Chabot College
Fall 2009
Replaced Fall 2010
Course Outline for French 2A
INTERMEDIATE FRENCH
Catalog Description:
2A - Intermediate French
4 Units
Review of grammar; reading of works of modern authors; practice in conversation and composition.
Prerequisite: French 1B (completed with a grade of "C" or higher). 4 hours lecture, 1 hour laboratory.
[Typical contact hours: lecture 70, laboratory 17.5]
Prerequisite Skills:
Before entering the course the student should be able to:
1. demonstrate well-informed awareness of the similarities and differences in
American and French-speaking cultural practices in relation to speech,
social attitudes, and values;
2. demonstrate a detailed understanding and appreciation of the culture of
Francophone people, including the most formative historical events and the
most important geographical features;
3. demonstrate the ability to comprehend an authentic conversation of native
speakers composed chiefly of the vocabulary and grammar studied;
4. show proficiency in applying the sentence patterns and grammar structures
presented in the course to create new sentences in culturally appropriate
ways both orally and in writing
5. converse on topics studied with some degree of fluency and with accurate
pronunciation and intonation;
6. apply the principles of syntax and grammar introduced at this level in both
speech and writing;
7. write a well-constructed and culturally appropriate paragraph of one hundred
words or more on a topic studied and/or discussed in class.
Expected Outcomes for Students:
Upon completion of the course students will:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
review basic grammatical elements introduced in the first year;
acquire a greater command and fluency of the language;
read passages of medium difficulty;
improve their speaking skills beyond the elementary level;
acquire a deeper insight into French life and customs;
demonstrate critical thinking skills in class discussion and written compositions:
a. read and interpret works from a range of academic, literary and cultural sources;
b. identify cultural assumptions that are implicit in Francophone texts that are important to
understanding and respond to them;
c. analyze, synthesize, evaluate, and question Francophone texts in culturally appropriate ways,
with special attention to lines of argument, inference, and cultural context;
d. research, evaluate, and use information relevant to textual analysis in different forms of
communication;
e. demonstrate library literacy, knowledge of research methods and internet searches;
f. consider the ethical and legal implications of the use and transmission of information.
Chabot College
Course Outline for French 2A, Page 2
Fall 2009
Course Content (Lecture):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Review and "recycling" of content of first-year French
Study of idiomatic expressions
Selections from contemporary Francophone writings illustrating the above
Reading of a modern literary work, including a short story, a novel, and a play or a film
Instruction focused on critical thinking, reading and writing, especially in the French tradition of the
explication de texte (close textual analysis of literary works) and the compte rendu de lecture
(summary/response approach to student reports on assigned texts)
6. Instruction focused on elements of literary analysis
a. fiction includes: character, plot, conflict, setting, point of view, theme, and context.
b. poetry: diction, lexical choice, imagery, figurative speech, assonance, alliteration, rime, use of
symbols, irony and other formal properties such as number of syllables per line, stanzas, and
rime patterns.
Course Content (Laboratory):
1. Activate lecture content using interactive audio and audiovisual programs on CDs, DVDs, CD
ROMS, target language websites, etc., featuring culturally authentic and contextual guided
speaking, reading, and writing activities such as cued repetition of native speech, dictations, cued
oral responses, listening comprehension, and interactive realia (culturally authentic texts).
2. Organized laboratory activities including conversation groups.
3. Fundamentals of French pronunciation.
Methods of Presentation:
1. Introduction and discussion of grammatical structures in class; oral exercises and practice after
home preparation by the student
2. Reading and discussion of texts in French
3. Stimulation by instructor of individual student contributions to class discussion in the target language
4. Use of supplementary materials such as tapes, recordings, slides for enrichment purposes
Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:
1. Typical Assignments
a. Turn in the written answers to a listening comprehension exercise in the student audio program.
b. Write an essay in French comparing your childhood years to those of Yves Beauchemin in his
Une enfance canadienne.
c. In French, write an essay on the role of the images of eyes and light in Victor Hugo’s Les
Chandeliers de l’évêque (extract from Les Misérables).
2. Methods of Evaluating Student Progress
a. Class participation and home assignments
b. Compositions and oral reports
c. Quizzes, written in French on the content of the work studied
d. Periodic written and oral tests and a two-hour final examination
Textbook(s) (Typical):
Qu'est-ce qui se passe?, Balas, Robert; Rice, Donald, Houghton Mifflin Pub., 1998.*
*These are the best textbooks available for this course. We are waiting for their new edition.
Special Student Materials:
None
curriculum 0809
dk 11/19/08