REQUIRED TEXTS

Bragger & Rice, Allons-y!, Le Français par étapes (Heinle & Heinle, Fifth Edition).
Including the Textbook, the Cahier de Travaux pratiques (Workbook), the CD-ROM and the Audio CD/Tapes.  Available at the College Bookstore.

Recommended: A good bilingual dictionary (e.g. Robert & Collins) as well as a reference grammar (e.g. Morton’s French Grammar for English Students, Delatour’s Grammaire pratique du français en 80 fiches, or Calvez’s French Reference Grammar).
 

COURSE OBJECTIVES

In November/December, a student should be able to do the following:

1. Respond to simple questions on the most common features of daily life.
2. Convey minimal meaning to interlocutors experienced in dealing with foreigners by using isolated words, lists of words, memorized phrases and some personalized recombinations of words and phrases.
3. Satisfy a limited number of immediate needs [1-3 adapted from ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines--Speaking (revised 1999), in ACTFL OPI Interview Tester Trainig Manual, 1999].
4. Identify (and respond to) basic information in French on various written supports, including the Internet.
5. Appreciate French and Francophone cultures’diversity (notably through the final project).
6. Last but not least, fulfill his/her own goals in this course, beyond the completion of the language requirement, or the necessary foundations for the major/minor in French: travel? study? potential professional interest? other?

Please state your goals as they stand now:
a. main goal:
b: other goals:
 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is designed as an introductory course for students with no prior French instruction.  The syllabus will cover the first half of Allons-y!-- the basics of oral and written communication in the present and compound past tenses and an introduction to French and Francophone cultures.  Class discussion and questions will take place in French to allow students oral and aural practice of the language.  Students are welcome to meet with the instructor individually or in small groups to discuss any problems, but are requested to make all effort to stick to French in the classroom at all times.
The workbook (WB, or Cahier de Travaux Pratiques=CTP) and other assignments are designed to help you put into use the material you will study in the textbook.  For each class, you will have to prepare a section of the textbook and one or two exercises (corrected in class).  You will also complete the relevant section of your workbook.  The exercises in the workbook are to be self-corrected in a special class session at the end of each chapter, but the instructor will check regularly in class on their timely completion.  The Writing Assignments (WA), the advisory OPI, and the quizzes test your skills as well as your knowledge.

Five class meetings a week.
Tuesday's classes (2 hours) are especially designed for activities (video, games, ...), review and conversation.
Every Friday, you will meet with a French Assistant instead of your instructor in Bosler’s micro room at the regular class meeting schedule.  He or she will go over scheduled Internet activities and materials to be reviewed according to your needs, and will also help you in designing the final project.  Fridays meetings in Bosler’s micro room (020) with the Foreign language Assistant may feature oral practice, discussions on videos, on-line activities (from the course Internet site, Allons-y!  site and other sources), use of the Multimedia CD-ROM and audio program, or preparation of the final project in groups.  The French Assistant and I will determine with you which course-related material needs to be reviewed.  Bring your textbook and workbook for material to be reviewed.

FILMS:  Groups of 3-4 students will alternatively attend the French Film Series at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday in Bosler 208, and will make a short oral report on the movie for their fellow students.  Each student is expected to watch at least two movies.  You may also select movies that are not part of the Series.  Pick your movie!

Keep two copies of this syllabus, one in your textbook and one in your room.
 

COURSE EVALUATION

1. Quizzes (20%): Students will take a unit exam every two weeks.  These exams will test both grammar and vocabulary acquisition as well as listening and reading skills.  Quizzes cannot be made up since one, your lowest grade, will be dropped.  There are no quizzes for lesson 3 and 6 (see below).

2. Midterm and Final exam (20%).  No make-ups will be allowed.  Mark your calendar.  The midterm will review the material from lessons 1-3 with particular emphasis on lesson 3, and the final examination will review the material from lessons 1-6 with particular emphasis on lesson 6.

3. Homework (20%).  Students will complete  the workbook (WB) exercises assigned for each unit for the date indicated in the syllabus.  The answer key is available in the WB.  Students will correct the exercises in red ink in class (usually on Tuesday).  The syllabus indicate the daily assignments that you are expected to prepare before coming to class.  Late homework will not be accepted.  Homework is graded as follows: The Workbook Units are graded on a scale from F (no homework, or late homework) to A.  The best grades are averaged.

4. Six Writing Assignments (10%).  Prepared in class.  Half a page for the first three, a full page for the last three.  They should be typed, double spaced, with a margin of 1.25 inches on all sides.  The papers must be your own work.  Plagiarism (as defined in the Student Handbook) is banned.  Part of the assignment is to learn to proof-read your own work.  Accents must be typed in, not written in pen or pencil.  These papers cannot be made up since one, your lowest grade, will be dropped.  Late papers will not be accepted.

5. Final project (10%).  To be prepared in groups of 3 or 4, the project will address a particular aspect of French and/or Francophone culture to be determined by the students in each group. Each student will present a section of the group project (5 minutes max.). Delivery, originality of the material presented, and sources will be subject to peers’ and instructor’s evaluation.  Particular attention will be paid to the coherence of the group project as a whole.  Practice and time yourself to 5 minutes.  Use any props which will make you talk more interesting and easy to follow for the audience: pictures, maps, charts, realia, etc.  Be attentive when taking notes; it is best to put the information into your own words as you are taking notes from your sources.  Prepare documentation of your sources to turn it, including Internet sites.  Do not read the report.  You may have brief notes, but they must be on index cards.  Reading a report will result in a reduction of one letter grade on the project.

