Welcome to French 120!

Welcome to French 120!

SPRING 2009
Instructor:________________________
Email:_______________________
Office Hours: _________________
Phone:_______________________

REQUIRED BOOK: Deux Mondes, 5th edition (text, electronic workbook)

GOALS: The goal of this course is to help you develop listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills
in French in a low stress, dynamic classroom. Lessons are conducted entirely in French in order to
immerse you in the language. A further goal of the course is to increase your awareness of Francophone
cultures as well as your own. A typical lesson will consist of comprehensible teacher presentations (using
pictures, props, story telling, poetry, etc.), question and answer interactions, grammatical explanations, and
communicative activities, often done in pairs or small groups.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS:

Relax and enjoy the progress you make everyday. Listen closely in the French-only classroom, but try not
to worry if you do not understand every word or if other students seem more advanced. In a first year
classroom, there are students of all backgrounds but the curriculum allows maximum success for all
students if the following suggestions are followed:

1.DAILY ATTENDANCE : To succeed in a language classroom you must be present every day. If
you miss class, you will fall rapidly behind. For this reason, we offer you grade credit for class attendance
and participation. Grades for attendance are as follows:
100 (0 absences), 99 (1 absence); 97 (2 absences); 95 (3 absences.); 92 (4); 89 (5); 86 (6); 83 (7), 80 (8); 77
(9) etc. Only serious illness or emergencies (with verification) will be excused. Lack of attendance will
also negatively influence your participation grade.

2. PARTICIPATION: Participate with enthusiasm and speak only French. This effort will help
you make rapid progress in the acquisition of new language skills. You grade will be based on quantity as
well as quality of participation.

3. HOMEWORK: Study and do assignments daily for maximal success. Read book explanations
and study class notes before doing written homework or electronic workbook assignments. This will save
time and effort. To get credit for your work, ALL electronic exercises must be completed before the quiz
date for each chapter. Although you may do (or repeat) electronic exercises at any time (for practice and
learning), no credit will be given for exercises completed after the due date (quiz date or midterm date).
WRITTEN HOMEWORK MUST ALSO BE TURNED IN ON TIME. No late homework will be accepted
for credit.
Compositions: Please note that all composition assignments are part of your syllabus. Students are
responsible for remembering composition due dates.

4. LANGUAGE CENTER: resources: First and second year foreign language students have
priority use of the Language Center.
A. Free tutorial sessions in conversation, grammar, language drills are available 4-6
hours weekly in conversation lab room THH 312 in the Language Center. Teachers may
occasionally assign lab attendance as homework. Otherwise, these sessions are optional but strongly
recommended. You may attend several sessions weekly, if desired. (Schedule to be announced by
instructor).
B. Multimedia:
 There is an excellent web site available to accompany Deux Mondes at
www.mhhe.com/deuxmondes5. Or explore the web with sites suggested in your book “Cliquez
là!”

There is also an excellent Deux Mondes CD-ROM . This and other level-appropriate CD-
ROMS are available in the Language Center. Some favorites include: Ecoutez bien, Astérix, or
Le musée D'Orsay.

If you are interested in French film, visit www.usc.edu/go/language for a list of available full-
length French films for viewing in the Language Center. There is also a French film club with
subtitled French films shown several times a semester in the Language Center Lounge (see
schedule.)

Amusing and level-appropriate videos include a series of 52 "French in Action" cassettes, telling
the story of Mireille and Robert. Ask for them at the front desk.

C. Listening practice: Listening exercises are interspersed with written ones in your electronic
workbook. We suggest that you spend extra time listening to and practicing these Deux Mondes
exercises in order to consolidate and reinforce learning in the classroom.

5. TESTS AND QUIZZES: Prepare well for quizzes and tests through daily attendance, study, homework,
lab work, and practice. You must take all tests on the scheduled day. No make-up exams except in the
case of serious illness or emergency with documentation. (See details in French Language Make-up
Policy Statement.)

6. PRACTICE. Learning a foreign language requires daily study and practice. Read out loud, think and
speak French whenever possible and visit the Language Center often to practice your skills.

7. STUDY ABROAD. Consider STUDYING French in France or another francophone country! Ask
your instructor about USC's 4-week summer program in Dijon, France or our semester and year
programs in Paris.

