Longwood University
French 105
Intensive French I-II

Fall 2009

Site web: http://www.longwood.edu/staff/edwardswa/courses.htm

Required Text
Promenades: à travers le monde francophone, text and paper workbook.  (Mitschke and Tano, Boston: Vista Higher Learning, 2010)  Students should also have access to a substantial French-English dictionary, and may want to consult Jacqueline Morton's English Grammar for Students of French, available at the bookstore.  Click here for the textbook website.

Course Description
Development of basic oral expression, listening and reading comprehension, and writing, for students with a limited amount of previous formal instruction in French.  Five classes and language lab work; 5 credits.  Followed by FREN 201.  This is a course conducted primarily in French.  For a list of useful classroom expressions, click here.

Course Objectives
 By the end of the course, students will demonstrate an ability to:
      1. Understand the French sound system and put their conversational skills to use in everyday situations.
      2. Acquire a vocabulary and master the linguistic structures necessary for performing certain tasks in French, such as engaging, continuing, and terminating a conversation; expressing an opinion; expressing conditions; describing in the past; making an hypothesis; ordering food; expressing emotions and desires; and summarizing.
      3. Read and understand texts, watch and understand visual media, listen to and understand recorded speech; appreciate certain aspects of life in France or other Francophone countries.
      4. Write short essays on an introductory level, one of which discusses important questions raised by a French film.

Course Requirements
1. Attendance, preparation, and contribution. Attendance and participation are mandatory and will account for 15% of the student’s final grade. For purposes of notation, “contribution” is defined as physical attendance, active participation in class, obvious preparation, and willingness to speak French.  As stated in the student handbook, “Students are expected to attend all classes.  Failure to attend class regularly impairs academic performance.  [Moreover,] absences are disruptive to the educational process for others.  This is especially true when absences cause interruption for clarification of material previously covered, failure to assume assigned responsibilities for class presentations, or failure to adjust to changes in assigned material or due dates.”  If the student misses 10% of the scheduled class meetings for unexcused absences--in this case 6 classes--the instructor reserves the right to lower that student’s course grade by no more than one letter grade.  The instructor will also assign a course grade of “F” when a student has missed a total (excused and unexcused) of 25% of the scheduled class meetings, or 15 classes.  Absences will be excused only for the following reasons: illness, participation in a university-sponsored activity, religious holiday, or recognizable emergency.  Absences will not be excused for court dates, transportation scheduling, or doctor’s appointments.  Students who arrive late to class will also have their contribution grade lowered; every two late arrivals will count as one unexcused absence.

2.  Homework.  Because language learning requires constant revision and attention, students will have homework every night.  The syllabus reflects the nightly readings and workbook exercises that students should complete before coming to class.  It is expected that students will use these exercises to prepare for class and to highlight areas of personal deficiency. Homework will be collected at the beginning of every class and graded for completeness and accuracy.  Most exercises will require the student to read and work through some new material before completing the assignment.  In order to receive full credit for the assignment, students must: (1) complete all assigned pages fully, and (2) turn the work in on time.  Work that is handed in late will not be recorded for credit.  Even in the event of an excused absence, it is the student’s responsibility to turn in all work on time.

3.  Chapter exams.  Exams will be based on aural and written work done in class and for homework.  Exams must be taken at the scheduled time, except in the case of an excused absence from class.

4.  Vocabulary quizzes.  For each unité, students will prepare for a 5-minute vocabulary quiz or a dictée.  Dates are indicated on the syllabus. 

5.  Compositions.  Students will write two 200-word essays.   Compositions will be written in stages on selected topics.  Drafts of the essay (ébauches) will be collected several weeks before the final version is due.  Work that is handed in late will be penalized.  Click here for an explanation of composition expectations and grades.

6.  Required Film.  Longwood hosts a French Film Festival every February.  In this class, we will screen the film Molière, which was a crowd favorite at the 2009 festival.  This film is scheduled for October 22 at 7pm, and is required.  The DVD is on reserve at the library.

7.  Oral exam.  The spoken exam will consist of a personal interview with the instructor. Students will use the vocabulary form the semester and should practice speaking in the present tense and the past tenses.  Click here for grading criteria.

8.  Honor code.  Students are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with the Longwood University Honor Code.  All work submitted for the class must be pledged.  Students who are judged by the Honor Board to be “responsible” for academic dishonesty in this class will receive a failing grade for the course.

9.  Texting.  Open cell phones are not permitted in class.  Students who text during class will be marked absent for the day.  Please remember to turn off the phones when you enter the classroom.

10.  If you have a disability and require accommodations, please meet with me early in the semester to discuss your learning needs.  If you wish to request reasonable accommodations (note taking support, extended time for tests, etc.), you will need to register with the Office of Disability Services (Graham building, 395-2391). The office will require appropriate documentation of disability. All information will be kept confidential.

11.  Grading.  The student’s course grade will be determined by the following percentages:

Programme du cours

échelle de notation