6. Students will participate in class by speaking in French and working in small groups on class activities (15%).  F:  no participation, A: meaningful participation (in French only, of course).  See remarks on attendance in the next section.  Film reports, and textbook exercises assigned for a specific class are part of the participation grade.

7. Oral Proficiency Interview (5%): approx. 10 minutes.  Take an appointment with the instructor in late October.  Only attendance is graded.

8. Extra-Credit Work (+10%):  This is in no way mandatory.  At the end of the semester students may turn a portfolio of their work during the semester.  This portfolio should include 2 reworked written assignments, an outline of the section of the final project you’re responsible for, a self-analysis on your level of competence in French and any other material that you consider representative of your work during the semester.
 

COURSE POLICIES

Attendance: Attendance in class is mandatory, including on Friday, as classes should be considered as workshops.  Since attendance is essential in this course, regardless of their combined grade average, students with more than 5 unexcused absences will not receive an A, those with more than 10 will not receive an A or a B, and students with more than 15 unexcused absences will automatically receive a F.  Excused absences require written documentation, such as Dean or Doctor’s statement in case of illness.  One exception: religious holidays.

Preparation: Students are expected to be well prepared for each lesson before the actual classroom time so that the class time can be fully used for practice at a desired pace.  One to two hours of preparation are usually necessary for each class period.

No make-up tests will be allowed.

The following schedule is subject to changes.  Any changes will be announced in class, ahead of time.  Should you be absent on a day a change is announced, it is your responsibility to remain apprized of all changes.

Departmental Policy: “It is the French and Italian Department policy that students in class in the Department are permitted to consult tutors, more experienced peers, the foreign assistants, and other faculty members on ungraded assignments only.  With their instructor’s permission, outside help is permitted if students wish to go over ungraded homework assignments, practice their pronunciation, engage in informal conversation, work on improving vocabulary or control of grammatical structures, do listening and reading comprehension activities, or hone their writing.  They may NOT seek outside help from any other person in the preparation of written or oral work (including early drafts thereof) submitted under their name for a grade.  If they have any questions about this policy or their interpretation of it in a given situation, they should consult with the course instructor.”
 

STUDY TIPS

1. Never miss class.  Use every opportunity to speak, hear and read French.  Keep on trying to keep a conversation going.  Be willing to take risks, trying out the new structures and vocabulary you’re learning.  Students who play it safe (stick to the simple, reliable forms instead of trying new ones) will only hold themselves back.  There’s no disgrace goofing with something you didn’t know; but progress comes from learning from it and doing better next time.

2. Make a constant effort to participate in each class.  The classroom is the primary focus for all first-year work.  As you are beginners, you should not be afraid to make mistakes.  They are a necessary part of the learning process.  Never fear to ask for help: often the same thing puzzling you is confusing others too.  Get help fast when you need it; do not let problems develop.  Take at least two appointments with the instructor to discuss honestly your progress and difficulties.

3. Do not fall behind in your work.  Be organized: do your homework in time.  “Catching up” is extremely difficult in an elementary language course.  Success depends largely on regular contact with the material (In practicing a skill, four 15 mns study periods with full concentration may work better for you than one-hour sessions).  Don’t be satisfied with knowing the material.  Be sure to practice enough times to be able to perform it with relative ease and fluency.  Tests examine not only what you know, but how well you know it and how quickly you can put it into use.

4. Watch yourself as a learner: try to determine what type of material helps you learn best and what doesn’t.  Ask for help from your instructor.

5. Design your own learning aids: flashcards, charts, lists, repertories.  This will help you memorize and recycle the material. Take advantage of cognates while building your vocabulary.  Put tricky points on cards to carry with you and take advantage of those mentally idle moments in your day (walking, standing in line, eating breakfast, etc.) to practice the language.  Memorize not only vocabulary, but useful formulas you can rely on to get things done.

6. Assume that grammar and syntax do mean something.  In Romance languages, among others, place, form and endings of words can make a huge difference in meaning, and have for hundreds of years.  Use Allons-y! Internet site at http://allonsy.heinle.com.

7. Practice out loud.  Read the material and learn the spelling of the words.
Use Allons-y! ’s accompanying tapes to improve on your speaking and listening abilities.
Some of these suggestions come from the Middlebury College Summer Language School Handbook, 1997, the Wake Forest University Romance Languages Home Page and the following individuals: Kara Rabitt, Joan McRae, Lucile Duperron.  See also Joan Rubin & Irene Thompson, How to be a More Successful Language Learner, Heinle & Heinle, 1982, or H. Douglas Brown, A Practical Guide to Language Learning, McGraw Hill, 1989).
 

KEY for Syllabus of Assignments and Practica Activities:
TB=Textbook, WB=Workbook=Cahier de Travaux Pratiques (CTP), WA: Written Assignment, ch.=Chapter.  You will often need a partner to prepare the exercises.  Pick your partner!