GRADES : French 120:

Participation (quantity and quality) 10%
Class grade (attendance, homework, compositions) 15%
Quizzes 20%
Midterm (2) 20%
Oral final exam 10%
Written final exam 25%

GRADING SCALE:
93 A 77-79 C+ 60-62 D-
90-92 A- 73-76 C 59 & under F
87-89 B+ 70-72 C-
83-86 B 67-69 D+
80-82 B- 63-67 D
 Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with
Disability Services and Programs each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can
be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to the instructor as early in the semester as
possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30am—5:00pm, Monday through Friday. The phone
number for DSP is (213) 740-0776.

University of Southern California

Department of French & Italian
French 120 – FALL 2008

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REQUIRED TEXT: DeuxMondes, 5th edition (textbook/electronic workbook)
French Conversation Lab (tutoring, conversation): THH 312
Deux Mondes web site: www.mhhe.com/deuxmondes5
Pause café (French Table): every Tuesday at noon: THH 170
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Week 1 AUGUST
25 Introduction: 1/ method (target language only, inductive, communicative: comprehensible input,
interaction, simple grammar explanation, communicative activities, group/partner work), 2/ details of
course (see "Welcome to..." & syllabus),3/ book (number/themes of chapters, organization, blue pages
with grammar explanations in English, white pages, vocabulary section, appendices, answer key, la
famille Colin, cahier électronique, etc.
26
27
28 ORIENTATION LANGUAGE CENTER: 3rd FLOOR TAPER HALL 1.) Lounge (Film Club,
magazines, videos, TV5), 2.) Conversation lab tutorials: conversation practice, grammar explanations,
pronunciation, drills, etc.-- tutoring in English or French (THH 312). 3.) Computers: web activities,
CDs, electronic workbook, etc.
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Week 2 SEPTEMBER
1 CONGE (HOLIDAY)
2
3
4
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Semaine 3
8
9
10
11
12 last day to register/ add classes or drop class without « W », register P/NP
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Semaine 4
15 QUIZ #I (1ère & 2ème étapes)
16 CHPT 1 "MA FAMILLE ET MOI"
***COMPOSITION #1 (for Monday (lundi), September 22) : Décrivez 2 personnes dans une photo de
votre choix (une page écrite à la main (hand written), 1/2 page tapée (typed) Bring a picture of someone
in your family tomorrow.
17
18
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Semaine 5
22
23
24 QUIZ #2
***COMPOSITION #2: (for lundi (Monday), September 29) Description de votre meilleur(e) ami(e) et
sa famille. Qu'est-ce qu'ils aiment faire?
25
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Semaine 6 OCTOBRE
29 Review
30 MIDTERM #1 (1ère & 2ème étapes & chpt 1)
1 CHPT 2 "LA VIE QUOTIDIENNE ET LES LOISIRS"
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Semaine 7
6 ***COMPOSITION #3 (for Monday (lundi), October 13) Que faites-vous d'habitude le samedi?
Parlez de vos habitudes personnelles. (See chpt 2: cahier d'exercices for ideas.)
7
8
9
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Semaine 8
13
14 QUIZ #3
***COMPOSITION #4: (pour le lundi 20 octobre) Qu'est-ce que vous allez faire le week-end
prochain? (projets de week-end/achats)
15.
16
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Semaine 9
20
21
22 QUIZ #4
23
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Semaine 10
27
28 Review
29 MIDTERM# 2 (chpt 2 &3)
30 Begin CHPT 4 "LA MAISON ET LE QUARTIER"
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Semaine 11 NOVEMBRE
3
4 ***COMPOSITION #5 : (pour le lundi 10 novembre) Décrivez votre logement à USC et le
logement de votre famille.
5
6
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Semaine 12
10
11
12 QUIZ #5
13 Déjeuner du matin” de Prévert p. 175
*** COMPOSITION #6 (pour le mardi 17 novembre) Ecrivez un poème comme "Déjeuner du
matin".
14 LAST DAY TO DROP WITH "W"
Semaine 13
17 CHPT 5 "DANS LE PASSE"
 18
19
20.
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Semaine 14
24
***COMPOSITION #7 – optional(replacement composition) - (pour le lundi 1 décembre) : Racontez
un petit incident drôle, intéressant ou tragique de votre vie.
25 QUIZ #6
26
27 THANKSGIVING
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Semaine 15 DECEMBRE
1 poèmes des etudiants & révision (examen oral)
2 examen oral
3 examen oral
4 REVISION
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FINAL EXAM : LE MERCREDI 10 DECEMBRE (14h à 16h)

Wednesday, Decembre 10, 2:00pm--4:00pm, ROOM TBA
NO EXCEPTIONS