French 201-202-203 : Intermediate French
Course Description
Required texts:
Blue Supplementary exercises packet (handed out in class)
Bescherelle’s 12000 French Verbs
Optional texts:
La Grammaire à l'oeuvre, J. Barson
NTC's Dictionary of
French Faux Pas
English Grammar for students of French
French-French dictionary
(Le Petit Robert or Le Petit Larousse) Can also be found online :
http://dictionnaire.tv5.org/dictionnaires.asp : this website also has a
French-English, English-
French, and a
French Thesaurus.
Course description: French 200 is a three-part intermediate-level language series designed to answer the needs of students coming from varying backgrounds, who are studying French for a multiplicity of reasons, and who hope to review thoroughly and expand on the grammar taught in our 100-level classes. French 200 aims at the further development of the students’ four skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) up to an intermediate level of proficiency. Emphasis is put on reviewing grammar and experiencing the language in its cultural contexts, through the use of a multi-media approach relying not only on a grammar textbook and on grammar and vocabulary exercises, but also on the web, current newspaper and magazine clippings, recent radio and television programs. French 200 is taught through an experiential methodology, which entails exclusive use of French in the classroom, emphasis on communicative skills, interactive and contextualized use of grammar and daily practice outside of class.
Course outcomes:
* World Views : Students will articulate their own cultural beliefs and values, recognize the influence of culturally based assumptions on perception and behavior, identify common and dissimilar values and/or patterns in aesthetic expressions such as literature, music, and film, demonstrate an awareness and appreciation of the differences in cultures and societies (between France and the U.S., and in all their diversity).
* Responsibility : Students will develop the ability to recognize, understand, and accept ownership of their learning.
* Communications : Students will observe, read, and listen critically with openness, identify and use new vocabularies, organize information to develop and support their own ideas, logically articulate their own position on an issue, effectively communicate with varied audiences for a variety of purposes : from simple conversation to problem-solving.
* Analysis/problem solving : Students will access, evaluate and apply information from a variety of sources and in a variety of contexts.
The material and methods of this course encourage students to develop and practice their skills in all of these areas. However, the abilities that we will emphasize in this course are Communications and World Views.
Evaluation of students’ achievements:
1.
Quizzes (4) : 30%
2.
Writing workshops, global listening comprehension, vocabulary : 20%
3.
Live labs : 10%
4.
Attendance/Participation : 10%
5.
Homework/dictées : 10%
6. Meurtre à Cinet/Naufrage/Lyon à
nous deux (daily interactions :journaux and conversations) : 10%
7.
Meurtre à Cinet/Naufrage/Lyon
à nous deux
(Final project): 10%
Quizzes:
Test dates are indicated in the syllabus. There are no make-up tests, except for documented medical or other emergencies. The quizzes are administered over one class period, and will cover all the grammar and texts studied up to that point. No dictionaries, verb books, textbooks are allowed during the quiz.
Chapter quizzes always comprise :
Live labs: You will meet with the teaching assistant for a minimum of 20 minutes per week. The purpose of these labs is for you to have additional one-on-one, or small group, opportunities to practice your French. These labs really help, and include games, role-plays, and other conversational opportunities. Attendance is required. After each lab session, Eglantine will give evaluations of 5 (best) to 1 (worst) based on your participation. There are no excused absences for live labs, but you may make them up at Eglantine’s discretion (maximum 3 times). If more than 2 people sign up for the same time slot, the live lab will be 30 minutes.
OR : Attendance is required. On Fridays, we will have our live labs. The purpose of these labs is for you to have additional one-on-one and small group opportunities to practice your French. These labs really help, and include games, role-plays, and other conversational opportunities. Each one of you will be asked to lead part of the Fridays’ live labs at least twice a quarter (you may lead in pairs). After each lab session, you will give yourselves evaluations of 5 (best) to 1 (worst) based on your participation. There are no excused absences for live labs, but you may make them up (maximum 3 times) if you discuss those with me in advance. If you miss the in-class live lab, you may participate in the French Club Table for a make-up. You may make up 3 missed live labs.
Attendance/participation:
As in French 100, because language learning is a cumulative process, regular, rather than sporadic attendance is essential for steady progress and good performance. Close attention will be paid to active participation in class. It is absolutely necessary that students attend classes daily. Repeated absences will affect a student’s grade considerably. Students missing up to 4 classes will receive the grade they earn; students missing more than 4 classes will have 1% deducted from the final grade for every day after the 4th absence. Students missing fewer than 3 days will receive a bonus of 2% added to their final percentage.
Homework/Classwork:
Students are responsible for reading all grammar lessons in the textbook, literary texts provided, for completing all exercises on the days indicated in the syllabus, as well as 15-20 additional homework assignments in the forms of journals, grammar review, dictations, and vocabulary exercises. The journals are very short written assignments (about 1 paragraph ) designed to prepare you for in-class conversations and compositions. The more you write, the more you will be prepared for in-class conversations, role playing, and compositions! Hence, it is in your best interests to write them carefully, read the corrections, and meet with the instructor after you receive those journals back, if you’d like extra help. The topics of the journals will be given in class, and/or posted the class website. The journals may be handwritten or typed. Homework assignments will be checked daily for completion.
Students may also be working in small groups on assignments throughout the quarter. In order to receive credit, you must be in attendance on the day of a group activity.
Late assignments policy:
Homework assignments are due at specific dates indicated by the instructor. However, if, for any reason, a student needs more time to work on any assignment, it is possible for him/her to turn it in one day after the due date for half credit. If you think you will be absent on the date an assignment is due, send it in via email, a friend, or turn it in early.
