Welcome to French 1224, the second course of Elementary French!

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is a sequel to Elementary French I. Credit may not be earned for both FRCH 1224 and FRCH 1263. Prerequisite(s): FRCH 1114 or one year high school French.

In order to provide you with the information you need concerning this course, the present syllabus is divided in several sections:

Ø      Important Web Links

Ø      Prerequisites

Ø      Course Content

Ø      Course Objectives

Ø      Text and Required Materials

Ø      WebCT Course Web Page

Ø      Absences

Ø      Evaluations

Ø      Course Components

Ø      Percentage Breakdown of Course Component

Ø      University Policies: Regents’ Statements on Course Workload and Homework, ADA Statement,

Ø      Course Program

Read all sections so that you can better prepare for the course and organize your work adequately. If anything is unclear, ask your instructor. Before addressing each section, note that:

1.                  You will cover the second half of the textbook Débuts.

2.                  Your course meets 4 times a week for daytime classes and twice a week for evening classes.

3.                  Your course earns you 4 credits.

4.                  Information related to this course (syllabus, assignments, quizzes, exams, etc.) is available in your webCT FRCH 1224 course site.

Important Web Links and Phone Numbers

Ø      Textbook, Débuts, and movie, Le Chemin du retour: www.mhhe.com/debuts2

Ø      Access to audio portion of Lab Manual and Workbook:  www.mhhe.com/debuts2

Ø       Information Technology (IT) help desk: http://technology.uco.edu/ops/help_desk.htm. Phone number: (405) 974-2255. Email: support@uco.edu. You can call from home to receive help with your computer and the Internet.

Prerequisites

You should enroll in French 1224 if you have completed French 1114 at UCO or its equivalent at another institution, if your CLEP results place you into this level, if you studied French in high school for more than two years, or if you scored between 420 and 550 on the SAT II French Exam. All students with previous exposure to French must take the Department placement test to determine their placement.

If you meet one or more of the above criteria but still have questions about your course placement, or if you don’t meet any of the above criteria, please contact your instructor immediately. 

IMPORTANT: Be organized, rigorous, and steady in your study of French. This will help you a great deal! If you feel frustrated or discouraged at any time during your language learning experience, do not hesitate to contact your instructor. We are here to help you reach your full potential in the best possible learning environment, one that brings together a dynamic and collegiate atmosphere, a student-focused and goal oriented program, and a multicultural education.

Course Content

In order to gain proficiency in any foreign language, you need to hear it, speak it, read it, and write it on a daily basis. This is why the course is taught primarily in French, why you are expected to speak in French during class time, and why you will be assigned homework almost every day.

Instructional processes for this class include but are not limited to: short lectures, discussions on French culture and other topics, computer aided instruction, audio and visual activities, class drill and oral/aural drill with partner(s).  In order to acquire fluency, you will drill with the material, using in-class aural comprehension and conversation exercises. Written and oral exercises assigned as homework and done in class will be used to gain mastery of grammar points and vocabulary.

Course Objectives And How to Reach Them

Upon successful completion of Elementary French I and II, you should be able to:

1.  Speak French well enough to describe, narrate, and ask/answer questions in present tense about a variety of topics related to your family, daily activities, interests, vacations, shopping, eating, and health.  You should also be able to make short statements and ask/answer simple questions in both past and future contexts.  In order to achieve this level of speaking proficiency, you will need to come to class every day prepared to participate actively in French, and you must work conscientiously on the exercises assigned for lab work.

2.  Comprehend French with sufficient ability to grasp the main idea and some supporting details in short conversations (both spontaneous and taped) that relate to the topics mentioned above.  To do this, you will need to pay close attention to everything you hear in French – from your instructor, your classmates, videotapes, your lab exercises, or whatever other format puts you in contact with spoken French (including songs, news broadcasts, films, audio clips on Web sites, etc.). 

3.  Read and understand the main idea and some details of both edited and non-edited material related to the topics mentioned in #1 above.  This material will include both literary and non-literary texts.  To become a successful and engaged reader of French, you will need to pay close attention to all information your instructor and the textbook give you about strategies to facilitate this task.

4.  Write essays that demonstrate organization of thoughts by introduction, development, and conclusion, coherent paragraphs with topic sentences, good grammar and vocabulary skills, creativeness, etc. 

5.  Cultivate awareness and appreciation of French and Francophone cultures, and recognize cultural stereotypes.  To begin with, your textbook Débuts is accompanied by a movie entitled, Le Chemin du retour. This film provides a functional context for the discovery of French and Francophone cultures. In addition, every lesson of the textbook has a cultural component entitled, Regards sur la culture. Utilizing both the textbook and the movie, you will learn how to read, analyze, and interpret cultural information. Finally, you will be encouraged to learn how Francophone peoples live and think, and to discover both similarities and differences with your own way of living and your view of the world.

