FREN 4310 (Advanced French Conversation), Fall 2015, CRN #6813
TR 12:30 - 13:45, Dunlap Hall 306



Important: À l'interêt du progrès et de la conservation des ressources, je ne distribue plus de syllabus en papier. Ces documents sont alors l'objet d'une révision continue. À la fin de chaque étape de « drop/add », period, je déposerai une copie imprimée dans les archives du bureau général du département. Elle nous servira comme la version définitive du syllabus. Je suggère que vous vous en imprimiez une, car vous êtes obligés de me remettre le « Concurrence Voucher and Office Hour Request ». Elle sera considérée comme votre premier devoir.

Professeur: D. Brian Mann, Ph.D.

Coordinées:

Heures de bureau: À annoncer et à poster sur la porte de Dunlap 322-C.

Matériaux obligatoires:

  Description officielle du cours (en anglais pour notre public):

Travaux, méthodologie, et évaluation:

 Discipline/malhonnêteté académique: Le comportement perturbateur ne sera pas toléré, et j'insiste que vous suiviez fidèlement le « Academic Integrity Policy » et que vous vous soumettiez au « integrity code »: « On my honor I will not lie, cheat, steal, plagiarize, evade the truth or tolerate those who do ». N'importe quelle violation suscitera une consultation avec le « Academic Integrity Council » de l'institution.

Le plagiat est plus souvent une erreur d'omission qu'un acte de défi, mais le résultat est le même : on a violé les droits intellectuels d'un autre. La recherche honnête consiste à respecter ces droits en citant les mots ou les idées de cet autre dans son propre travail, et le plagiat consiste à les y mettre sans attribution. Commise par libre arbitre ou par mégarde innocente, une telle erreur suscitera la réaction institutionnelle la plus sévère. Je réserve donc le droit d'utiliser tout moyen d'entreprendre la détection et la prosécution du plagiat. Ces moyens comprennent mon expérience considérable, les témoignages des autres, et les logiciels de détection comme, mais pas limités à, "TurnitIn.com." Je vous conseille à tout coeur de ne pas risquer votre reputation contre de tels indignités.

Présence et préparation en cours: « The University of North Georgia expects students to attend all regularly-scheduled classes for instruction and examination. When a student is compelled for any reason to be absent from class, the student should immediately convey the reason for the absence directly to the instructor. The student is responsible for all material presented in class and for all announcements and assignments » (Faculty Handbook). Bien que les circonstances puissent causer votre absence de temps en temps, la responsabilité de suivre les règlements exigés par ce cours est décidémment la vôtre.

En plus, aucun travail quotidien sera accepté en retard, et la non-assistance à toute activité quotidienne est irrémédiable. Si vous êtes absent(e) pour l'un des 2 examens le prochain examen comptera deux fois. Si vous ratez le dernier examen, la note sera l'équivalent de celle de votre examen final. Toutes les deux arrivées en retard (ou les départs précoces) compteront pour une absence. Certainement, je désire vivement discuter n'importe quel problème spécial que vous auriez concernant ces exigeances; venez me vour aussitôt que possible. Mais évidemment, pour réussir dans ce cours, votre présence sans faille est essentielle!

J'ai essayé d'organiser ce cours comme un « seminar ». Cela veut dire que nous somme tous, à notre tour, dans le rôle d'étudiant ou de professeur.  Ayant cette responsabilité commune les uns envers les autres, nous sommes tous censés d'être bien préparés pour chaque séance. S'il devient évident qu'il y a un manque général de préparation (loin de nous cette pensée !), on risque que la lecture ou la question en discussion devienne le sujet d'une composition sur-le-champ. J'ai toute confiance que cette situation ne surviendra jamais.

Et finalement:

The Nitty Gritty (en anglais pour notre public et les administrateurs monolingues): French 4450 is a course designed to build your proficiency in the productive skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing.  Our text, Panaché Littéraire, offers a wide variety of literary selections and highlights a number of grammar "problems" common to advanced-level students. Because FREN 4310 is essentially a conversation course, I do not want to spend too much class time explicitly on grammar. Like the operating system of a computer, however, grammar drives all of our language functions, and I think it is important that we refine our use and understanding of the French grammatical system (notice I said "we"). Therefore, we'll be doing at least a few of the grammar exercises in the book. In addition, because we will be basing much of our discussion on literary selections, you will have to do some serious reading. It will differ from a literature class, however, in that we will concern ourselves principally with the language and the ideas in the selections rather than the with author or historical context of the selection.

