FRENCH 20: CONTINUING BEGINNING FRENCH (section 1)
Fall 2016
Bienvenue!
Enseignante: Katerine Gagnon, PhD (she/her/hers; elle)
Bureau: Rabb 238
Tél. (bureau): 781-736-3217
*Veuillez me contacter de préférence par courriel. (Please don’t leave urgent messages here; use email instead.)
Heures de permanence: lundi et mercredi de 13 h à 14 h et sur rendez-vous
Courriel:
Tuteur (BUGS): Michelle Cheung ()
PREREQUISITE
The prerequisite for FREN 20 is FREN 10 or the equivalent. If your last French course was not FREN 10, you need to take the online placement exam in French at to make sure that this course is a good match for your skills. Please speak with me or Professor Harder (, 6-3195, 106 Shiffman) if you have any questions about placement.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The French 20 course is designed to help students continue their study of the French language, to develop their communication skills, and to cultivate a deeper awareness of France and Francophone societies. Students will learn to exchange meaningful information about each other while enhancing their understanding of France and Francophone countries.
The class will work towards these aims by focusing on the following learning goals and related assessment plans:
SPEAKING:Enrich vocabulary and participate in original dialogues in everyday settings. For example, students will ask questions, describe their school experiences and relate events of their personal lives. They will be assessed via oral exams and presentations.
LISTENING:Enhance understanding of dialogues among a variety of speakers. Students will be asked to characterize different speakers, identify the topic of conversation, respond to questions, and relate details on written exams and during orals.
READING:Identify and explain the main idea of brief reading passages. Students will develop vocabulary, learn to use cognates correctly, and consolidate their knowledge of grammar in order to understand more complex prose. They will exhibit these skills on key homework assignments, papers, and exams.
WRITING:Create short compositions with improved vocabulary and grammatical accuracy. Students will compose a narrative concerning a meaningful event in their personal lives and write a long mél to a friend describing a trip they took. They will be evaluated on key points such as use of new vocabulary and new grammar structures.
CULTURE:Become familiar with targeted aspects of French and Francophone societies. Students will look at such topics as family, food, geography, art and politics in varied parts of the French-speaking world. Those topics will be integrated into exams and writing assignments.
REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS
1. Textbook: Horizons.Manley, Smith, McMinn and Prévost. 6th edition. Heinle, Cengage Learning, 2015. (Paper copy is optional.)
2. Workbook: eSAM (electronic Student Activities Manual) that accompanies Horizons. You will get access to the workbook when you buy thetextbook bundle available at the Brandeis Bookstore:
Textbook + iLrn Heinle Learning Center 3 semester PrintedAccess Card.ISBN: 9781305121690. [Access Code only: ISBN: 9781285457468]
The above bundle gives you access to all exercises (written, oral and listening) aswell as songs and the video program that accompany Horizons. When you purchase the bundle, you will find an Instant Access Code to the electronicworkbook, eSAM. You will need to create an account with this code to accessall materials in the Student Workstation. Please see the pages attached to this syllabus for instructions.
Textbook vouchers are available to students who are Pell Grant recipients. The vouchers are available in Academic Services (Usdan 130) on the first day of classes. Completed forms are due on the last day of the add/drop period.
ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION
Because language is a social and interactive phenomenon, attendance and participation are crucial to your success in this course. If you have more than 4 absences, your attendance grade will be lowered by 10 points per absence. Three tardies/early departures equal one absence. In the case of ten or more absences, a student may fail the entire course. If you have questions about your attendance or your participation, please feel free to discuss them with me at any time. I DO NOT MAKE A DISTINCTION BETWEEN EXCUSED/UNEXCUSED ABSENCES. THEY ARE SIMPLY ABSENCES. You thus do not need to contact me to explain yourself if you need to miss a few classes here and there. If you find that you have to leave campus or miss several classes due to an emergency, it is essential that you contact your dean. You can ask the dean to notify your professors regarding the reason for your absence, and I will allow you to make-up the work if the dean recommends it.
