Intermediate French I   FLF 201  section 006     Fall, 2004
Time:  11:20 - 12:35 pm
Days:  T/Th
Building: Harrelson Room 342
Text:  online syllabus and internet resources
Dr. Dwight Stephens    phone:  513-4195   office:  145B, 1911 Building      dstephens@ncsu.edu
 
 
 
 

Adding, dropping, etc.

"By the second class/laboratory period or fifth business day of the semester (whichever comes first) students who have not attended class or contacted the instructor regarding his/her absence may be dropped from the class roll.  This drop will be initiated by the instructor, processed by the department, and recorded in the Dean's Office.  The student may petition for readmission to the class if s/he has been dropped in error, or in the event of students with extenuating circumstances, provided the request is received by the tenth business day of the semester.  Students who intend to drop a course continue to have the responsibility to officially drop and are encouraged to do this on a timely basis, following normal university procedures."
 

Course requirements, before the first day of class:

1.  Bookmark the course syllabus on your computer, rather than printing it out, so that you can refer to it every day and catch the changes which will occur in the assignments.

2.  Install diacriticals (accent marks) on your computer by following these instructions, then learn how to use them. This must
be done before the end of the first week.  Then you will be able to send and receive email in French and write papers with
correct accents. Do not install French as your language. It will alter your keyboard and create French spellchecks
which will drive you crazy in English.  Use my system.

Here's how to do it:

Windows 3.11

1. Click on Control Panel.
2. Click on Keyboard.
3. For Keyboard Layout choose International - US from the menu.
    (You may have to double-click on the existing language to get the other possibilities to appear as a dropdown.)
    You may be required to insert one of your Windows diskettes or CD-ROM.
4. Click OK.
5. When finished, shut down your system.
6. Restart your system.
 

Window 95-98, 2000, etc.

1.  Click Start, then Control Panel, then Settings)
2.  Double-click Keyboard icon.
3.  Click on Language tab.
4.  Click on Properties button.
5.  Choose United States - International from the menu.
    (You may have to double-click on the existing language to get the other possibilities to appear as a dropdown.)
6.  Click  OK.
7.  You may be required to insert your Windows CD-ROM.
8.  When finished, shut down your system.
9.  Restart your system.
 

Windows XP

1.  Power on and log on.
2.  Click the Start button.
3.  Click on Control Panel.
4.  Click Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options
5.  Click Regional and Language Options - a new window will open.
6.  Click the Languages tab.
7.  Click on Text services and Input Languages.
8.  Click on Details...
9.  Window will appear entitled Settings.
10. Under Installed Services, click Add.
11. A new window will open called Add Input Language.
12. Click Keyboard Layout/IME.
13. Scroll down and highlight United States-International.
14. Highlight (by clicking) Keyboard United States International
15. Above, where it says Default Input Language, click on the small arrow to the right of English United States,
    and highlight (choose) English (United States)-United States International.
16. Click OK.
17. Click OK.

Note to XP users: You will now have a keyboard icon on the taskbar (usually on the lower right side of your screen). To switch between keyboard layouts (in other words, to turn off or on the accents) double-click the keyboard layout icon and then single-click the choice you want, US or International.  Best: just leave it on US-International all the time.
 

Using the U.S. - International Keyboard

Now, to type the accents: 
        To get acute-accented é,  type first apostrophe, then e.
        To get grave-accented e, or a,  type first the grave accent  `  (upper left-hand corner of the keyboard), then e or a.
        To get circumflex-accented e, or a, type first the circumflex accent  ^ (shift key plus 6), then e or a.
        To get c-sedilla, type first apostrophe, then c. If you need capital C-sedilla, type first apostrophe, then capital C.
        To get tréma, also called dieresis, the two dots over a letter, type first " (quotation mark, i.e., shift key plus apostrophe),
            then the letter.

