ORANGECOASTCOLLEGE
COURSE SYLLABUS
FRENCH 185 SYLLABUSLIA RAILEANU
SPRING 2006
Text:Invitation, G. Jarvis, T. Bronin, Holt Reinhart and Winston
Office:Literature and Languages, Room 217
Office
Hours:Monday 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Tuesday 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Thursday 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Telephone:(714) 432-0202 ext. 25683
Grades:Your grade in this class will be based on the following criteria:
Participation, homework, small group and pair work:60% Chapter and final exams: 40%
***Please note that failure to drop this class in a timely fashion will result in a grade of “F”***
Reminder:Acquiring and learning a foreign language takes PATIENCE and PERSEVERENCE! But you GAIN a more profound understanding of the world and its complexities.
“He who does not understand words cannot understand people.”
Confucius
“Speech is civilization itself. The word, even the most contradictory word preserves contact. It is silence which isolates.”
Thomas Mann
Homework:Language is acquired through a sustained daily study. Plan to study an hour every day rather than several hours in one day. Always check the board for the assignment. As homework, you will be assigned learning exercises, compositions on a given topic, as well as reading assignments. Homework will be checked at every session.
This is a college-level transfer course. In order to succeed you will need college level skills in reading, writing, listening, speaking and note taking.
Attendance:
Since classroom activities will be your primary exposure to French, ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY. You are allowed to miss class twice. After that any absences will affect your grade. By missing one class you will lose three percent of your attendance grade. After having missed twice, you will lose an additional five percent each time thereafter. Being absent is not an excuse for not having done the homework. It is suggested that you get the phone numbers of a couple of classmates so that if you are absent, you will be able to complete the assignment for the following class.
Participation:
Class participation is a vital part of your language experience. You can improve your participation grade by: (1) coming to class prepared and ready to participate on a regular basis; and (2) consistently interacting in French with your professor and classmates. Absences do affect your participation grade. SMALL GROUP AND PAIR WORK will provide the opportunity to practice and improve your speaking skills. Approximately half of class time will be devoted to this type of activities. This is a major part of your grade. Failure to speak French during this time will considerably lower your grade.
Exams:You will have an exam after having completed each unit (approximately every three weeks). You may not miss any unit exam if you want to be considered for credit in the course. The exams will have listening comprehension, reading, vocabulary and writing components. At times your exam will consist of writing a composition on a given topic. The compositions will enable you to use whole language in a creative way. Preliminary discussions will provide the basis for writing your composition.
The final exam will also include an oral section. Before the exam you will prepare presentations on topics discussed during the semester.
Course Objectives:
All activities will be oriented to improve your listening and speaking abilities. In all activities you will be personally involved in using language creatively in interesting and meaningful situations. In addition, reading and writing activities will further enhance you ability to speak. You will also gain an appreciation of the breadth of the French speaking world, and become familiar with contemporary French life.
At the end of the semester you can reasonably expect to be able to understand and communicate in the following areas:
Daily Activities
1. Daily activities(how often and when)4. Your weekend routine
2. Current activities 5. Vacation activities
3. Your morning routine
Residence
1. House, rooms and furniture2. Activities and obligations at home
Narrating Past Experiences
1. Past experiences (yourself and others)4. Historical events and figures
2. How to tell a story 5. Teenage activities
3. Childhood and youth experiences and memories
Travel Plans
1. Countries and nationalities4. Asking for and giving directions
2. Paris5. Plans for the future
3. Making travel plans (reservations, buying tickets, etc.)
Shopping and Buying in France and America
1. Clothing3. Gifts
2. Money and prices4. Shopping
Health and Illnesses
1. Parts of the body3. Health maintenance
2. States of health, diseases4. Visits to the doctor
Ethical Values in American and French Cultures
1. Family4. Friendship
2. Marriage5. Work relationships
3. Sex roles and stereotypes
Class Procedure:
Classroom time will be devoted almost exclusively to activities that will allow you to practice your skills of understanding and producing French in spoken and written form. Classroom time will not be spent doing grammar drills or translating. It is important to keep in mind that even the most conscientious learning of grammar concepts and vocabulary will not suffice; meaningful practice is of major importance. Practice with classmates or other French speaking people.
As a child, learning your first language, you had lots of time to listen before you attempted to speak. Don’t be impatient if at first you find yourself understanding more than you can produce. Since the instructor will speak in French in class, at times you will not understand every word. Do not be distressed by this. Gradually you will understand more and more. A good language learner is also a good guesser.
Please turn off cell phones and pagers prior to entering this classroom.
Tentative Schedule
French 185
The following schedule is subject to change since your speed depends on you cumulative abilities to master the material.
Week 1Review
Week 2Review
Week 3Module 8
Week 4Module 8(Exam)
Week 5Module 8
Week 6Module 15(Exam)
Week 7Module 9
Week 8Module 9 (Exam)
Week 9Module 10
Week 10Module 10(Exam)
Week 11Module 11
Week 12Module 11(Exam)
Week 13Module 12
Week 14Module 13
Week 15Module 13
Week 16Review(Final Exam)
1