Example French dissertation topic 5:

Le blog: France’s passion for blogging.

France has adopted the medium of the blog with a passion, in the political, cultural, gastronomic, and indeed, every sphere of life. This dissertation considers why blogging has taken off in France, and the effect it has had on traditional print media. In addition, it examines the socio-linguistic form of French blogs, and it investigates whether the fondness for blogging can be traced to France’s early adoption of domestic telecommunication, or perhaps early blogging activities in Québec. This dissertation would be best served by a student familiar with both colloquial and formal French language skills, and the technically savvy.

Suggested initial topic reading:

• Blattner, G. and Williams, L. (2009). ‘Linguistic and social dimensions of French-language discussion forums’. In, Abraham, L.B. and Williams, L., (eds) Electronic discourse in language learning and language teaching. New York: John Benjamins, pp. 263-290.
• Douglass, K. (2009) ‘Second person pronoun use in French-language blogs’. In, Abraham, L.B. and Williams, L., (eds) Electronic discourse in language learning and language teaching. New York: John Benjamins, pp. 213-240.
• Lehti, L. (2011). ‘Blogging politics in various ways: A typology of French politicians’ blogs’. Journal of Pragmatics, vol. 43(6), pp. 1610-1627.