6.  Understand on a basic level how French functions as a language.  The grammar explanations in Débuts are written in clear, concise English.  You are expected to read these explanations at home and be prepared to apply what you have learned from your reading and homework exercises to in-class activities.  The textbook, on-line workbook, movie, course website, and publisher’s website provide you with a variety of practice materials that will expand and reinforce your linguistic abilities. 

Text and Required Materials

• Débuts. An Introduction to French. Siskin, Williams, Field, McGraw-Hill, 2^nd ed, 2007. 
• Débuts.  Workbook/Laboratory Manual, Part II.

Other Suggested Materials

• French/English dictionary
• 3-ring binder to archive your homework and other in-class and take home assignments.
• English Grammar for Students of French: The Study Guide for Those Learning French. Morton, 5^th ed., The Olivia and Hill Press, 2002 (This text is suggested for those students who have difficulties with the study of grammar.).

Textbook And Movie

To learn more about Débuts, Le Chemin du retour, and the interactive CD-ROM go to www.mhhe.com/debuts2. This is the publisher’s (McGraw-Hill) website for Débuts. This helpful website contains review exercises for each chapter.

WebCT Course Web Page

Your webCT course site contains important information, including syllabus, grading guidelines, course and university policies, compositions’ instructions and topics, tutoring program, etc. Make sure you familiarize yourself with this website and access it on a regular basis. If you experience difficulties with computer technology (at home or on campus) it is your responsibility to contact IT, Extension 2255. There are plenty of computers on campus, and you must make time in your weekly schedule to use them if:

1. You don’t have a well-functioning, up-to-date computer at home
2. You don’t have an Internet connection at home
3. Your computer software and hardware do not adequately support WebCT and other UCO educational software
4. You experience an excessive number of problems and/or difficulties with your home computer

Students who do not turn in an assignment (homework, composition, etc.) on time due to computer malfunctions/problems will receive a zero for that assignment.

Absences 

Regular attendance is absolutely necessary for success in acquiring a new language; attendance will therefore be taken daily. Note that being physically ‘present’ in the classroom without participating to class activities does not constitute ‘active’ participation.

It is likewise very important to arrive to class on time.  Arriving late to class counts as one third of an absence; if you arrive 10 minutes (or more) late to class, your instructor will not allow you to stay and you will be marked as absent.

If you are absent, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed so that you come prepared when you return to class.  If you know you are going to be absent from a class, you must inform your instructor before the absence and submit all assignments in advance.  If you have to miss class because of sudden illness or an emergency situation, you must inform your instructor by e-mail as soon as possible, and no later than the evening of the missed class.

In this course, students are permitted two (2) unexcused absences for daytime classes and one (1) for evening classes.  Absences for university sanctioned activities, illness, military service, deaths in the family, car accidents, or any kind of emergency situation will be excused upon appropriate written documentation: a doctor’s note—Student Health Center slips are unacceptable— car accident report, etc.  For each unexcused absence beyond the one/s permitted, the student’s attendance grade will drop by 10% and the participation grade by 5%..  Finally, a student will automatically receive an F for the course if s/he is absent more than 12 times.

Be aware that your instructor will not answer messages asking him/her what needs to be done for the next class, nor will s/he excuse you simply because you sent an email explaining the reason/s why you were absent.

If you are a member of an athletic team, performing group, etc. and know you will need to be absent from class for participation in an event, you should plan to use your 2 ‘free’ absences for those events.  Any additional absences will be excused only upon receipt of your game/performance schedule signed and dated by your coach/adviser. No exceptions will be made, which means no non-scheduled/unofficial and/or last minute games, performances, interviews, conferences, etc. will be excused, even with a coach’s or professor’s note.

Evaluation

Your grades will be determined by the point system.  You receive points for quizzes, exams, compositions, homework and lab manual exercises completed online, cultural activities, and oral in-class exercises.  All points will be added up at the end of the semester and will then be divided by the total number of possible points in order to find a percentage.  Please see the attached schedule for the dates of quizzes, compositions, oral tests, etc.

Course Components

1. Attendance (10%)

See information about Absences, above.  In order to do well in this course you must attend all class sessions.

2. Class Preparation and Participation (15%)

Participation (MLLCS Department Policy): Students will receive a grade for participation based upon their in-class interaction with other class members and with the instructor. Everyone is expected to come to class fully prepared and ready to participate in both routine exercises and more creative conversational activities.  Your participation grade reflects your preparation and active involvement in class. Active involvement means speaking French in the classroom as often as possible, contributing significantly to group work, and volunteering to the general classroom discussion. Do not be afraid to make mistakes—they are inevitable as well as essential to the learning process!

And remember the UCO policy: cell phones, food, and drinks are not allowed in the classroom.