Now, to get apostrophes, you'll have to use the spacebar after the apostrophe key.  For example, to get j'ai, type first j,
then apostrophe key, then spacebar, then a.   A little practice, and you won't even have to think about it!

Final note about XP:  if your computer keeps 'voluntarily' shifting back to English US Keyboard, it's because it hasn't accepted International as the default keyboard.  Here's how to set it:

Open Control Panel
Double-click  Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options
Double-click Regional and Language Options
Single-click Languages
Under Text Services and Input Language,  single-click Details...
Under Settings, look at Default Input Language
Specify English (United States)--United States International
Click OK.

3. Read these tips on learning a foreign language.  http://www4.ncsu.edu/~dfstephe/secrets.html

4. Get a dictionary. You must have two dictionaries at your disposal to learn French: a French/English for the dirty work and
an all-French for the fine-tuning and exploratory learning.  I recommend that you buy the following dictionary for the first
purpose: The New College French & English Dictionary, by Steiner, published by AMSCO.  It's the best French-English,
English-French Dictionary for under $10, it uses IPA, and there's a stack of used ones at the Book Exchange in Durham.  For
the French/French dictionary, you could buy one, but I think this online dictionary would serve you better:
http://www.french-linguistics.co.uk/dictionary/
Bookmark this and learn how to use it.  Unfortunately, French online dictionaries don't use IPA, so when
in doubt about pronunciation, go back to your Steiner.

5. Make an assessment of the state of your knowledge of French, from two points of view:
        a)  Think about where your particular weaknesses in grammar are.  Do you know whether common nouns are masculine or feminine?  You know how to make adjectives agree with them?  Have you got the conjugations of the basic verbs? Verb tenses?  Know how the passé composé works?  With reflexive verbs?  Make a list.  In the first week of classes, make an appointment to see me so we can fix it, so you don't start off with
a disadvantage.
        b) Think about your proficiency, i.e., ability to perform in the language. What kinds of situations are you able to deal with in French?  What
can you do, what can't you do? What can you talk about? What can't you?  Begin more and more to think about your French level in terms of proficiency, rather than grammar, and make a list of situations and experiences you'd like to be able to handle.

6.  For compositions that you will write, be sure you have MS Word installed on your computer.  Send me your compositions as attached files in Word to dstephens@ncsu.edu.  Double-space, with correct accents, keep it fairly short, and stick to what you know you can say correctly.  Use another French text as a template, a model. Start modestly and then get more sophisticated gradually.  These compositions will be returned to you via email with footnote suggestions on how to improve them.  Then you revise, rework, rewrite, and send again. We do this several times for each composition. This process of revision is how you learn to write in French.

Grading

You will be graded on how much you improve.  If you improve a lot, i.e., learn a lot, you will receive a high grade. How much you improve depends mostly on choosing to be actively involved, choosing to pursue the assignments actively, choosing to perform in class, especially in Show and Tell.  Performance in class is graded.  I figure 30 minutes per day, times 7 days, will net a C, 45 minutes a B, and one hour a day, times 7, an A.  Keep a notebook of grammatical structures.  In general, outside preparation, class participation, Show and Tell, and quizzes account for a third of the grade; the three modular exams (mid-terms) a third; and the final a third.   The mid-term and final will be an opportunity for you to write about the subjects that you've worked on and demonstrate that you've learned new structures and vocabulary.  Your compositions from the beginning of the semester and the end will be compared to see the progress you've made.

Attendance

You will be expected to come to every class.  Absences other than excused absences for illness will detract from the Participation third of the grade.  Excessive absences and failure to prepare for class can result in an F.  See Drop policy for non-attendance above.

Tutors
Tutors are available on a first-come, first-served basis through the Undergraduate Tutorial Center, 147 Leazar Hall, 515-3163.