Your participation grade—which is not your attendance grade—reflects the quality of your participation in class, which includes your level of preparation and preparedness for class, your willingness to participate in class discussion, your willingness to raise your hand, the level of work you do in small groups, your commitment to speaking French in class, and your performance during in-class activities. I judge your participation objectively; it is not a “free A” by any means.
HOMEWORK POLICY AND MISSED WORK/EXAMS
Success in this 4 credit-hour course is based on the expectation that students will spend a minimum of 9 hours of study time per week in preparation for class (including preparing for tests, etc.). You must complete and correct the exercises for the date indicated either on the electronic workbook or the homework sheet, generally before coming to class. Because you have the corrections, we will not spend time reviewing all of the exercises in class, but we will discuss those that were difficult for you. If you do not ask questions about the assignments in class, I will assume that you completely understand the material. I realize that the electronic workbook may have glitches. I am hoping for a 100% on every assignment there (you get to correct your work as you go), but I will take 80% and above as being “perfect” work (full credit) so that you need not stress over a random missed assignment or a glitch. You can complete electronic assignments after the date, but they will be marked “late” and do not count toward your homework average. In terms of work besides the electronic workbook, I do not accept late homework unless you are absent the day I collect it, and it is your responsibility to give me your homework the following class period. There are no make-ups for short quizzes, in-class assignments, or presentations. If you miss one of our major exams for a very good, documented reason, you must notify me before the exam takes place or as soon as possible. A doctor’s note or its equivalent is generally required for any sort of make-up.
TUTORING
Brandeis University Group Study (BUGS): This free group study service is led by native speakers or students returning from study abroad. Regular tutoring/study hours will be announced after the start of the semester. I strongly advise you to use this service when preparing oral presentations or to go over graded tests, etc. Remember, however, that tutors are not to help you prepare written assignments before handing them in.
GRADE CALCULATION
Homework/quizzes/short orals/eSAM15%
6 chapter tests (various formats)45%
Final exam20%
Oral presentation10%
Attendance 5%
Participation* 5%
(*for 10% of this grade you are requested to attend one French and Francophone event during the semester and write a paragraph of comments on the event)
GRADING SCALE
93-100 A 70-72 C-
90-92 A- 67-69 D+
87-89 B+ 63-66 D
83-86 B 60-62 D-
80-82 B- below 60 F
77-79 C+
73-76 C
Please note that a final course grade of C- or better is required to advance into a French 30 level course.
FINAL EXAM
Please do not make plans to leave campus before the final exam, which is tentatively scheduled for Monday, December 12th 2016, 1:30-4:30PM.The university may change the time or date.
COMPUTER USE IN CLASS
Please bring your hardback textbook to class. If you have chosen not to own a paper copy, please come to class with your device (tablet, computer) opened to the first page of the section we are studying that day. That will save us time.
All messaging, alerts and volume on the laptop or the tablet must be turned off.
Please turn your cell/smart phone off before entering the classroom. No smartphone use is not allowed in class.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
If I suspect you of plagiarizing or cheating in any way, I will report you immediately to determine the consequences. They may be very severe (see below).
Academic integrity is central to the mission of educational excellence at Brandeis University. Violations of university policies on academic integrity, described in Section 3 of Rights and Responsibilities, may result in failure in the course or on the assignment and could end in suspension from the university. All homework must be your own work, except when assignments specifically authorize a collaborative effort. It is not acceptable for you to ask a tutor, a native French speaker, a student of French, a friend, or a family member to correct your written assignments beforesubmitting them. Any such help will be considered cheating.
Please make sure you consult all the appropriate resources: Plagiarism is not tolerated in this course, and ignorance or negligence on your part is not a valid excuse. The most rampant form of cheating these days is “cut and paste” plagiarism from the Internet. Using words, ideas, or fragments from undocumented Internet sources is cheating. If you have questions about what constitutes academic dishonesty, please contact me or Kerry Guerard, Director of Student Rights and Community Standards: , 781-736-5070, Shapiro Campus center 201.
The following guidelines, provided by Raymond Hendrickson in his book The Research Paper[1], can help you avoid plagiarism:
- When writing a paper try to use your own words the majority of the time.
