The textbook, composed of written and audio documents, exercises, and grammar sections, presents a simplified version of reality, as it cannot cover everything and must make choices to retain only what is essential. This simplification often leads to the inclusion of stereotypes, which can be found in all parts of the textbook. These stereotypes are inevitable, but they can sometimes result in discrimination and misunderstandings; they also hinder the understanding of a foreign culture. Textbooks are often essential in the classroom, and designing one’s own lessons is not always compatible with the pedagogical context. For reasons of profitability, textbooks are usually designed for a broad international audience rather than for a specific region or country—an aspect that must also be taken into account for this study. Therefore, in this research, we aimed to examine the stereotypes and the image of France presented in the Latitudes 1 and Latitudes 2 textbooks, which were used in the department until June 2024. Our research focuses on textbooks and stereotypes, drawing primarily on the works of Beacco, Cotton, Bourhis, and Leyens. We also examined the perception of France and the French among first-year students at the beginning of their studies, and again in their fourth year, in order to observe how their views evolved. We found that students in their fourth year had a less positive view than when they began in the department. Some of the stereotypes held by first-year students are reflected in the textbook, while those of fourth-year students are less so. However, the textbook’s influence on this group must be put into perspective: they use it only during the first two years and also attend other French courses that are not related to Latitudes.
