1

FrENCH 1220: SPRING 2010

COURSE information & policIES

COORDINATOR CONTACT INFORMATION

Name: Joanna LuksE-mail:

Office: 320 Morrill HallTel: 254-6726

See the Welcome page in the course website for office hours.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

FREN 1210–1220 is a two-semester sequence of courses designed to provide a thorough grounding in French language and an introduction to intercultural competence as preparation for real-world application or eventual work in literary and/or cultural studies. Classes provide context- and genre-specific practice in speaking, listening, reading, writing, as well as analytical skills for grammar, with the goal of helping students to develop the necessary tools to become independent language learners.

MATERIALS

Required texts on sale at the Campus Store (also on 2-hour reserve in Uris Library)

1. Mais Oui!, (fourth edition), Thompson & Phillips:

- Textbook

- Audio CDs for the textbook listening activities (In-text Audio)

- Student Activities Manual (SAM): Workbook & Laboratory Manual

2. Le Petit Prince, Antoine de Saint Exupéry (educational edition)

Note: While there are many editions of the book, please buy this one. It allows all of us to literally be on the same page!

Websites

You need to work with 3 sites in order to access all of the course materials. These are all linked in the course website for French 1220:

Beyond the Welcome page, the other pages are password protected. Enter the following code two times (for “name” and “password”): fr122

On the Mais Oui Resources page, you will find links to the other two sites…

-Mais Oui! Student site:

-Cornell Language Resource Center site:

You will need this for the SAM Audio Lab & Video Files for Mais oui! Enter the following code two times (for “name” and “password”): fr112 (This is the number for both French 121 and 122).

OBJECTIVES & PACING

Five learning objectives serve as the underpinnings for the design of this course:

to sufficiently master the content of the course materials as presented in the textbook and workbook (development of reading, writing, listening and speaking skills);

to apply a “reason-driven” approach to grammar patterns and concepts (development of “grammaring” skills);

to apply an analytical approach to cultural contexts. Learning a language involves exposure to and awareness of differing cultural constructs, and globalization requires development of analytical tools to facilitate interaction, whether you go abroad or remain in the United States (development of intercultural competence).

to read short literary texts in French in order tofurther understanding of the French experience.

to develop strategies for becoming independent language learners so that you can go beyond course content to function in related real-world contexts.

Relative mastery of these objectives will necessitate a daily commitment, and the curriculum is designed to provide you with a clear sense of pacing. The course meets 5 days a week: Mondays for lecture sessions and T, W, R, F for small section classes taught by individual instructors. Lecture sessions alternate between interactive lectures tied to the grammar and cultural constructs of a chapter, and course-wide testing for the chapter. Lecture sessions are mandatory; attendance is taken. Homework will be assigned as preparation for each section class and can generally be expected to take up to two hours to complete.

Course Grade Distribution

  • Class performance (attendance + homework preparation + active participation)20%
  • Chapter compositions (écrits) (total = 5: chpts 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)20%
  • Oral chapter tests (total = 5, but lowest score dropped = 4: chpts 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)20%
  • Written chapter tests (total = 5, but lowest score dropped = 4: chpts 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)15%
  • Composition for Le petit prince (écrit LPP) 5%
  • Final oral project10%
  • Final exam = French Language Placement Test (LPF) 10%

All grades follow the standard grading scale, and nothing is graded on a curve.

Conversion Chart for Grades:

A93-96

A-90-92

B+87-89

B83-86

B-80-82

C+77-79

C73-76

C-70-72

D+67-69

D63-66

D- 60-62

F< 60

Policy for Academic Integrity

The Cornell Code of Academic Integrity applies to FRENCH 1220. You should cooperate with classmates on in-class activities and speaking exercises as preparation for oral testing, group projects, and study purposes. If you have access to speakers of French, you are encouraged to practice your speaking skills and increase your knowledge of Francophone cultures outside of class. However, all written work that is handed in for grading (tests, compositions and assignments) must be entirely your own. Do not copy work that is not your own, do not use a grammar checking or translation software program to edit your writing, and do not ask fellow students, someone outside of the course or course instructors to correct your written work before you hand it in for grading.

In cases of academic misconduct, a first instance will result in a grade of “zero” for the test or assignment, a second instance will engage the formal process for a violation of the Code of Academic Integrity.

COURSEWORK & GRADING CRITERIA

CLASS PERFORMANCE = Class Preparation + Attendance + Class Participation

Acquiring the basics of a foreign language in an English-speaking environment means that classtime must be used to maximum effect for putting language skills into practice. The class performance grade, which constitutes 20% of the total course grade, is composed of a combination of class preparation (homework), class attendance, and active class participation.

