musée qui importent que ce qu'il révèle de l'atelier d'écriture du marquis de Sade. La progression exponentielle de la matière romanesque, l'amplification narratrice, les innovations narratives et techniques, tout cela concourt à une progressive dépersonnalisation de la violence dans le roman : la gestion romanesque des instruments de supplice a pour effet de déshumaniser une violence dont le seul objectif est de rester brute

A Means to an End, A Means to an End, A Means to an End: Repetition through two filmmakers and four films

Wong Kar-wai is an auteur whose body of work constitutes over 20+ short and feature films. Wong is a Hong Kong director with a unique audio-visual style. His audio-visual style works best to enhance and compliment his film’s themes of loss, love, and memory. Wong’s films are a body of work that can be compared to other filmmakers and examined under many different critical theory lenses. This essay analyzes Wong Kar-wai’s films using the lens of psychoanalysis. The focus is on the unofficial Wong Kar-wai trilogy: Days of Being Wild (1990), In the Mood for Love (2000), and 2046 (2004). Ultimately, this essay is the accompaniment to Ellipsis the short film that seeks to recreate the mood and tones of Wong Kar- wai’s work using his audio-visual style as a jumping point to think of ways I can develop my own style

Water. Object of Desire and Source of Conflict in Castile in the Late Middle Ages

Producción CientíficaTo the medieval mind, water was a prized asset and one highly sought after both for the personal use to which it could be put and for the benefits it afforded vis-à-vis enhancing the reputation of those able to enjoy it. As a result, late Middle Age Castilian society strove not only to secure itself a supply of water for its survival but also to enhance its prestige. This led to the emergence of conflicting interests surrounding water, sparking clashes involving those in authority, cities, and private citizens. The present article explores these issues in the context of lower medieval Castilian urban society, focusing on the reasons underlying the social rivalry concerning water and the measures taken to stave off such conflict.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (HAR2012-32264

Integration of an object formalism within a hybrid dynamic simulation environment

PrODHyS is a general object-oriented environment which provides common and reusable components designed for the development and the management of dynamic simulation of systems engineering. Its major characteristic is its ability to simulate processes described by a hybrid model. In this framework, this paper focuses on the "Object Differential Petri Net" (ODPN) formalism integrated within PrODHyS. The use of this formalism is illustrated through a didactic example relating to the field of Chemical Process System Engineering (PSE)