Department of Romance Languages and Literatures

910 Clemens Hall

Buffalo, NY 14260-4620

French 152 Intermediate French II

Course Coordinator: Dr. Jeannette Ludwig, 935 Clemens Hall Tel. 645-0877 jmludwig@buffalo.edu

Course description: Continuing study of the language, including brief review of basic elements and the introduction and practice of more precise linguistic features. Students further their listening and speaking skills through in-class activities, as well as independent work with language tapes. The course also seeks to develop students' reading and writing skills through the use of literary and cultural texts. LEC

FR 152 prerequisite: FR 151 or equivalent

Course objectives: The second semester of Intermediate French will enhance your ability to use the language, both orally and in writing. Grammatically the course focuses primarily on nuancing verbs through use of participles and subjunctive. Connecting sentences through relative pronouns is also included. Readings and discussion will deepen your understanding of the French-speaking world. At the end of this course you should be able to satisfy routine social demands and carry on face-to-face conversations and write clearly on fairly sophisticated matters. You will also be able to read and comprehend short passages of literary prose, summarizing or commenting briefly on their contents in writing. A fundamental goal of the course is use of the language, through exercises and discussion in class, and occasional writing assignments. You are responsible for all the material assigned in the course schedule (see below), whether or not it is practiced in class.

Placement Policies:

• Native speakers of a foreign language are not allowed in introductory or intermediate courses if they were schooled in a country in which the language of instruction was the language in question.
• Heritage speakers of the language (those with home knowledge of the language) must see language coordinator for proper placement.
• Students who have completed coursework in French, Italian or Spanish either at UB or another college will not be allowed to register in a proficiency level lower than that already completed.
• Students repeating a course in which a failing grade was received must do so prior to registering in a higher-level course.
• Students with special circumstances or who have been away from the language for some time must contact the language coordinator for adequate placement.
• WARNING:  The department will unregister (drop) students who attempt to take courses for which they are ineligible or over-prepared.

Textbooks: Baker, Bleuzé, et al. Collage series (5th ed) McGraw Hill. Révision de Grammaire, Lectures Littéraires, Cahier d'Exercices.

Workload: This course is 3 credits. Students can expect to spend an average of 4 hours per week outside of class time. For French 152 work includes revision of selected chapters from Collage: Révision de Grammaire and most of Collage: Lectures littéraires. The course focuses on building vocabulary, to permit you to interact with and tell about the world around you.

Course Requirements: You are responsible for all material assigned on the Course Outline, whether or not it is practiced in class. Students must attend class regularly, and participate fully in all class activities, both oral and written. Laboratory and homework assignments prepared outside of class constitute an integral part of the coursework. At least one hour a week with the audio component of the workbook is indispensable.

Grading Procedures:

Intermediate French is a concrete, performance-oriented course, for which accuracy and mastery are essential. In general the following scale will apply:

100%-90%=A, 89%-80%=B, 79%-65%=C, 65%-50%=D

However, the difficulty of the exam and the relative preparedness of the students may necessitate deviation from these cutoffs. Pluses and minuses are taken into account when averaging students' grades.

The final grade is calculated as follows: The total average of the two individual grades will begin to determine your grade, i.e. the average grade (not percentage) of the quizzes (25%), the average grade (not percentage) of the three hourly exams (50%). Fully 25% of the grade is at the discretion of the instructor. It reflects attendance, assignments, and class participation.

Quizzes are written and corrected by the instructor for each section. The hourly and final are written and graded on a course-wide basis. Make-ups are at the discretion of the instructor. The hourlies are announced well in advance, so only the most compelling reasons--stated in advance--should necessitate a makeup.

Incomplete: Typically, incompletes are not given, except in cases of a well-documented medical condition.

Plagiarism: Academic dishonesty will result in a grade of F and disciplinary actions by the university. Examples of academic dishonesty are: copying the work from the Internet or a book, having a friend/relative write the work for you, copying during an exam or quiz, using an electronic word by word translator.

Students with disabilities: Students who require special accommodations because of a diagnosed disability should bring relevant documentation to their instructors as soon as possible. The instructor in conjunction with the course coordinator will oversee arrangements with assistance from the Office of Disabilities.

Course Outline: The following is a SAMPLE course outline. Students who register for this course will receive an updated course outline through UBLearns (Blackboard).