Class Preparation

Completing homework as preparation for each section class allows you to come to class with familiarity of new vocabulary, grammar forms, communication strategies and cultural information, as well as awareness of pronunciation of sounds/words. These aspects can then be reinforced and better integrated into your language system through in-class practice and further clarification. To help you to remain on schedule and to allow your instructor to see where you may be having difficulties, certain homework assignments will be submitted on a regular basis; others will be used in class as a springboard for classwork.

Active Participation in class

Along with engaging in all class activities, active participation means attempting to use French for all aspects of classwork. When you are with a partner/s, this includes negotiation of setting up a given activity, initiating dialog during the activity, listening to your partner/s, responding, and helping each other to go further when stuck. If you finish ahead of time, do not sit silent or begin chatting in English. Find ways to keep going; take responsibility for fully exploiting classtime for active practice of French and the development of coping strategies. Learning a foreign language involves risk-taking: suspending your identity and comfort zone as an articulate and highly skilled person in your native language, and embracing the adventure of being an explorer in a new language and culture. Making mistakes is a natural and necessary part of the process; unwillingness to make mistakes out of embarrassment hinders progress!

Grading Criteria for the Cumulative Class Performance Grade

In the grading book, each class day is accorded two slots for receiving either a check (satisfactory) or a minus (insufficient): one slot is for attendance and the other for a combination of class preparation and participation. The maximum number of minuses per section class is 2 (one for absence and one for insufficient class preparation/participation). Following are examples of cases that would generate a minus for class preparation/participation:

-≥ 5 minutes late

-non completion of homework

-insufficient participation in class

-non submission of an assignment on the date due

If you are absent on a particular day but submit the assignment that is due on that day, you will only receive one minus for that section class (for absence). If you are absent and do not submit the assignment due, you will receive 2 minuses. Each lecture absence is worth 2 minuses.

At the end of the semester, the number of minuses is added up and the following chart is used to calculate the semester grade for class performance…

Total # of minuses / Final letter & number grade
0-4
5 / A = 95
A- = 91
6
7
8 / B+ = 88
B = 85
B- = 81
9
10
11 / C+ = 78
C = 75
C- = 71
12
13
14 / D+ = 68
D = 65
D- = 61
≥ 15 / F ≤ 60

The fact that 4 minuses still generates a class performance grade of "A" means that the system allows for some absence during the semester for illness or emergency, i.e. 2 days with non-submission of assignments or 3 days when assignments are due and the assignments are submitted on time, despite absence from class.

Excused absences

  • Cornell's policy for officially excused absences includes religious observances and university athletic/extracurricular events. However, these must be arranged with the instructor beforehand, and where applicable, a letter of explanation and a schedule of dates should be submitted to your instructor.
  • In cases of serious illness supported by a doctor's letter (not just a visit slip from Gannett), it may be possible to arrange excused absences, but this will depend, in part, on the amount of time involved and the student's ability to keep up with the work. If you are ill, let your instructor know as soon as is possible.
  • If you cannot attend your regular section on a given day, it may be possible to attend a different section if it is arranged in advance.

When you cannot attend a class, it is your responsibility to make up the required work for that day.

Homework Procedures

The Student Activities Manual (SAM) is composed of 2 sections: the Workbook and the Laboratory Manual. The answer keys for these activities have been uploaded to the course website. As of the second chapter in the textbook, each chapter is covered over a period of two weeks.

-The first week will focus on the vocabulary and grammar of that chapter. For the Workbook homework, I recommend first completing the designated sections in the textbook, which introduce you to the targeted structures and provide explanations. Then, keeping your textbook open as reference, do the corresponding Workbook exercises as thoughtful application of the textbook information.

The second week will focus on further development of listening and speaking skills. For the audio lab homework that you complete, see how well you can do without referring to the textbook! I also recommend the following procedure for the final exercise of each lab section, the dictée:

• Listen once while reading the passage in the manual in order to get a sense of the gist.

• Listen a second time, pausing to fill in the blanks as you go.

• Check the answer key and correct your work, filling in correct answers where you were unable to write anything.

• Listen to the entire passage again while reading the completed text in order to hear the answers in their original context.

-When you have completed all of the homework exercises, consult the answer key andself-correct your work, making corrections directly on the pages. Do not erase or cover over your errors. Seeing where you have problems and understanding the corrections is an important part of the process. You may wish to use a different colored pen/pencil for making corrections. In the margins of the pages, you may also wish to note questions you have or clarifying information that you find helpful.

