Amendment to a law in France, allowing the embassy to ask immigrants to do a DNA test to prove that they really want to join a relative in France, and not a random person.

How did you pick this theme or topic?
This amendment is highly controversial in France. It came out in the middle of September, and since then, it’s been on the newspaper every single day. People protest against it, concerts were organized… Immigration is a sensitive subject on which the new President wants to work a lot. This is a great topic to have the students think about a controversial issue, at the same time as it is coming out in France.

How did you present the material? (Handouts, group work, general discussion, student presentations, etc.)
Newspaper article, reading and general discussion

How did students react?
I think the subject was really difficult. The vocabulary was not hard, but it was hard for them to express their ideas about something so specific. They were interested though, because this is concrete, this is reality.

Did they engage with each other and you?
Yes, even if some of them found it really hard, they tried to understand what was going on. Moreover, when they had an idea that they could express, they did so, and at the end of class, they all had a lot to say or to ask.

What materials or media did you use? (articles, satellite tv, digital projector, etc.)
Article from “LeMonde” that I modified.

Please attach a copy.

Would you recommend this activity for a future class?
Yes, because the students are interested in the culture and issues of the Country. Immigration is also a topic that they are familiar with, so I would definitely do it again, even as a follow up of this particular class.