These are the simulations for French 201, 202 and 203.
French 201: Meurtre à Cinet:
In this murder mystery, you will be playing the role of a person who lives in Cinet – a fictional village in France. In order to solve the mystery, you will need to ask other people questions and also use the clues and evidence available on the WWW. The game consists of four rounds. New information will be provided with each round of the murder (both personal information and evidence).
You will receive information about your character, but only you can bring him or her to life. Try to give your character a personality. Feel free to be affectionate to some people, rude to others, even pick a fight or two, if you feel so inclined! You can also divorce your spouse, break up with your boyfriend or girlfriend, dump your lover… or even start up a relationship with somebody new (as long as they agree!)
Remember that nobody knows exactly where they were at the time of the murder. All the evidence in this murder will be circumstantial. Your job is to make the best case possible against one (or more!) of the citizens of Cinet based on your analysis of the evidence and the interrogations! Your final project will be to accuse someone of the crime and to back up your claims with evidence.
The final project may be submitted in any format: a diary, TW news report, video-taped confession, legal brief, newspaper, radio broadcast – the only limits are the availability of evidence and your imagination!
In this game, your instructor will play the role of “Inspecteur Piette”, the police officer assigned to the case. When you have questions about the game, you should address them to Inspecteur Piette.
French 202 : Naufrage ! Échouage sur une île déserte:
In this deserted island paradise, you will be playing the role of a person who was on a cruise that sank near the shores of a beautiful, deserted island. In order to survive, you will need to work and communicate with other people. As a group, you will have to write a penal code and a constitution by which everyone must abide. But be careful! There is a person among you who is trying to sabotage the harmony of the group, to destroy perhaps one or all of you, as s/he wants to keep you isolated from the rest of the world for his or her own mad schemes. A mad scientist? A reincarnation of Napoleon or of Nero?
On the ship, there was a box of books, with short stories. Throughout your stay on the island (in French 202!), you will read these short stories. For your readings, you will have established by the end of the quarter:
You will create your own character, but only you can bring him or her to life. Try to give your character a personality. Feel free to be affectionate to some people, rude to others, even pick a fight or two, if you feel so inclined! You can also divorce your spouse, break up with your boyfriend or girlfriend, dump your lover… or even start up a relationship with somebody new (as long as they agree!)
The final project will consist of your portfolio. The portfolio can be a three-ring binder, or a presentation binder. Stapled papers will not be accepted. The portfolio must contain the following areas, all clearly and neatly separated from one another, and in the order listed below:
1. a cover page that will include your name, class, quarter, and date;
2. all supplementary exercises (ES), from the earliest to the most recent;
3. all quizzes, from the earliest to the most recent;
4. all journals and their corrections, from the earliest to the most recent;
5. all composition workshop, from the earliest to the most recent;
6. all vocabulary lists from the textes de compréhension in your CE ; and dictées, from the earliest to the most recent;
7. all the questions from the textes de compréhension ;
8. all notes and work from the book you are reading this quarter ;
9. any extra credit project.
French 203 : Lyon, à nous deux (Missions):
Throughout the next three months, each one of you will go on a quest that may be individualized or teamed (no more than two in each team). The goal of your “missions” is to discover France in all its aspects. Please meet with me to discuss what your quest will be.
You will create your own character, but only you can bring him or her to life. Try to give your character a personality. Feel free to be affectionate to some people, rude to others, even pick a fight or two, if you feel so inclined! You can also divorce your spouse, break up with your boyfriend or girlfriend, dump your lover… or even start up a relationship with somebody new (as long as they agree!) You are all part of the DST and you will be sent out on different assignments, all the while basing your quarters in an apartment building in Lyon. Who knows, maybe one of you is a double agent!
You will keep all your work in a portfolio. The portfolio can be a three-ring binder, or a presentation binder. Stapled papers will not be accepted. The portfolio must contain the following areas, all clearly and neatly separated from one another, and in the order listed below:
all supplementary exercises (ES), from the earliest to the most recent;
all quizzes, from the earliest to the most recent;
all journals and their corrections, from the earliest to the most recent;
all vocabulary lists from the textes de compréhension; and dictées, from the earliest to the most recent;
all notes and work from your quest;
any extra credit project.
Extra Credit:
Extra credit is possible and may be earned in numerous ways. There is no limit to the number of activities you can do, but they cannot replace regularly assigned work. Here are some possibilities. If you have other ideas, please check with me first. 1) Watch a French-language film and write 2-3 paragraphs in French critiquing the film & describing the plot or characters. 2) Write a short but detailed report (two paragraphs) in French on an article from one of the French news magazines in the library (Le Figaro, L’Express, etc.) or from the online sites (please come see me for a complete list) 3) Listen to a French-language newscast (France or Quebec), or any other French televised or radio news source (including on-line). Write a summary in French of one main story. 4) Spend 20 minutes speaking entirely in French with a native speaker (in addition to your weekly mandatory 15-minute conversation with the teaching assistant). Write a paragraph in French of what you discussed, including your contribution to the conversation. 5 ) Bring a French or Francophone song for the class, after you discuss it with me first; hand in one copy of the lyrics to me, at least 4 days before the day of the presentation. Be prepared to introduce the song, its author/composer/singer, and its impact (cultural, artistic, etc.) to the class, as much in French as possible. 6) You may also participate in the Winter International Film Festival. All movies will be shown at the GARLAND Theater, 1006 W Garland Ave, Spokane at 7 PM. The festival will be free of charge to SFCC students; $2.50 for all other students and faculty with an ID card; and $5 for the general public. 7)Other ideas? Please come discuss them with me.