This course will enable students to:
 
LO 1 Know and understand the structures of the French language and key aspects of French culture
LO 2 Be capable of responding to, giving opinions about, analysing and evaluating situations and ideas using the French language
LO 3 Be able to locate materials, including primary and secondary sources, in order to acquire knowledge of the French language and culture
LO 4 Work independently and in collaboration with others, in a timely manner, to present and communicate ideas and develop cogent and coherent arguments.
LO 5 Use digital technologies and software programmes for accessing material in French and producing texts in French
LO 6 Become a self-reflective and self-directed learner, in order to sustain the effort of learning French over time
LO 7 Be aware of social and cultural issues in French speaking contexts and appreciate their wider impact.

There are no textbooks for this course.
Students must bring their own earphones or headsets to Language Laboratory classes.

 Dictionaries
· For paper dictionaries, the bilingual Collins-Robert French-English English-French Dictionary is suitable because of the large number of explanations and examples it provides.
· For on-line dictionaries, the Lexilogos webpage contains conventional French-French and French-English dictionaries, as well as a dictionary of slang, synonyms and antonyms, figurative expressions, spelling, conjugations and varieties of French throughout the Francophone world. The urls are
French-French: http://www.lexilogos.com/francais_langue_dictionnaires.htm
French-English: http://www.lexilogos.com/anglais_langue_dictionnaires.htm


Grammar Reference books (available for loan from the Barr-Smith Library)
· Glanville Price, A Comprehensive French Grammar, Oxford, Blackwell Publishers, 6th edition, contains complete explanations in English on all points of French grammar.
· Roger Hawkins and Richard Towell, French Grammar and Usage, Arnold.
· For a concise reference grammar, see H. Ferrar, A French Reference Grammar, Oxford University Press, 1967.
· Students at this level sometimes need to revise basic structures such as verb conjugations. You are advised to do this as early in the year as possible. A well-known revision book is Mary Coffman Crocker, Schaum’s Outlines: French Grammar, New York, McGraw Hill, 1999.

The course requires students to consult the MyUni webpage on a regular basis. All of the course material is grouped in weekly folders. Students are expected to study the grammar notes and complete the exercises in advance of the grammar class. Students are also advised to view the oral worksheets in advance of the oral class as well as the vocabulary lists, which must be learned.

The course has three types of classes.
Written Workshop or Seminar. Students learn a complete grammar syllabus using grammar notes posted on MyUni. The documents can be found in the Weekly folders. Because of the large amount of grammar covered in this course, it will not be possible to explain the rules systematically, point by point; in the limited time we have in the grammar class. Rather, students are expected to learn the grammar notes and attempt the exercises prior to attending class, leaving valuable class time for reviewing some of the more difficult points or questions raised by students. In the Weekly folders on MyUni, students will also find vocabulary sheets that they must learn.
Oral Tutorial. The focus is on student participation in discussion. Discussion topics are drawn principally from newspaper and magazine websites. Students will be expected to participate actively in group and class discussion. In semester 1, students will each do a 5 minute oral presentation, without reading from their notes, on the topic: “parlez à la classe d’une activité ou d’un sujet qui vous passionne”. Students can sign up for their presentation at the start of the semester.
Language laboratory class. Students view videos on general topics in order to improve listening skills. Please note that the Faculty does not provide headsets -- students must bring along their own earphones or headsets to the Language Laboratory.

3 hours of classes per week	36 hours per semester
6 hours preparation/assignment work per week	72 hours per semester
3 hours reading per week	36hours per semester
TOTAL WORKLOAD	144 hours per semester

See detailed course outline for enrolled students - on MyUni prior to the commencement of the course.

It is a requirement of the course that students attend all classes, whether they are lectures, tutorials, or Language Laboratory sessions. All class-based tasks, whether they be formally assessed or not, must be completed. Exemption from attendance in any given week may be granted by tutors or the course coordinator only for medical reasons or for documented cases of personal hardship. The onus is on students to contact their tutor or the course coordinator, preferably in advance, to explain their absence and to make arrangements to catch up on missed work. If this is not done, it will be assumed that the students concerned are no longer in the course.

Hurdle requirements
Students who do not meet the following requirements will be awarded a grade of Fail for the course:
- a minimum of 80% attendance in seminars, tutorials, workshops and lab classes (considered individually);
- completion of all tasks worth 10% or more;
- a minimum of 40% result in the end of semester written examination.

NB Students who miss a significant in-class test (worth 5% or more of the final grade) on medical or compassionate grounds will be able to re-sit the missed test(s) in Week 13, provided that the appropriate documentation is supplied. The course coordinator will advise students in Week 12 of the date and time of the Week 13 catch-up tests. Tests worth less than 5% will not be redeemable.

Assessment Task	Task Type	Weighting	Learning Outcome
Oral presentation	Formative and Summative	5%	1, 2, 4
First language laboratory test	Summative	5%	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7
Lab project in small groups	Formative and Summative	15%	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Second language laboratory listening test	Summative	10%	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7
350 word composition assignment	Formative and Summative	10%	1, 2, 3, 4, 7
Composition test	Summative	10%	1, 2, 4, 7
2 x grammar tests	Summative	20%	1, 3, 6
Final written test	Summative	25%	1, 2, 4, 6

The composition assignment is due by midday on the Friday of week 6. It must be submitted via the Homework box adjacent to the office of the School of Humanities (level 7 Napier). The Composition TEST will be held in the Language Laboratory in Week 12. For Grammar test weeks (5 & 9), the normal grammar class will be devoted to revision, and the TEST will be done during the oral class later in the week. The participation mark will reflect attendance, preparation for class and active participation in general discussion in oral class.

Presentation of Work
The composition assignment is to be submitted in paper copy via the Assignment Box, School of Humanities office, level 7, Napier Building. For this assignment, attach a signed cover sheet, and indicate the name of the staff member for whom it is intended. It should be written on alternate lines (double spaced, if typed, and in a font size no less than 12), for greater clarity and to allow room for correction.

Deadlines
Assignments handed in after the due date will be penalized at the rate of 5% of the total mark per day, up to a maximum of 5 working days, after which they will not be accepted at all. These penalties will not apply, however, if an extension has been granted before the due date. Extensions will only be granted on medical grounds (medical certificate required) or in documented cases of hardship. Assignments will not be accepted for marking after the corrected work has been returned to students.

STUDENTS MUST HAND IN THEIR COMPOSITION ASSIGNMENT AT THE SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES OFFICE (LEVEL 7, NAPIER BUILDING), BEFORE MIDDAY OF WEEK 6, WHERE IT WILL HAVE THE DATE OF SUBMISSION STAMPED ON IT.

Marked work will generally be returned to students one or two weeks following submission.

Redemption
Given the frequency of assignments and their nature, it is not possible for students to redo and resubmit the piece of work in which their performance was unsatisfactory. This can also cause them to get behind, rather than move on to the next set of exercises and devoting their energies to mastering them.