This is fourth-year course, and I assume that all of us are serious students of French. I expect you to be present and on time every day, and I expect all written work to be turned in on time, whether you are present in class or not. We will be working hard, covering a lot of material, and spending a lot of time doing so. Three hours per week in class assumes at least six in preparation, but if we invest this time judiciously as we go along, our class will run smoothly, and we will finish able to communicate in French more effectively than at the beginning of the course (notice I said "we" again). Also, I've taught this course before, but the last time I did so it was in a two-day-a-week format. So I hope you'll be forthcoming with any input on scheduling you might have.

There are two scheduled exams, of which one is take-home.  The four major compositions should be typed on a computer, but since you will be revising these compositions, having them in electronic format will pay off in the long run. It also helps you avoid the kind of mechanical rewriting in which you leave things out accidentally.  I may ask you to present your ideas to your classmates, attend lectures or films, or do anything else (well, almost anything else) that presents itself as an opportunity for improvement of language skills.

I cannot overstate the importance of the Language Lab and other on-line opportunities for practicing your language skills. I expect you to spend at least an hour every week either trolling the web for interesting Francophone sites or working with media I dig up for our course. I am not a native speaker of French, so if you rely only on me as a model for your language skills, you are doing yourself an injustice.

I have provided a programme for your reference, to which we will adhere to the best of our ability. It describes what I expect you (and myself) to have prepared chez vous for that day. It is only a guide, as we might not always get to everything on the programme, or I might find something I want to add in to enhance our conversations. By the way, I need you to let me know if you are having difficulties with the course or its content. This is your responsibility to yourself and to your classmates, just as it is my responsibility to help you learn as much French as you can.

Aspects of Leadership in French 4310: On the surface, this course may not seem to offer much in the way of the leadership training that NGCSU 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.

Statement concerning Oral Intensive Courses: This course complies with the institutional requirements necessary to be included in this category. As detailed above, there will be coursework and evaluation based on oral practice of grammatical structures, corrective phonetic exercises, sharing ideas, discussing, defending, and supporting opinions based on the written material, and a final oral presentation. Naturally, French is the language we will use to conduct the course.

ACTFL Standards Compliance Statement: FREN 4310 has been designed to meet ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) standards 1.1-3, 2.1-2, 3.1-2, and 4.2.  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, (2.1) demonstrate an understanding of the relationships between the practices and perspectives of the culture studied, (2.2) demonstrate an understanding of the relationships between the products and perspectives of the culture studied, (3.1) reinforce and further your knowledge of other disciplines through the foreign language, (3.2) acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its cultures, and (4.2) demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and your own.

Finally, be sure to read and consult UNG's Supplementary Syllabus, which contains additional, institutional-level information, requirements, and expectations with regard to your participation in this course.

Final Note: I am taking risks in the preparation of our agenda, just as you have taken risks in signing up. However, it is this element of risk that I hope will generate spontaneous, sincere, and genuine opportunities for learning among us, and lead to the formation of a cohesive group of classmates who become friends through our common interest in the French language. As you know by now, learning a language is never easy, and when it comes right down to it, we are really on our own in doing so. My experience has been that a cooperative effort is the best way to achieve  our goals, and is even essential to our success. As you have perhaps noted from my use of the pronoun "we," I am a student too, far from perfect, and as I show you how to learn some of the things I have learned, I want to learn from you. For those who already know me, this will indeed be yet another version of "French Without a Net." Au fur et à mesure, amusons-nous!

Cliquez ici pour une copie du «Questionnaire/Office Hour Request/Concurrence Voucher». Signez-le, datez-le, et remettez-le-moi aussitôt que possible. Je ne considérerai pas votre travail jusqu'à ce que vous le fassiez.

Cliquez ici pour une copie de l'horaire provisoire du cours. Il est sujet à des changements, et ne réfléchit pas les devoirs quotidiens. Consultez le lien "Devoirs" dès ma page d'accueil.

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