2. Homework and other assignments (10%)

You will have daily homework assignments from either the workbook, Part 2, or other assignments assigned at your instructor’s discretion. The completed exercises for the assigned lesson are due on the day the lesson is covered in class and must be submitted to receive credit. Your instructor may give you pop quizzes as s/he deems fit.

Because the study of language is cumulative, it is vital that you not fall behind in your work. It is recommended that you  spend at least one (1) hour every day completing homework, memorizing vocabulary, and reviewing grammar.

Once again, assignments are due on the designated due date.  Students who are absent on that date are expected to turn in the assignment either early or upon returning to class.  No late assignments are accepted if the student is in class: if not turned in on time, the student will receive a zero (0) for that specific assignment. If the student has an unexcused absence, the grading rules are at the instructor’s discretion and will be clearly explained by him/her at the beginning of the semester.

IMPORTANT: because this syllabus includes a detailed course program (see the last two pages) and also, because all assignments are available on your webCT site, your instructor will not respond to emails asking what homework and/or assignments are due and when they are due. Once again, it is your responsibility to make sure you know what homework/assignment/quiz/exam/etc. is due and when it is due.

3. Writing (10%)

You will have three (3) short writing assignments (compositions) during the semester.  These will be graded on organization, content, vocabulary, and grammatical accuracy. Additional guidelines and grading criteria are available on your WebCT site. As accent marks are essential to French spelling, points will be taken off if they are incorrect or missing. Therefore, you are strongly encouraged to use French spell and grammar check. If your computer is not equipped with this feature, it is available on all computers at the language lab.

4. Quizzes (15%)

There will be five (5) short quizzes during the semester based on the material covered in class and in the textbook. Each quiz covers two to three chapters of Débuts. At the end of the semester, the lowest quiz grade will be dropped (if you are absent, the missed quiz [a “0”] will automatically be dropped). These quizzes are designed as checks to show that you have mastered the main points covered up to then, and they also serve as useful practice for the final exam.

5. Oral Tests (10%)

You will participate in one conversation in French with your instructor during the semester.  Your instructor will tell you whether this oral test is scheduled during regular class time or outside of class time. The test will last 5-7 minutes. Guidelines and grading criteria are also available on your WebCT site.

6. Cultural Activities (10%)

Because one of the goals of this class is to have students cultivate an awareness and appreciation of cultures other than their own, you will earn “culture points” by choosing three (3) of the cultural activities presented to you. The due date for each activity is indicated in “Programme du cours,” located at the end of the present syllabus. For a complete description of this assignment, listing of all possible cultural activities, guidelines and grading criteria, check your WebCT site.

7. Final Exam (20%)

The final exam is scheduled according to the Master Exam Schedule determined by the Academic Affairs Office. It will not be changed under any circumstance other than an actual conflict with another exam. Proof of conflict will be required. The final exam in French is a comprehensive exam; it will cover material from Débuts, from Chapters 12 to Épilogue, inclusive.

Students must take the final exam.  Unexcused absence from the exam will result in an F for the course

REMEMBER: There are no make-ups or late work in this course.  All assignments are due at the beginning of class on the due date, except when excused—see “Absences.”  And do keep all returned graded work until you receive your final grade!

Percentage Breakdown of Course Components

University Policies

1. Regents' Statement on Course Workload and Homework-OSRHE II-2-34

It is expected that a full-time college student will spend a minimum amount of time each week in class attendance and study out of class approaching a 40-hour work week.  A person employed on a full time basis should not simultaneously expect to maintain a full-time academic schedule.  At the undergraduate level, this means that for each hour in class, a student is expected to spend at least three (3) hours doing homework.  For a three-credit class, a student is expected to spend nine (9) hours a week doing homework.

2. ADA Statement

The University of Central Oklahoma complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the American with Disabilities Act of 1990. Students with disabilities who need special accommodations must make their requests by contacting the Coordinator of Disability Support Services, Ms. Kimberly Fields at (405) 974-2549.  The DSS Office is located in the Nigh University Center, Room 415. Students should also notify the instructor of special accommodation needs by the end of the first week of class.

3. Psychologically Safe Environment

In this class, each student’s questions and ideas are valuable and will be respected.  It is essential that a safe and comfortable environment be established to allow each student to question, challenge, and share ideas openly.

4. UCO Academic Integrity Statement

Your participation in this course comes with the expectation that your work will be completed in full observance of the UCO Student Code of Conduct that can be downloaded at:

http://www.uco.edu/academicaffairs/FORMS/Student Information SheetSPR08.pdf

*Note that the use of on-line translating programs to complete assignments constitutes a violation of the Student Code of Conduct.

Programme du cours de Français 1224

Printemps 2008

(Four-day version, daytime classes)

Final Exam:

Time, date, and location vary for each section of FRCH 1224