New Caledonia: a semiotic analysis of the landscape as an opportunity for learning

This chapter explores how the semiotic landscape can be used for educational purposes for undergraduate students of French undertaking an intensive study abroad program in New Caledonia, where the in-country setting is the classroom, and where the development of critical thinking is a central component of the program. The semiotic landscapes encountered in Noumea and two other locations during this program offered a rich learning environment, providing opportunities for students to explore the unique cultural and socio-political aspects of this French territory in the Pacific, and encouraging them to engage in a self-reflexive manner with this geo-political space undergoing an important transition towards new models of governance.