REQUIRED TEXTS

Daniel J. Calvez. French Reference Grammar. A Complete Handbook of the French Language. Lincolnwood (Illinois): NTC, 1996.
Mehdi Charef. Le Thé au harem d’Archi Ahmed. Mercure de France, 1983 [Folio Gallimard 1958]
Press articles, short stories, lyrics, handouts and web site material for your course are provided by the instructor.
Recommended: Harper Collins Robert French Dictionary, 3rd edition.
(Available at the College Bookstore)

COURSE OBJECTIVES

In April, a student should be able to do the following:

1. Participate in simple, direct conversations on topics related to daily activities and personal environment.  Initiate, sustain and bring to a close a number of basic, uncomplicated communicative exchanges.  Satisfy simple personal needs and social demands to survive in the target language.  Obtain and give information by asking and answering questions.
2. Create with the language and communicate personal meaning to sympathetic interlocutors by combining language elements in discrete sentences and strings of sentences. [1-2 adapted from ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines--Speaking (revised 1999), in ACTFL OPI Interview Tester Training Manual, 1999)].
3. Develop/practice the use of grammar/syntax in context, with focus on using tenses appropriately (past, future) and expressing one’s subjectivity (w/ subjunctive, comparative, etc.).
4. Identify (and respond to) information in French on various supports, including the Internet.
5. Develop his/her appreciation of French-speaking cultures (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, the third in the language sequence, is designed as an intermediate course for students who have completed French 101 and French 104 or for freshmen with extensive prior French instruction.  It is designed to improve oral and written communication skills and further introduce to French-speaking cultures.  It will use the latest ACTFL-designed techniques  in order to enhance your oral proficiency.  Class discussion and questions will take place in French.  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 short novel, the films, the lyrics and the other materials are intended for the study of grammar and vocabulary in context.  The topic selected this semester is: "Young people in suburban areas, 1975-2002". It is hoped that you will relate to their stories and learn to know about contemporary young subculture in France and Quebec.  You are required to post a paragaph, 5 words from the readings and films and their translation, and at least 2 questions on the weekly forums on Blackboard5.  Your fellow students will benefit from your input especially if you do the posting for the week to come no later than the previous Sunday.  These recent authentic documents will be used to reinforce your understanding of contemporary French-speaking cultures.  The reference grammar does not provide any exercise.  All exercises except ELFE are on our website or Blackboard5 site.

The assignments are designed to help you put into use the material you will study.   The exercises in the ELFE software can be completed on  the iMac computers in Bosler lab or through the network with your PC (see instructions).  They are self-corrected, and the instructor will be made automatically aware through the network of their timely completion.  The writing assignments, the advisory OPI, and the quizzes test your skills as well as your knowledge.

Four class meetings a week.  Once a week, a French Assistant will assist the 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. Thursdays meetings in Bosler’s micro room (020) with the Foreign language Assistant may feature oral practice, discussions on videos/texts, on-line activities from the course Internet site and other sources, 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.  Attendance and participation are graded.

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!
 

COURSE EVALUATION

1.  Tests (25%).  Students will take a unit exam every three weeks.  These exams will test both grammar and vocabulary acquisition as well as listening and reading skills.  Tests cannot be made up.

2.  Homework (25%) = Weekly Postings + ELFE
a/ Weekly Postings: You (or your group) have to post a paragraph, 5 French words from the readings or films and their translation, and at least 2 questions per week on Blackboard5 (Weekly forum).  Weekly entries on the forum ARE graded. (15%)
b/ ELFE: Upon registration with ELFE, students will complete the ELFE exercises assigned for each unit on the Mac Intosh computers  in Bosler Lab  for the date indicated in the syllabus.   See further instructions on Blackboard5.  The syllabus indicate the daily assignments that you are expected to prepare before coming to class. They will print out all these self-corrected exercises (names, results, days and times taken and transcripts are entered automatically) and bring them  to class.  After completion of each "module", they will hand all ELFE exercises for this "module" to the instructor. (10%)
Late homework will not be accepted.  Homework is graded on a scale from F (no homework, or late homework) to A.

3.  Five Compositions (25%).  Prepared in class in the writing workshops. You will write 5 short papers this semester (a paragraph, 1 page, 1.5 page, 2 pages, 2.5 pages).  They will 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.  You will submit a first draft of the composition.   A correction key will be handed out to you for correcting your writing assignments.  A week later, you will submit a revised and corrected final version of the composition, according to the correction key provided and the additional comments.  Both grades will be average to calculate the final grade for the composition.  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.  Papers turned in late will receive a penalty of one letter grade per 24 hour period.

4. Participation (15%). Students will participate in class by speaking in French and working in small groups on class activities . See remarks on attendance in the next section.  Film reports, questions on the readings and exercises assigned for a specific class (other than ELFE) are part of the participation grade, as is the mandatory Oral Proficiency Interview (approx. 15 minutes).  Take an appointment for it with the instructor in late March.  This interview will test your ability to create with language, ask questions, produce a short narrative in the past and eventually some form of extended discourse.

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. 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 and any other material that you consider representative of your work during the semester.
 

COURSE POLICIES

1. Attendance: Attendance in class is mandatory.  It is also a very important part of the final grade, as classes can 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).

2. Preparation: Students (and/or groups of 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.  You will often need a partner to prepare the exercises.  Pick your partner!

3. No make-up tests will be allowed.

4. 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.

5. 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 second-year work.  As you are novice speakers, 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 intermediate language course.  Success depends largely on regular contact with the material (In practicing a skill, four 15 minute-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.  Avoid translation at all costs: you want to develop skills in French, and it doubles your processing time.  It is more useful to develop the ability to paraphrase (circumlocute).

5. Design your own learning aids: flashcards, charts, lists, repertories, website, etc.  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 the hand-outs and the course Internet site on the Blackboard.

7. Practice out loud.  Read the material and learn the spelling of the words.  Use the website’s suggestions to improve on your speaking and listening abilities.

Some of these suggestions come from 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).