FREN 1001H & 1002H (Honors French), CRN #7661 & 7509 
Fall 2013, MWF, 13h15 - 15h05
Barnes Hall 2nd Floor Conference Room: "The Fishbowl"



Important: In the interest of progress and conservation of resources, I do not distribute hard copies of the class syllabus. These documents, therefore, are subject to revision on a continuous basis.  At the end of each drop/add period, I will place a printed copy on file in the main office of the Department of Modern & Classical Languages which will be considered as the "official" version for the semester.  I suggest you print one for reference, because not only will the concurrence voucher/office hour request count as one of your first assignments, but there will be a quiz on the contents of this document not long after the semester begins. Ouch!

Instructor:  D. Brian Mann, Ph.D.

Coordinates:

Office Hours: To be announced and posted on my website and office door the second week of class.

Required Materials:

Recommended:

Course description (condensed and adapted from the UNG Catalog): Honors FREN 1001/1002 is an enriched combination of two Elementary French courses that focuses on skills development in speaking, listening, comprehension, reading, writing, and familiarization with aspects of French and Francophone language and culture. Course delivery combines six hours per week of classroom interaction in French with additional instructional exposure through lab assignments, online course work, and cultural enrichment activities. This approach fosters a greater development of communicative skills through more personalized attention, specialized assignments, and specific attention to the "Honors Course Criteria" (cf. below). Prerequisite/Corequisite: Acceptance into the Honors Program or permission of Honors Program Director and Course Instructor.

Honors Course Criteria
Honors Program requirement What we will do to fulfill it
Assuming responsibility for intellectual growth Learning a new language is the original model for intellectual growth; language development enables the very process by which almost all knowledge is acquired. In order to learn anything in FREN 1001/1002H (and for that matter understand what's happening in class and participate), you must take responsibility for your communicative competence. once you do that, the learning process will begin.
Activities outside the classroom These activities are still under review and development, but opportunities will be chosen from the following: watching and critiquing French films, exposure to TV5 (the French television network available in the U.S.), interviewing approved Francophone students and/or faculty at UNG and reporting back, preparing and/or eating French/Francophone food, attending Francophone events, visiting museum(s) or appropriate locations to learn about Francophone culture, and hosting/participating in "National French Week" activities (November 8-14).
Teamwork and/or oral expression Learning a language is a team effort, and oral proficiency represents the highest-level achievment among the five basic skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking, and cultural literacy). To achieve that goal, you must speak with your classmates and with me as much as you can using the target language. This means oral/aural performance every day in class, but also declamations of memorized poetry, intensive listening exercises, and at least one oral presentation to the group.
Understanding the inter-relatedness of knowledge As you learn to understand utterances and communicate ideas in French, you will begin to understand the Francophone world in ways that others who don't speak French cannot. Your exposure to authentic materials, your interactions with native speakers of the language, and the perspectives you gain from our other cultural activities will change your understanding of your own language, history, culture, and identity. Your ability to communicate this change to your classmates, other francophiles, and me (both formally and informally) will demonstrate the degree of your success.

Our goal will be to communicate using French in and out of class as much as possible. However, in order to conform to these "Honors Course Criteria," and as a result of a consultation with the Honors Program Director, some of our work will take place in English. This is because the highest order of your thinking usually takes place in your native language and/or one that you have been speaking since you were very young. We will need some of that thinking in order to fulfill some objectives of the Honors Program.

For example, when we watch French films, I will assign viewer response assignments that will require you to express yourself in ways that you will not yet be ready to do in French. This is also true of you metalinguistic work (cf. below).There will be other opportunities for "English Allowed" conversations on various cultural aspects of the Francophone world (usually something amusing on Friday afternoons).
Developing analytical skills Each and every day in class will provide you with exposure to a Francophone context that you can analyze and compare with the one(s) you grew up with. Part of your final examination will be to provide me with a metalinguistic perspective ( also in English) on what you have learned about French, how you learned it, and what you think it will do for you in the future. In order to facilitate this, I will expect you to keep a "journal intime" (diary) about your language learning process and your impressions of it. I will collect this and look it over periodically.