- When you do use another person’s words, use quotation marks and give credit to the source, either within the text or in a footnote.
- Don’t make slight variations in the language and then fail to give credit to the source. If the expression is essentially the same, the author still deserves credit.
- Even if you aren’t directly quoting the material, you should still document information and ideas which you use in your paper whenever they are new to you (something which you discovered in your research).
- If you’re unsure, add the footnote or citation. It is better to be extra cautious than not to give credit when you should.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
If you are a student with a documented disability on record at Brandeis University and wish to have a reasonable accommodation made for you in this class, please see me within the first week of class. Accommodations cannot be made retroactively.
MAJORING OR MINORING IN FRENCH AND FRANCOPHONE STUDIES
If you are thinking about pursuing a major or minor in French and Francophone Studies, you should speak with our Undergraduate Advising Head,Professor Martine Voiret(), to make sure that you understand the prerequisites and requirements. I would be thrilled to speak with you about how studies in our department could benefit your life and career!
STUDY ABROAD
We enthusiastically encourage all students to find out about opportunities for study abroad in France and francophone countries. Students who study abroad have a much deeper knowledge of French language and francophone culture, and they have a chance to develop personally and intellectually. Students who want to find out more about programs should contact the Office of Study Abroad, (Allyson Goose), 169 Usdan Student Center, 781-736-3483. Check out the Wander student magazine there, too!
Gagnon Fall 2016
FREN-20B-1: DEVOIRS 1:
Révisions
*All homework is due the following class period. If you are absent, you are still responsible for turning in assignments upon your return. Otherwise, I do not accept late work.Please do all written work on paper that you can submit (I take up/look at homework randomly), but the electronic workbook exercises all have a deadline of the chapter test date to make things more flexible (although you’re better off doing them as we go). Please write out whole sentences if I have you do an activity from the textbook marked “par écrit.”
** This is a tentative program. Please check the latte calendar for an accurate and updated description of the homework. I might modify the program according to our ongoing needs.
T = Texte
ESAM = Cahier électronique
Jeudi 25 août
Introduction au cours. Faire connaissance. Révisions: les dates et les questions.
DEVOIRS(pour le vendredi 26 août):
T. Révisions YOU MUST STUDY/OUTLINE THE MAJOR CONCEPTS FROM THESE PAGES BEFORE YOU DO THE WORKSHEET; DO NOT SIMPLY GUESS!
1. la négation et « être » (p.40)
2. les verbes –er et les adverbes (p.76 et p.80)
3. les questions (p.84 et 86)
4. les verbes « aller » et « prendre et venir » (p.152 et p.164)
5. le verbe « faire » et les expressions avec « faire » (p.196-198)
Autre.Complétez la fiche de révision 1 «Trouvez quelqu’un» (note that there are two sides to the worksheet).
Vendredi 26 août
Révision de«Trouvez quelqu’un». Fiche de révision: les verbes et les adverbes. Fête de la musique (introduction).
DEVOIRS (pour le lundi 29 août):
T.Révisions. YOU MUST STUDY/OUTLINE THE MAJOR CONCEPTS FROM THESE PAGES BEFORE YOU DO THE WORKSHEET; DO NOT SIMPLY GUESS!
1. l’emploi des adjectifs (p.34, 38, 40 et 48)
2. l’heure (p.16-17)
3. les chiffres de 0 à 30 (p.10)
4. les chiffres de 30 à 100 (p.90)
5. les chiffres au-dessus de 100 et les nombres cardinaux (p.110)
Autre. Complétez les DEUX fiches de travail (Révision adjective place and agreement et Devoirs 2A)
Lundi 29 août
Révision. Fête de la musique/musique et préférences.
DEVOIRS (pour le mercredi 31 août):
T. Révisions. YOU MUST STUDY/ OUTLINE THE MAJOR CONCEPTS FROM THESE PAGES BEFORE YOU DO THE WORKSHEET; DO NOT SIMPLY GUESS!
