French 201A – CSULB
Intermediate French
Fall 2014
Instructor: Charles-Edouard Casamento
Phone:
Classroom: AS 241
Section: 01
Access code to MyFrenchLab: CRSKL8M-2040024
Office Hours : Wed: 10/11am. AS330
Office: AS 330 Offce
Email: gerardodacousigno@gmail.com
Day/Time: M/W 2/3:50pm
Course #: 6322
Office Hours:
REQUIRED TEXTS and MATERIALS:
Schultz and Tranvouez. Réseau: Communication, Intégration, Intersections. (1st edition).
Pearson Prentice Hall, 2013 with Access code to MyFrenchLab.
PREREQUISITES:
Two semesters of college French or three years of high school French. French 201A is a
continuation of French 101B and is intended for non-native speakers. If you speak even a small
amount of French, please consult with the instructor about the possibility of taking a course at
another level. In order to do well in this course, you must be able to do the following:
-follow a class conducted entirely in French,
-understand thoroughly all grammar and vocabulary covered in 101A and B
-read short narratives, and dialogues without looking up each term or translating word for word, and
-participate in group activities in French.
Course Objectives for French 201A.
 Speak French well enough to describe, narrate, and ask / answer questions in the present,
past, and future tenses about a variety of topics related to you (family, daily activities,
eating, traveling, professions, your house), as also art, culture, and social issues.
 Comprehend French with sufficient ability to grasp the main idea and some supporting
details in short conversations (spontaneous or recorded) that pertain to the topics
mentioned above.
 Read and understand the main idea and some details of materials (both literary and nonliterary) about a variety of topics.
 Write sentences and short paragraphs on familiar topics relating to personal interests and
practical needs.
 Develop an awareness and appreciation of French and francophone cultures.
 Understand on a basic level how French functions as a language.
PREPARATION:
Since this is a four-unit course, the university requires a minimum of eight hours of outside
preparation per week. However, the amount of time necessary to be adequately prepared for
class will vary from student to student depending on a number of factors.
Grade Distribution:
PARTICIPATION (20%):
Since attaining communicative competence is the primary goal of this course, you must be
willing and prepared to express and share ideas with your instructor and classmates and to
cooperate in any group activities. Please be punctual. Tardiness is disruptive and disrespectful
both to your classmates and to the instructor.
Please note that simply attending class does not earn you better than a D grade.
Participation means to be actively and cooperatively involved in the classroom session.
Your participation grade is composed of the following two elements: 10 classroom activities
(10%) and a quantitative and qualitative assessment of your participation in class by the
instructor (10%).
You earn the first 10% of your participation grade through 10 classroom activities throughout the
semester. These activities are collected and graded. If you miss them, you will receive a 0 (zero)
for participation on that particular day. These activities may or may not be announced by your
instructor.
The second 10% of your participation grade are based on your instructor’s assessment of your
participation in class during the entire semester.
Absence or tardiness is not an acceptable excuse for missing classroom activities, quizzes, tests,
or assignment deadlines. It is the student’s responsibility to consult the calendar, syllabus, and/or
announcements for this course on BeachBoard or contact the instructor to discuss the possibility
of making up the work that was missed. Arriving late or leaving early (30 minutes) will be
counted as half an absence. Classroom activities cannot be made up.
HOMEWORK (10%)
Assignments are intended to prepare, complement and reinforce the work done in class.
Completing the exercises and readings before coming to class will only benefit and ease the
learning process, while failing to do so will only make it more difficult for you to keep up with
the work. All assignments must be completed and turned in as assigned by your instructor.
No late written work will be accepted unless it is covered by an excused absence.
The Student Activities Manual (MyFrenchLab) is available online. You should take advantage of
this very sophisticated online learning tool. It combines the traditional Student Workbook, a
dictionary, pronunciation help, grammar tutorials for both English and French, flashcards, and
other interesting and useful features in one system. Your instructor will check your computergraded homework online but may ask you to complete certain assignments in writing. Please
consult the course calendar and the calendar on MyFrenchLab on a daily basis for the due dates
of each homework assignment. Do not wait until the last day to work on the homework. While it
is possible to experience occasional technical difficulties with computers, this is not an
excuse for not turning in your homework on time.
COMPOSITIONS (20%)
As part of your written work this semester, you will be asked to write two (2) compositions on
topics related to your class work and readings. They will be evaluated on their organization,
grammar and content. All written work should be clearly organized (with your name, class, and
the assignment information as a heading, where necessary), double-spaced and typed.
QUIZZES (10%)
There will be 5 short quizzes throughout the semester. If you do your homework
assignments on a regular basis, it will be easy for you to do very well on these quizzes.
Quizzes cannot be made up unless they are covered by an excused and documented
absence.
EXAMS (20%)
There will be two (2) in-class exams. Exam 1 is a traditional exam that tests your knowledge of
grammar, vocabulary, and culture by means of a variety of exercises. Exam 2 is a “Dialogue
Exam” in which we ask you to compose a conversation between two people based on a given
situation or task. Please consult the course outline posted by your instructor for the dates of these
two exams.
SKIT (5%)
During the semester, you will be required to do a little skit or conversation. If you participate
actively in all classroom activities, you should be more than adequately prepared to do very well
on this little exercise.
COMPREHENSIVE FINAL EXAM (15%):
The final exam is comprehensive but will emphasize the material covered after Exam 1. Final
exams are scheduled by the university. Please read the following statement carefully!