Course Objectives:

Methods Of Instruction: Final Grade: Your final grade will reflect your performance in the course of the semester and will be determined in the following manner:
NOTA BENE: Homework earns a "check" (for completing the assignment as required), a "check minus" (for sub-standard work), and a "check plus" (for a decidedly superior effort that indicates to me you were really serious about learning from the assignment). A check is worth one homework assignment (100%), a check minus counts for 50% credit, and a check plus qualifies for 110% of the assignment's regular value. The accumulated extra points you earn here can compensate for missed quizzes or homework, a low test score, or just raise your overall average by a few points. Don't overlook this opportunity for success, and give your 110%!! 

Incomplete or significantly problematic assignments will be returned marked incomplete (I) or redo (R), and can be resubmitted the following class period only for 70% credit. Do not confuse these two categories. Incomplete usually means that you've omitted one or more sections of an assignment, and redo means that you've either misinterpreted an assignment or perhaps done it incorrectly in a global sort of way. In either case, you must complete or redo whatever section(s) I have indicated on a separate sheet of paper and hand it in along with the graded original in order to receive credit. Also, please do not do this in class after I hand one back to you, as I will not accept that day. This is because you cannot concentrate on what went wrong with the assignment properly, nor can you concentrate on the material at hand.

All compositions, whether they are drafts or revised documents, must follow the following format:

I make all assignments, announcements, and other information pertinent to the daily running of the course available on the web, so I do not post them during class. Just click on the "Devoirs" link on my website to find out what's due or coming up.

Don't complain! There are a number of very good reasons for this! Writing it on the board wastes valuable class time, and copying it at the end of this class can cause you to be late for your next one. It can also make you miss something important as it's discussed while you're writing. The main reason, however, is pedagogical, and it is simply this: I make my decisions on what to assign you only after I've seen what you can do with the current material. Sometimes this means that I have to look over a current assignment, and sometimes it means that I need to judge your oral performance in class on a certain topic before I decide how to proceed. In any case, it allows me to make a sound and considered judgment of what we should do for the next class period rather than making an arbitrary decision before the fact. I post the assignments as soon as I can, which usually means later in the day, but it may not happen until the next morning. In any case, if there's no homework posted by C.O.B. (close of business) on the day before the next class, I won't collect homework for a grade on that day.

There's another advantage to this approach; if you must miss class, you can get the assignments easily once I post them. Understand, however, that to receive credit for an assignment, you must get your work to me BEFORE the class you miss is held. In addition, since you cannot participate in that class, you cannot get a "check plus" on the assignment due that day. By the way, I have e-mail, office hours, and a telephone, so technical problems with the web site or the network are no excuse for not turning in an assignment on time. In addition, be sure your browser is set to update the view every time the page loads or remember to click "refresh" to make sure you've got the latest version of the page.

Another issue that often comes up regarding homework is the fact that I often ask you to read, study, and/or complete assignments on material before we cover it in class. Again, students often hate this, but there is a very good pedagogical reason for it. If you work with a concept before we cover it, even if you don't understand it, the classroom discussion of that material will still count as review. Then, when we review it once again before moving on, usually the following day, you've activated the material three times, not two. This is a superior strategy, especially in language study.  As we all know, learning from our mistakes is a very effective way of learning, because we end up seeing how to do things right as well as what the pitfalls are. As Mark Twain said: "a person that started in to carry a cat home by the tail was getting knowledge that was always going to be useful to him, and warn't ever going to grow dim or doubtful. You can imagine the scratches this person would suffer, and, since I consider your homework to be merely practice, I won't count your "scratches" against you. In fact, these scratches are likely to assure you a better grade than a nice clean paper. And don't try to get away with doing the assignment in class while we're going over it, because you may end up with no grade at all.

