FREN 2200
FRENCH FOR READING KNOWLEDGE
COURSE DESCRIPTION
FREN 2200,001, Fall 2013
TR 3:30-4:45, COED 168
Katherine Stephenson
COED 441, 687-8751
Office Hours: 4:50-5:20 TWR & by appt.
ksstephe@uncc.edu
http://clas-pages.uncc.edu/katherine-stephenson/courses/french-for-reading-knowledge/
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Description
Prerequisite
Texts and Materials
Grade Breakdown
Homework
Absence Policy
Classroom Activities
Office Hours
Honor Code
Students with Learning Disabilities
Description
Review of French grammar with focus on developing reading skills. For every class period there
will be homework assignments in which students will prepare the material for the following
class. About half of the classes will be spent going over the chapter grammar and translation
exercises and short readings students translate for homework. There will be a chapter test for
each of these class periods taken directly from the grammar and translation text which students
will submit over Moodle2 before each class. The other classes will be spent performing sight
readings from the grammar and translation text and reviewing literary readings and
comprehension exercises prepared as homework. Class will be conducted in English. This
course fulfills the terminal 2000-level foreign-language requirement for certain majors (p. 36 of
2012-2013 Undergraduate Catalogue).
Prerequisite
FREN 1102 or equivalent.
Texts and Materials
In student bookstore:
 Course Packet of Reading French in the Arts and Sciences, 4th edition, by Edward M.
Stack
 Panaché littéraire, 3rd edition, by Baker and Cauvin
 Recommended:
o HarperCollins Robert French Unabridged Dictionary, 5th or later edition
Course Homepage: http://clas-pages.uncc.edu/katherine-stephenson/courses/french-for-readingknowledge
On Moodle2 (Course Management System): Some information, study and homework materials,
and all exams are on Moodle2. You access our Moodle2 course from any computer on or off
campus (campus computer labs are open 24/7) through a new link in the 49er Express My
Courses channel called Access Moodle2. This link will take you to the Moodle2 homepage for
UNC Charlotte. Or you may go directly to the Moodle2 homepage at https://moodle2.uncc.edu/
. LOGIN using your 49er Express user name and password. This will then open the Moodle2
My Courses homepage where all your Moodle2 courses will be listed on the left frame. If you’re
accessing your campus student account for the first time, see the messages and links on the 49er
Express homepage, accessed by clicking on the 49er Express link at the top right of the
University homepage, or the Student Computing link at http://itservices.uncc.edu/studentservices/. Also check out the Moodle2 for Students
(https://teaching.uncc.edu/moodle2/students). If you have any problems with Moodle2 not
working correctly, you must contact Moodle2 Student Support, NOT the professor, by contacting
the Student Computing Help Center (see http://labs.uncc.edu/gethelp/help.html ), also HelpDesk
Online at https://helpdesk.uncc.edu/helpdesk/prelogin.asp). Other helpful student computing
links are Student Computing FAQs ( http://itservices.uncc.edu/student-services/faqs ), and
Student Computing e-Learning Tools ( http://labs.uncc.edu/basics/elearning.html ).
After the first class meeting, immediately send the professor an e-mail message with the
information indicated below. Use your own email account (see my email address at the top of
this document), the 49er Express “E-mail” function, or on 49er Express select “Click here
to: View your course schedule, access your course home pages, email your professors,
communicate with classmates, etc.,” click on our course link, then on the 49er Express Course
Homepage, select “E-mail” from the left frame, then select my name on the “Email Members”
list, then click on “Send email” at the bottom right. Type “[Your Name]’s 2200 contact info” in
the “Subject” box and type the information below, in exactly the format below, in the “Message”
box, then hit the “Send” button. You may also simply click on the professor’s name under
“Course Info” on the right of the 49er Express Course Homepage to send me the email:
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Name (for first name, indicate name you wish to be called by in class)
Telephone number
E-mail address (that you check every day)*
Classification, major, advisor
If you have a job, number of hours you work per week
Previous French: where, when, grade; if at UNCC: professor
Other languages, trips to France (where, when)
On Thursday, Aug 29, send a list with the first 3 items above to everyone in the class, using the
49er Express “E-mail” link on the 49er Express Course Homepage described above. Type
“[Your Name]’s contact info” in the “Subject.”
Attention: You may not be able to access your Moodle2 account until 24 hours after you are
officially enrolled in the class.
*The university administration encourages students to use the official university-provided e-mail
address when corresponding with professors and students, to be aware of the
university’s Computing Policies, and to check their 49er Express e-mail account regularly.
Grade Breakdown
Class grade (attendance, participation, homework, tests, sight-readings) 40%
Translations
40%
Final Exam
20%*
All grades are based on a 10-point scale (90 – 100 = A, etc.). Regular class attendance,
participation, and homework completion can impact your grade substantially. I suggest that you
pay particular attention to these areas so that they work for you rather than against you.
*You may not receive a grade for the course more than 2 letter-grades higher than the grade you
make on the final exam.
Homework
Please staple homework with multiple sheets before class. If you hand in homework or class
exercises on notebook paper, please do not use paper from a spiral-bound notebook, or be sure to
remove any tabs from the left margin.
Most of the learning for this course takes place outside of the classroom. You will have to
devote a minimum of two hours of preparation for each class hour (see UNC Charlotte Catalog).