The University requires that every class include a final exam except certain activity classes
for which the dean of the college authorizes an exception. No instructor may change the
scheduled time for a final exam without authorization from the dean of the college. Always
check the final exam schedule before you register for your classes! The final exam schedule
for Fall 2014 is available on the university’s website at www.csulb.edu.
Please note: If it is impossible for you to take a scheduled exam, or a quiz, or turn in a
composition on the due date because of a medical or other emergency, you must provide
your instructor with a valid written excuse. Please refer to “Excused Absences” below for
further information.
Language lab [LAB 305 and 306]:
You may complete assignments in the language lab, in any computer lab on campus, or at home.
While language lab attendance is not a requirement, we encourage you to use the lab because it
offers many useful resources (you might find a tutor there or other students who learn the same
language; you can also use the lab to practice your skit or write your compositions).
GRADING SCALE:
Participation:
Homework:
20 %
10 %
90 - 100
80 - 89
A
B
Compositions:
Quizzes:
Exams (2):
Skit:
Final:
20 %
10 %
20 %
5%
15 %
70 - 79
60 - 69
Below 60
C
D
F
OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION:
Communication between instructor and students:
It is the students’ responsibility to maintain a valid email address throughout the
semester. The instructor will post pertinent course information on BeachBoard on a
regular basis and the students need to check both BeachBoard and their email frequently.
If students are unable to attend a scheduled exam (see course calendar and the final exam
schedule) due to a medical or other emergency, they have to notify the instructor as soon
as they can by email or phone.
BeachBoard and the CSULB Technology Help Desk:
The Help Desk can assist you with a wide range of computer-related issues and problems
including: operating systems, remote connection to CSULB, Microsoft Desktop applications,
anti-virus software, and Internet- and Web-related topics. Contact the Help Desk by phone, email or on the web.
Phone: (562) 985-4959; e-mail: helpdesk@csulb.edu; Web: helpdesk.csulb.edu
Withdrawal Policy:
It is the student’s responsibility to withdraw from classes. Instructors have no obligation to
withdraw students who do not attend courses, and may choose not to do so. The students should
consult the Schedule of Classes for the various withdrawal deadlines. Withdrawal from a course
during the final three weeks of instruction requires the signature of the instructor, the department
chair, and the dean of the college and is permissible only for serious and compelling reasons.
[Severe or extensive medical problems would be a reason to withdraw after the deadline, but the
possibility or fear of receiving a final grade lower than desired, or a change in one’s work
schedule are not considered serious and compelling reasons]
Cheating and Plagiarism:
It is expected that the work you submit for this class will be your own and that when it is not you
will give credit to the source by using quotation marks, footnotes or some other form of
reference. General definitions of what constitutes cheating and plagiarism and the measures the
university may take in such cases are given in the Schedule of Classes, pages 51 and 52. For
example, using the Internet (services such as Babel Fish or Google’s “translate” feature) to
translate English compositions into French or having somebody “proofread” your work
constitutes a form of cheating and the work will not be accepted as your own (in addition to
receiving 0 credit, instances of cheating will be brought to the attention of the Office of Judicial
Affairs).
Use of cell phones, computers, pads, or any other electronic devices:
As a member of the learning community, each student has a responsibility to other students who
are members of this community. When cell phones ring and students respond in class or leave
class to respond, it disrupts the lesson. Therefore, the use by students of cell phones or similar
communication devices during scheduled classes is not allowed. All such devices must be
turned off or put in a silent (vibrate) mode and ordinarily should not be taken out during
class. Given the fact that these same communication devices are an integral part of the
University’s emergency notification system, an exception to this policy would occur when
numerous devices activate simultaneously. When this occurs, students may consult their devices
to determine if a university emergency exists. If that is not the case, the devices should be
immediately returned to silent mode and put away.
Students are permitted to use computers during class for note-taking, other class-related work or
for using their e-book. Those students using their cell phones or computers for activities that are
not related to the work done in class (such as texting, emailing, checking the internet, etc.) must
leave the classroom and the student will be marked as absent.
Excused Absences:
Students may have a valid reason to miss a class. Students are responsible for informing their
instructor of the reason for the absence. For a list of acceptable reasons to miss a class, the
student should consult the current CSULB Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog. In case a
student misses a scheduled test or other assignment due to a serious emergency, s/he must
provide the instructor with a valid written excuse before s/he will be allowed to make up that
examination. A valid excuse will include the date(s) and reason for the absence from class as
well as the name and phone number (and other appropriate information) of the doctor or other
person who can be contacted to verify this information. Your instructor will not accept
documentation that is illegible or incomplete.
Students with Disabilities:
Students with disabilities who need assistance or modification to the University’s programs
and/or activities should inform their instructor (or the Language Coordinator) immediately upon
knowing that such modification is necessary. You should discuss your request for reasonable
accommodation in academic courses with the instructor (or Language Coordinator) and with the
Office of Disabled Students Services, located in Brotman Hall 270, telephone (562) 985-5401. If
the modification or accommodation provided is inappropriate or insufficient, you may seek the
assistance of the Office of Equity and Diversity.
NB: Disability cannot be claimed retroactively for work or exams already completed in this
course.
Problems and concerns:
Any problems or concerns you may have regarding this course should first be presented to your
instructor. If the issue remains unresolved, make an appointment to discuss the matter with
Dr. Oliva, Language Coordinator, German, Russian Languages and Literatures Department.
Office:
Email:
AS 342
cedric.oliva@csulb.edu
NB: Under no circumstances can changes be made to this syllabus without the consent of
Dr. Cedric Joseph Oliva or Dr. Markus Muller.