N.B. 2: "The final exam is a scheduled part of the class. When a student registers for a class, he or she is registering for the scheduled final examination as well. Therefore, it is the student's responsibility to be available to take the examination at the times scheduled" (cf. Catalog). If you think you will have difficulty doing so, you may petition the department for an exception, but none will be made for such things as advance plane reservations, vacation plans, anticipated planet-killing asteroids, etc. You must see me to get this process underway no later than November 1.

You can monitor your daily progress in the course using my up-to-date, password-protected subscription to "WebGrade." To do this, go to my NG webpage and find the link marked "My Grades." I will be giving you a username and password early in the semester for you access your course grades. I also maintain complete electronic course records in my office.

Discipline/Academic dishonesty: The language learning environment is a delicate one, and I work hard to initiate and maintain it. Therefore, disruptive behavior of any kind will not be tolerated. Students are also expected to follow the UNG Academic Integrity Policy (cf. Catalog, and to adhere to the integrity code: "On my honor I will not lie, cheat, steal, plagiarize, evade the truth or tolerate those who do." Violations will be referred, without exception, to the Academic Integrity Council.

Plagiarism is more often an error of omission than it is an act of defiance, but the result of either is the same; you have violated the intellectual property rights of another. Honest research consists of respecting those rights by citing the words or ideas of others within in your own work, and plagiarism consists of doing so without proper attribution. Committed as either a willful act or as an innocent mistake, such an error will elicit the most severe of institutional reactions, and I reserve the right to use any and all means to detect and prosecute it as plagiarism. These means include calling on my extensive experience, assembling evidence or testimony from others, or using electronic detection programs like, but not limited to, TurnItIn.com. I strongly advise you against risking your reputation before such indignities.

In addition, your own indiscriminate use of electronic translation tools counts as plagiarism. We will be learning the pitfalls and the proper use of these tools in class. And finally, in keeping with Honors Program policy, it is my duty to inform you that a grade of WF will be assigned for cases of plagiarism or (in my judgment) willful integrity violations. Less flagrant violations will be dealt with on a proportional basis.

Attendance policy: I expect you to uphold the standards of the institution to whose curriculum this class belongs: "The university expects all students to attend all regularly scheduled classes for instruction and examination" (cf. Catalog). Although I understand that circumstances beyond your control or your own personal priorities might lead you to miss class, this university insists that you take responsibility for the decisions you ma-ke regarding attendance: "The student is responsible for all material presented in class and for all announcements and assignments" (cf. Catalog).

Because of the cumulative nature of language learning, missing class will put your grade at risk almost immediately. Daily assignments can always be obtained from the instructor or a classmate, but there is no make-up for missed quizzes, dictées, homework, lab work, or the daily practice necessary for the development of proficiency in the target language. In addition, there is no make-up for scheduled exams. Rather, the score on the subsequent scheduled exam will count in place of the missed one(s).

If your absences become numerous, the University gives me the authority to make unpleasant decisions about your enrollment that will affect your academic standing: "If the total number of a student's absences exceeds 14% of the scheduled classes [in our case 6], it shall become the prerogative of the instructor to drop the student from the class roll with a W or WF, or to continue the student in class" (cf. Catalog). I want you to have every opportunity to succeed in this class, but I expect you to be adult enough to speak with me privately about any personal situation that causes or might cause you to miss more than six classes. If you don't, I must assume that you are acting irresponsibly and will remove you from the roster.  And remember: it is your responsibility to be informed of the deadlines concerning your student status or any changes in your registration.

The Language Lab: Because listening and responding to the speech patterns of native speakers is so important, and because you are getting 4 hours of credit for only 3 hours per week of classroom contact, you are required to work with the Vis-à-vis on-line workbook/lab manual, multimedia programs, or other French-related materials in a laboratory environment for a minimum of 100 minutes per week. You must complete the listening and workbook exercises for each lesson by the due date, which is posted date for the scheduled exam for the chapter. Ideally, you should do so while we are covering that lesson in class, and I will let you know what, if anything, I want you to turn in when we get to the end of the chapter. As in the case of regular homework, no credit is given for lab assignments turned in after the due date or not properly submitted.