-To submit Workbook and Lab Manual homework, tear the appropriate pages out of the manual(they are perforated), staple them together, and write your name on the top of the first page.

For spoken fluency practice as preparation for oral tests, you will also be asked to upload a 2-3 minute video to a a shared, private YouTube site.

Homework assignements will receive a check (satisfactory) or a check minus (insufficient) as grading. A grade of insufficient relates to things like not self-correcting, copying answers from the key, or incomplete work; it is not related to how many errors you might make. Assignments that receive a check minus or that are not submitted on time will generate a minus for your class performance grade for that day.

CHAPTER COMPOSITIONS (ÉCRITS)

Through the use of writing strategies and techniques that are similar in nature to English, you will be asked to compose texts of up to two pages in French and in different genres. Your writing will be graded on your relative mastery of sentence-level structures learned (spelling, grammar, vocabulary), your use of coping strategies for communicating effectively with limited language, and your incorporation of relevant genre conventions related to organization and style.

Writing process

  1. You will be given a pre-writing activity for each assignment that you can do by hand or type.
  2. Using the pre-writing activity as a basis, write a rough draft of your text.
  3. After the lecture session focusing on the grammar of the chapter, edit your draft accordingly.

Format for submitted version

At the top of the first page, write the following information (this example is based on chapter 8):

(Name) ______

French 1220, section ___

Instructor:

Date:

Writing strategy 8: Writing about the way things were

Type and double space your text. Submit a hard copy with the pre-writing activity stapled to it.

Grading process

All of the students and instructors in the course will work with a grid that outlines the criteria for grading these assignments. Keeping those criteria in mind, your instructor will use the following codes for mapping errors or problem areas in your writing…

-Underlining = an aspect of language that has been studied in the course and that the student should be able to self-correct or find the correct response for in the course materials. A composition with a lot of underlining is an example of a student’s lack of focus on the language structures being studied and poor editing.

-Wavy underline = an aspect of language that has not been studied in the course and that the student is not expected to be able to correct. For such problems, the instructor may include a suggestion for appropriate usage, or, if it involves language that is beyond the level, the instructor may leave it as is. A composition with a lot of wavy lines is an example of a student’s poor awareness and control of his/her language level.

-An arrow (or caret) = something is missing.

-Comments and questions written in the margins, at the end of the text or indicated on the grading grid = the instructor's reactions or comments related to content, organization or style.

-Voir bilan = See the feedback sheet. A document providing collective feedback for problems in students’ writing will be uploaded to the course website or emailed to the students in each section.

Poor compositions: "Resubmit"

If your instructor sees that your composition does not satisfy one or more of the given criteria, then s/he will ask you to "resubmit" it. This means that instead of receiving a C- or below, you will be given the opportunity to reexamine your work, try to figure out your area(s) of difficulty, rewrite the assignment, and resubmit it within 24 hours for a grade. If the rewritten version is given a grade of C- or below, that will be the final grade for the assignment, and at that point, appropriate feedback will be given.

Follow-up work for all compositions: Rewriting

"Writing practice alone is more important than correction in improving writing skills."

(Patricia Chaput, Harvard University, 1998)

The primary goal of the compositions is to help you to develop your writing skills in French. As such, after the composition has been returned to you with a grade and feedback, you will first try to figure out the underlined problems and then write out the text anew by hand. (Rewriting by hand reinforces development of skills related to text coherence, organization and style; it is not just busy work!) Afterwards, underline the changes you have made so that you and your instructor can more readily see them. In accordance with the due date, you will submit the original and rewritten versions to be spot-checked. Late submissions will generate a minus for the course performance grade. Examples of well-written assignments may be selected for “publication” on the course website and posted anonymously.

ORAL CHAPTER TESTS

At the end of each 2-week chapter study time, oral tests are performed in class. The format involves role-plays carried out by pairs or groups of 3, for which there is 5 minutes of in-class preparation (you do not receive the scenarios prior to that time). The goal of these tests is to evaluate students’ abilities to communicate spontaneously in French, a complex of skills involving the use of communication and coping strategies.

There are no make-ups for oral chapter tests. If you miss a test (whether because of an excused absence or another reason), set up an appointment with your instructor as soon afterwards as possible in order to carry out informal conversations based on the chapter content. This will help you to remain on track with your speaking skills.

WRITTEN CHAPTER TESTS

The written chapter tests are designed to test accuracy in the following areas related to each chapter: listening comprehension, grammar, sentence structures, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Test grades will either be based on 100 points or, if less, then converted to a scale of 100 points.