FREN 2211 - French IISA: Language

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2016

The course information on this page is being finalised for 2016. Please check again before classes commence.

Language training in spoken and written French builds on the skills and knowledge acquired in first year. The course will include grammar exercises, written expression, oral expression, reading comprehension, audio-visual tasks and translation.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code FREN 2211
    Course French IISA: Language
    Coordinating Unit French Studies
    Term Semester 1
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 3 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Prerequisites FREN 1012
    Incompatible FREN 1003 or FREN 2011
    Course Description Language training in spoken and written French builds on the skills and knowledge acquired in first year. The course will include grammar exercises, written expression, oral expression, reading comprehension, audio-visual tasks and translation.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Peter Poiana

    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    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.
    University Graduate Attributes

    No information currently available.

  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    There are no textbooks for this course.
    Students must bring their own headsets with microphones to all Language Laboratory classes.
    Recommended Resources

     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.

    Online Learning

    The course requires students to consult the MyUni webpage on a regular basis. All of the course materials are grouped in weekly folders. Students are expected to download the grammar notes, read them and complete the exercises in advance of the grammar class. Students will find the oral worksheets in the weekly folders, as well as the vocabulary lists, which must be learned. Students will use MyUni also in the Language Laboratory, particularly the Voice Board and Voice Presentation software.

  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes

    The course is designed to bring students, when they reach the end of IISB Language, to the levels of competency of B2 in the DELF programme. At this level, language learners become independent, are able to maintain interaction, can develop arguments to defend a point of view, are at ease with different levels of social discourse, and are capable of correcting their errors. For more information on levels of competency defined by this framework, see the website http://www.calosa.com/delfdalf/b2/b2.htm

    The key to success in language courses is energy, efficiency and creativity. Students are encouraged to put these essential language learning attributes into practice right from the beginning of the year.

    There are three contact hours per week. Written class, usually on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. Students learn a complete grammar syllabus using the 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 discussing questions raised by students. For this reason it is vital that students quickly acquire the habit of printing or downloading the notes and bringing them to the grammar class. In the Weekly folders, students will also find vocabulary lists that must be learned.
    Oral class, usually on Thursdays or Fridays. 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 do a 5 minute oral presentation 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. In semester 2, there will be an oral exam in week 13. The participation mark for the oral class is based on attendance, preparation, preparedness to listen to others and contribute to class discussion on the topics set for the class.
    Language laboratory class. Students listen to recorded dialogues, video reports and French radio podcasts in order to improve their listening skills. For speaking practice in the lab, students record short speeches in French using the Blackboard Collaborate Voice Tools software. Work done in the Language Laboratory will be checked by the tutor. Please note that the Faculty does not provide headsets -- students must bring along their own headsets with microphones to the Language Laboratory. From weeks 5 to 8 in both semesters, students will prepare and present a group project on a theme related to French Culture, Society or Politics, and will submit their work electronically during the Lab class in week 8.

    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    3 hours of classes per week 36 hours per semester
    6 hours preparation of grammar notes/oral expression per week 72 hours per semester
    3 hours revision and assignment preparation per week 36hours per semester
    TOTAL WORKLOAD 144 hours per semester
    Learning Activities Summary
    Week Commencing 

    1 March 2
    2 March 9 (Mon Pub Hol) Oral Pres begin
    3 March 16
    4 March 23 Lab TEST 1
    5 March 30 (Fri Pub. Hol) Gr TEST 1 No IISA Oral class
    6 April 6 (Mon Pub. Hol) Rédaction Assign.
    ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
    TWO WEEK BREAK
    ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
    7 April 27
    8 May 4  Lab PROJECT
    9 May 11 Gr TEST 2
    10 May 18
    11 May 25 Lab TEST 2
    12 June 1 Rédaction TEST Oral Pres end
    13 June 8 Catch-up tests (if required)
    ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
    EXAMINATION PERIOD AND MID-YEAR BREAK
    ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
    Specific Course Requirements

     It is a requirement of the course that students attend all classes. Exemption from attendance may be given by lecturers or tutors only for medical reasons or for documented cases of personal hardship. If students miss two classes without providing a satisfactory explanation (on medical or compassionate grounds), the course coordinator will ask them to explain why they should not be excluded from the course. In all cases, the onus is on students to contact their tutor or lecturer, 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 Requirement: students who do not meet the following requirements will be awarded a grade of Fail for the course:
    · A minimum of 40% result in the end of semester written exam

    Small Group Discovery Experience
    From weeks 5 to 8 in both semesters, students will prepare and present a group project on a theme related to French Culture, Society or Politics, and will submit their work electronically during the Lab class in week 8.
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment Task Task Type Weighting Learning Outcome
    Oral presentation Formative 5% 1, 2, 4
    Participation Summative 10% 1, 2, 4
    2 x language lab tests Summative 10% 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7
    Language Lab Group project. Written and oral submission on Voice Board (wks 5-8) Summative 10% 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7
    300 word composition assignment Formative 5% 1, 2, 3, 4, 7
    Composition test Summative 10% 1, 2, 4, 7
    2 x grammar tests Summative 20% 1, 3, 6
    Written exam Summative 30% 1, 2, 4, 6
    Assessment Related Requirements
    Students who are absent for a test will be eligible to do a replacement test only if they provide a medical certificate or documented evidence of circumstances of a compassionate nature.
    Assessment Detail

    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.

    Submission

    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.

    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

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