Quia: In addition to the audio and video materials you will be using in the lab, you will also be using "Quia," the electronic workbook/lab manual designed by McGraw-Hill for all first and second-semester language texts. It replaces the dead-tree manuals you may have used in the past. As we work through our lessons in the textbook and in class, the Quia program is available in the lab to offer you additional practice in grammar, communication, and other linguistic functions. Each chapter in the textbook has Quia exercises associated with it, and as the instructor of the course, I will establish due dates for you to have completed the exercised for each chapter. You will learn more about this as you become more familiar with the lab.

Quia can be very frustrating for some students; usually the ones who wait until a day or two before the exercises are due, at which point it is too late to complete and learn from them properly. Since the exercises are computerized, no late submissions are allowed, and in any case they are of little use unless they are approached systematically for the purposes of daily practice and skills-building. I suggest that you try to go into the lab a few times per week for short periods (30 minutes or so) to do your work. Also, although some of the exercises are very simple - i.e. multiple choice or short answer - some are more open-ended and require considerable thought. These exercises, when submitted, can sometimes show a "red dot," indicating that further review by a lab assistant or by me is required before credit can be given. This does not necessarily mean that your answer is wrong, it just means that some of your work has not yet been evaluated. Also, since correct answers have been put into the programming, Quia is not very forgiving of spelling and other errors in accuracy. Be ready for this, but remember that the lab assistants and I have access to your work and are here to help you.

Yes, you will hate Quia if you do not use it the way it was designed, which is to say, as a learning tool to use regularly in your French studies. However, if you do use it properly, it will help you immensely with the structural and communicative aspects of your French. And by all means, don't hesitate to ask lab personnel for help. If you encounter a problem with the program or a particular exercise, please let them or me know, and don't forget to note the name and number of the exercise carefully. This will allow us to go in and check to see what's wrong, and it will do you, and us, a lot more good than just raging about how much you hate Quia in the course evaluations.

Finally, if you have "inherited" a textbook or purchased one online and are without the Quia code you need to get into the program, you can purchase one through the Quiabooks website. Click on the link above, find the "bookstore," and follow the prompts to enter the title of the book. You will then see the links to buy the online lab manual/workbook, for which you will need the course code. BE SURE TO BY THE 5TH EDITION FOR THIS COURSE!

The Quia code you will need to log into your course and/or buy access to Quia is PDDBFF646. This number will also be posted on the board in the lab. To log into Quia, click the link above and enter this code. You will also be prompted for your textbook code, which is printed on the small cardboard folder you purchased at the bookstore.

It is your responsibility to go to the lab, make sure your attendance is documented, find the material you need, or, if you're using them, verify that your tapes have the proper lessons recorded on them. It is also your responsibility to make sure that your responses to the exercises are properly recorded in digital format for me to review. I also may also ask you to use the Internet, watch French language films, and/or read an article on French culture, politics, history, etc. There are also instructions on recording tapes and sound files as well as other useful information available in the lab.  There are also instructions and other useful information on the Student Resources page of my website. The website for our textbook offers additional activities for practice and enhancement of your skills at the textbook website.

N.B. 3: There is always new equipment and software coming into the lab, and there will be always a learning curve for us as we all learn how to use it. Procedures and hardware/software configurations often change, and I may not always be informed on these changes. I will try to be reasonable about any problems that occur, but I still expect you to fulfill the lab requirement within the parameters of the lab's availability. Be sure to keep up on the lab schedule, as sometimes it is closed for whole-class activities. Again, I will not entertain complaints about or make deadline changes due to computer system problems or lab closures.

Class participation: As I mentioned above under "homework," I expect you to prepare the basic grammar and vocabulary lessons at home, usually before we cover them in class. By doing so, you will make it possible for us to spend a larger portion of class time speaking and practicing French and resolving problems. I expect you to keep abreast of the upcoming material in the textbook and to do exercises in Quia, then to come to class with any questions you might have. On some of the more difficult grammar items, I will make introductory explanations in class before asking you to study the material at home, but your advance preparation will make understanding these concepts much easier. If you do not prepare in advance, it is unlikely that you will be able to keep up with the pace. Any time you are having trouble, of course, you should see me and/or the tutor in the lab as soon as possible.

