For most departments of French language and literature in Taiwan, culture is always considered an important subject in French teaching. However, the contents and the methods certainly vary according to the different levels of the students. In advanced level courses, for example, the teaching scope includes history and geography, politics and economics, religion, art and culture, etc. Nevertheless, French department faculty must not only respect the purpose of setting up the department and the aim of teaching, but also take into account the specializations of the teachers. This is how the variety of course programs, teaching material de- sign and methods are developed in universities. Everyone has his or her own style, but should these instructors teach the language or the culture in the advanced lev- el courses regarding culture? In my opinion, we cannot neglect either one, but the more important aspect is international communication. Therefore, I will first analyze the characteristics of current textbooks and teaching methods using my own experiences over the years of French language and cultural instruction, and then explore how innovative courses can integrate history, geography, art and culture into the curriculum in a “theme-based” approach. The “exoticism” in the culture courses at the advanced linguistic level is utilized at the upper levels so that the students can distinguish the socio-cultural from the French language. Our courses not only improve the linguistic levels of the students, but also aid them in learning the skills and joys of international communication.