1. L’emploi de c’est + nom et il est + adjectif (p.34 et 48)
2. L’adjectif possessif (p.122 et 124)
Autre. Complétez les deux fiches surle festival de musique (3A et 3B)
Mercredi 31 août
Révision. Fête de la musique, chansons en français.
DEVOIRS (pour le jeudi 1er septembre):
T.le passé composé avec «être» et «avoir» (p.184, 188, 190)
Autres.
- Complétez la fiche de révision 4A.
- Regardez les épisodes 1 à 5 de la vidéo Les Stagiaires. Ensuite répondez aux questions distribuées.The videos are on your iLrn site, under the “Video Library” tab on the right; choose chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 to review the clips from FR 10;
- Phonétique: le son /r/: Pratiquez les exercices de prononciation de la fiche. Vous pouvez écouter ces YouTubers pour des démonstrations! <
Jeudi 1er septembre
Les Stagiaires, le passé composé, révisions.
DEVOIRS (pour le vendredi 2 septembre): Voir le calendrier LATTE (travail de révisions).
Vendredi 2 septembre
Révisions pour examen 1 (grammaire de FREN-10)
DEVOIRS (pour le mercredi 7 septembre):
Préparez l’examen. Study for the test.
For more review exercises, go on line to your Student Work Station. Choose the electronic textbook and then the chapter you wish to review. At the end of each chapter there are extra review exercises.
These are marked “RB” and clearly indicate what grammar theme is reviewed, i.e. passé composé with être. These extra self-correcting exercises are optional. They are, however, highly recommended to those who feel they need more review and/or to those who would like oral practice, especially before the oral exams.
Lundi 5 septembre–Labor Day (pas de cours)
Le saviez-vous?
La Fête du travail est un jour fériéaux États-Unis et au Canada.
En France, en Haïti et ailleurs dans le monde,
la Fête du travail est célébrée le 1er mai: c’est la Journée internationale des Travailleurs.
Mercredi 7 septembre: Examen 1(grammaire de FREN-10)
Gagnon Fall 2016
FREN-20B-1
Calendrier
CHAPITRE 6: LES SORTIES
Du jeudi 8 septembre au mercredi 21 septembre
Lundi 19 septembre: examen oral (conversation/culture)
Mercredi 21 septembre 23h: date finale pour la remise des exercices du cahier électronique (eSAM) pour le chap.6
Mercredi 21 septembre: Examen 2(composition sur table)
CHAPITRE 7: LA VIE QUOTIDIENNE
Du jeudi 22 septembre au jeudi 6 octobre
Mercredi 5 octobre: Examen oral
Jeudi 6 octobre 23h: date finale pour la remise des exercices du cahier électronique (eSAM) pour le chap.7
Jeudi 6 octobre: Examen 3
CHAPITRE 8: LA BONNE CUISINE
Du vendredi 7 octobre au jeudi 27 octobre
Mercredi 26 octobre 23h: date finale pour la remise des exercices du cahier électronique (eSAM) pour le chap.8
Jeudi 27 octobre: Examen 4
CHAPITRE 9: EN VACANCES
Du vendredi 28 octobre au mercredi 9 novembre
Lundi 7 novembre 23h: date finale pour la remise des exercices du cahier électronique (eSAM) pour le chap.9
Mercredi 9 novembre: Examen 5 (composition sur table)
CHAPITRE 10: À L’HOTEL et LA FRANCOPHONIE
Du jeudi 10 novembre au mercredi 7 décembre
Lundi 21 novembre 23h: date finale pour la remise des exercices du cahier électronique (eSAM) pour le chap.10
Jeudi 1er décembre et vendredi 2 décembre: Présentations orales (examen 6)
Lundi 5 décembre: date de remise pour le projet final
Mercredi 7 décembre: révisions pour l’examen final
FINAL EXAM: MONDAY DECEMBER 12TH 1:30-4:30PM (tentative date). Room to be announced by the university. No make-ups.
1
[1]Hendrickson, Raymond. (1957). New York: Henry Holt and Company, xiv-xv. Qtd. in Quick Reference – Avoiding Plagiarism. McGill Students Rights and Responsabilities, Accessed 15 Aug. 2016.