The homework consists of reviewing vocabulary and grammar by doing exercises and
translations in the Stack text, submitting exercises over Moodle before class (see Moodle
information above), previewing texts to sight-read in class, and doing exercises on readings from
the Baker & Cauvin text and, occasionally, on class handouts and tests on this material. Tests on
the vocabulary and grammar will be taken in Moodle after class treatment of the material.
Homework is assigned on a regular basis and is due on the assigned date at the beginning of
class. Please staple homework with multiple sheets before class. If you hand in homework or
class exercises on notebook paper, please do not use paper from a spiral-bound notebook, or be
sure to remove any tabs from the left margin. I will only accept late homework for excused
absences, and only before the assigned deadline for the homework (since students are given
access to online answer keys upon the deadline). Electronic submission of homework (see the
university’s Computing Policies) should prevent you from having to turn in work late unless you
are too sick to prepare homework. Any late homework must be turned in through electronic
submission.
If you find you need additional help, the University Center for Academic Excellence (330
Fretwell http://ucae.uncc.edu/) provides free tutorials on French grammar (call Tutorial Services
in 318K Fretwell at 704.687.7845 or contact them online through their website at
http://ucae.uncc.edu/tutorial-services). See also their FAQ at http://ucae.uncc.edu/tutorial-
services/faqs. The schedule for tutoring in the LRC is at http://lrc.uncc.edu/. There are also
many exercises you can do using the computer software in the Language Resource Center.
Absence Policy
Attendance is required. Students who miss classes usually do poorly on pop quizzes and exams.
Role is taken and class business is discussed at the beginning of each class. Late arrivals are
marked absent unless students remember to “check in” with the professor at the end of class to
change the “absence” to a “late.” Absences result in a reduction of points in your class grade and
therefore affect final grades. After 2 unexcused absences, your class grade will drop 1/3 a letter
for each unexcused absence (3 lates = 1 absence). Absences will be excused only when student
provides written confirmation of hospitalization, a doctor/infirmary visit, an officially excused
university activity, or a serious family crisis. Failure to attend at least 75% of classes (i.e.,
missing 4 or more classes for a MW or TR class, for whatever reason) will result in a failing
grade in the course. If you are absent from class, you are responsible for contacting a classmate,
finding out what we did in class and the homework assignment, and preparing this assignment.
See also attendance policy in UNC Charlotte Catalog.
In accordance with University Policy #409: Religious Accommodation for Students, you may
have a minimum of two excused absences each academic year for religious observances as
required by your faith. It is your obligation to provide me with reasonable notice of the dates of
religious observances on which you will be absent by submitting a Request for Religious
Accommodation Form to me prior to the census date for enrollment. The census date for each
semester (typically the tenth day of instruction) can be found in UNC Charlotte’s academic
calendar. This Fall it is Aug. 30.
Classroom Activities and Etiquette
All students are expected to participate in class activities. Students will answer questions on the
vocabulary, grammar, and reading exercises in the class texts and sight-read texts in class (all of
which may be prepared in advance). Take advantage of class time to ask about any material or
concepts you do not understand. Do not worry about making mistakes in class because making
mistakes is part of the process of developing language fluency. The sight-reading in class is the
activity which comes closest to replicating final-exam conditions, where you will translate texts
without using any of your materials or texts (no dictionary, either), so it is a good indicator of
how you will perform on the final. Only students who participate on a daily basis and for the
entire class should expect a positive evaluation.
Respectful classroom behavior is expected. This includes arriving on time for class and turning
off your cell phone before entering class. Breaches of proper classroom etiquette have the
following consequences: each time you disrupt class by coming in late or having an electronic
device go off in class, you will be charged with a “late”; 3 lates/disruptions = 1 unexcused
absence.
The use of cell phones, smart phones, or other mobile communication devices is disruptive and is
therefore prohibited during class. Except in emergencies, those using such devices must leave the
classroom for the remainder of the class period. Class is for learning and complete attention to
classroom activities is required.
Students are permitted to use computers during class for note-taking and other class-related
work only. Those using computers during class for work not related to that class must leave the
classroom for the remainder of the class period.
Office Hours
I urge all of you to make use of my office hours. Students who do so usually do better than those
who do not. I can help you not only with difficulties with the course material, but also with
advice on studying habits, test-taking techniques, organizational skills, etc. Do not hesitate to
ask me any questions, either pertaining to grammar or to the class in general. The only stupid
question is the one never asked. I hope you have a fun and rewarding semester.
If you wish to contact me outside of class, you must do so during my office hours as I will not
return phone calls. You may also contact me by email, which I can usually respond to within 24
hours. Please include a subject heading in all email you send to me.
Honor Code
The Department of Languages and Culture Studies complies with the UNC Charlotte Code of
Student Academic Integrity and Code of Student Responsibility. The Code is available from the
Dean of Students Office or online at http://www.legal.uncc.edu/policies/ps-105.html. See also
UNC Charlotte Catalog. It is your responsibility to know and observe the requirements of these
codes and all other University regulations. Academic evaluations in this course include a
judgment that your work is free from academic dishonesty of any type. Penalty for violation of
the code ranges from zero credit on the work involving dishonesty to expulsion from UNC
Charlotte. You are expected to report cases of academic dishonesty.
Students with learning disabilities
Students with documented disabilities who require accommodations in this class should access
services as soon as possible through the UNC Charlotte Office of Disability Services in Fretwell
Building, Room 230.