Aspects of Leadership in Honors French 1001/1002: On the surface, this course may not seem to offer much in the way of the leadership training that North Georgia maintains as one of its most important missions. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you have studied this syllabus carefully, you have noticed that exercising your personal responsibility is the key to success.  I will prepare my lessons and administer the course, but I leave it to you to come to class, do your work, go to lab, study regularly, take advantage of your resources, see me or a tutor if you have academic problems, and make sure I am aware of any personal challenges you are facing.  These are your duties to yourself and to your ultimate goal of completing your degree, even if it isn't in French.

This kind of behavior not only sets an example for others, but it assures you that either your success or your failure is truly yours.  I cannot make you learn.  I can only show you how, and I do so by offering you the appropriate challenges.  Face them like an adult, ask for help when you need it, and accept your real weaknesses with responsibility.  Doing so will not only help you in this course, but it will help you in all your classes and throughout your life.  These, I believe, are the basic qualities of an effective leader.  From there you can work on your capacity to help others, which, as you will see, is another important part of this course.  It goes without saying that if you are in a situation that requires French and you're the only one around who knows any, you're going to be a leader.  Nothing is more powerless than a person who can neither understand what's going on around her nor communicate her needs.

ACTFL Standards Compliance Statement: FREN 1001 & 1002 have been designed to meet ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) standards 1.1-3, 3.2, and 4.1.  Therefore, in completing this course, you will (1.1) engage in conversation, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions, (1.2) understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics, (1.3) present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics, and (3.2) acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its cultures.

ADA Statement: North Georgia College & State University is committed to equal access to its programs, services, and activities for individuals with disabilities. If you believe that you have a disability requiring an accommodation, reasonable prior notice must be given to the instructor and the Office of Student Disability Resources. Please contact the Office of Student Disability Resources, at Barnes Hall, Room 221 or call 867-2782.

Class Evaluations: Class evaluations at North Georgia are conducted on-line through Banner. Evaluation of the class is considered a component of the course and students will not be permitted to access their course grade until the evaluation has been completed. The evaluations will be accessible beginning a few weeks prior to Final Exam week.

And finally: We are all adults here (or close to it), so I expect you to maintain the conduct of one at all times without fail. This means the following:

Cell Phone Policy: New technologies have brought many new resources to the classroom, but also new distractions. Recent technology in electronic alert systems have allowed us to be in touch with the outside world through our cell phones in case of various emergencies. Nevertheless, as you saw in the section above, I expect you to turn your cell phone to the silent function while you are in class; not "vibrate," not "off," but "silent." Even with my declining auditory awareness, I can usually hear your phones' vibrations halfway across the room. With students getting SMS's, calls, tweets, Amber Alerts, and however may other apps that may sound off, you may get 5, 10, or more buzzes in an hour's time. With 20 or 25 students, well... you get the picture. In addition, when your vibrate-enabled phone goes off, you'll get that deer-in-the-headlights look and your brain shuts down, as do other students who think your buzz is theirs.

So, while I don't want to force all cell phones to be turned off and thus miss an emergency alert, the vibrate function still amounts to too much of a distraction. In addition, I do have my cell-phone registered on UNG's ConnectEd network and with me in class. So here's the policy:

In other words, you will have to decide whether or not to leave your cell phone on and whether or not to pay attention to it. If you do, you place yourself (and your classmates) at academic risk.

Click here for a copy of the Questionnaire/Office Hour Request/Concurrence Voucher. Sign it, date it, and turn it in to me as soon as possible. It counts for a homework grade, and I will not give you access to your WebGrade account until you do so.

Click here for a copy of the course schedule. It is subject to change, and does not reflect daily assignments. Consult the "Devoirs" link on my website for those.

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