Students with disabilities
For all students currently registered with the Office of Disability Services for Students (DSS), an accommodation letter will be sent to the instructor. This letter verifies that appropriate documentation is on file and that the student has a substantiated disability requiring effective reasonable accommodations.  Any student requesting accommodations for whom a letter has not been written must see a DSS service provider in Suite 1900, Student Health Center. Students with disabilities, for whom a letter of accommodation has been sent from the DSS Office to the instructor, should schedule an appointment with the instructor immediately.

DSS information can be found on their Web site at:
http://www.ncsu.edu/provost/offices/affirm_action/dss
http://www.ncsu.edu/dss/
or call the office directily at 515-7653.

How to prepare:

Here is how preparation, participation, and performance should take place in the course:

1.  The student reads the pages in the text carefully, looks up words she doesn't know, analyzes structures, and translates.  In particular, she identifies the grammatical structures for which she is responsible. (Note that 'text' here means whatever sample of French we are working on, a quotation, a paragraph, a story, a movie, etc.)
        Hint: Bookmark the syllabus and go to it every day to see what you are responsible for.  Do a little work each day.  Making mental pathways works better a little each day, rather than once in a block.

2.  The student practices the structures and learns how they work.  She imagines the grammatical structures in a real situation and practices the real French performance until much of it is acquired and can be reproduced in class.  It is absolutely essential that all students do this preparation for each class and they will be graded on the quality of their preparation.
        Hint: Learn the grammar first--the structures--then try to apply them to real situations.  Keep a notebook of grammatical structures and examples.  It's not just repeating; you have to think, too.  There is an underlying structure to language, an algebra, a pattern, and recognizing it will cause the parts and the whole to make sense.  Practice writing sentences using the new structures you learn.

3.  She comes to class ready to practice and perform with the structures she has learned.
        Hint: Come to class knowing what we're working on and ready to practice and participate.  Have a contribution to make to each class (Show and Tell, see below).  This is your responsibility.

4. She works outside class with classmates on using the structures.
        Hint: Know your classmates, have their email addresses in an email address book and phone numbers, get together with them to practice, participate in email discussions, and make regular meetings to prepare presentations.  A little forethought and some preparation will make a great show and tell presentation.

5. She has a goal in mind of gradually beginning to be able to produce an entire page of written French and an entire minute of spoken French.
        Hint: This takes place slowly, by baby-steps, but if the tiny steps are not taken, the big ones will not ever happen. You have to start by producing a single sentence at a time, and then more, and then more.  You have to discipline yourself to do this step-by-step work every day.

6.  She keeps a notebook of everything that happens in class, with all the structures and vocabulary, all the quizzes and assignments, and review the notebook regularly, especially the evening after class.
        Hint:  Learning a foreign language is not mysterious; it requires repetition and review, in addition to organization.  Simply sitting in class and listening will most definitely not do it.

7.  She consults with me regularly and has at least one scheduled conference during the semester.
      Hint:  Don't suffer in silence when help is so close by.
 

Show and Tell

Show and Tell (Démontrer et raconter) means just what it did in Kindergarten.  You bring something to class, show it, tell what it is, tell a story about it, tell what it means, tell why it's important.  In human intellectual evolution, there is a progression from the concrete to the abstract.  Since our knowledge of French is at the Kindergarten stage, it's natural to begin with physical objects. You can begin with physical things that are important to you, for example, a photo of your boyfriend, girlfriend, dog, cat, motorcycle, family.  Talk about the people, describe them and their personalities, tell what's dear about each. Tell a story about one of them. Later, as your skills become more sophisticated, you can bring something abstract to class, in your head, for example, a poem, a thought, an impression, a feeling, a memory, an anecdote, a joke, an event you witnessed, a revelation.  The main thing is that it be something that you chose, that you collected, that you decided was of importance, and that you share it with the others. 
It comes from you, not from me or the other class members, and you tell why it's important to you.   Competence in a foreign language is passive: you reproduce what is important to others; performance is producing your version of the world.  This is our eventual goal : your new perception of the world in the French conceptual framework. Your initiative to participate in this activity will bring both performance proficiency in the language and a high grade in the course.