FRENCH 7 Syllabus - Fall 2008 French Reading Proficiency The online course taught by Prof Suter.

CSUS - Fall, Spring, & Summer - 3 units

This course is taught by professors in Foreign Language and is delivered
in the standard on-campus section format, as well as this Online section format.

Catalog Description High intermediate to advanced level competency in reading French. Understand main ideas and facts in description and narration of new items, personal correspondence, technical material written for general readers, simple short stories; follow essential points in ideas of special interest or knowledge. Attain recognition vocabulary of 2400-4500 words. Demonstrate general comprehension of a text; answer content questions in English. Note: Meets the Foreign Language Graduation Proficiency Requirement, with a C- grade or better. Prerequisite: FREN 001B or instructor permission, and online placement test score of 70% or better. A standard on-campus section of the course which meets 3 hours a week on campus will be offered, as well as a fully Online section which meets 1 hour a month on campus for on-campus testing. Homework will require up to 6 hours a week of study for either course. Testing will be the same or similar for both sections and will take place on-campus. THIS SYLLABUS IS FOR THE ONLINE SECTION. Prerequisite Students should have completed either 1-2 semesters of college French and/or 3+ years of high school French, or have permission by the instructor, prior to enrolling in this course. Students will need to take the placement test prior to class, to see if they have the pre-requisite knowledge. This is a self-administered online assessment for students' convenience, in the SacCT (WebCT) environment, which can be taken anytime prior to the class start.  It requires the login ID of "wctguest" and password of "guest".  The test is a short reading after which you identify sentence structures and test your comprehension by answering questions in English.  Include your name at the end of the test.  If you pass (70% or better), send an e-mail to the instructor prior to the start of class. French 7 is NOT a course for students who have weak French vocabulary and/or cannot remember much French. It is a course designed for those who feel they have a strength in reading & comprehending written French, compared to writing/speaking French.  It is an excellent course for those wishing to continue their French skills, or to develop reading skills for examination purposes (i.e., job requirements or PhD language proficiency goals).  If the Placement Test (above) is too difficult, this is not the right course for you. Student Learning Outcomes Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: Demonstrate that they are able to understand authentic language readings with 70% or better comprehension, using complex strategies and techniques to determine accurate sentence structure, focusing mainly on the present, future, conditional and past tenses within the cultural context. Demonstrate that they are able to read highly accurate frequently used structures using vocabulary that is culturally appropriate. Demonstrate that they are able to think critically and analyze linguistic structures by manipulating the language through reading culturally authentic texts. Demonstrate that they are able to reflect and evaluate cross-cultural differences through the cultural context of the language by way of internet searches and/or current publications in the French language, and exploration of the perspectives, products and practices of the culture. Course Description This is a 16-week course, which will train students to read French at an intermediate level of competency. (Summer session weeks are adjusted.) Through gradual presentation and recognition of French grammar forms, sentence structure and vocabulary during the semester, students will be able to: Understand main ideas and facts in descriptive and narrative articles, such as news items, personal correspondence, technical and scientific materials written for general readers, and simple short stories. Attain recognition vocabulary of 2500-4500 words Demonstrate general comprehension of text written in French, and be able to answer content questions in English. Reflect on cultural differences and similarities in the context of the materials that they have read. Course Objectives This course provides the student with training to acquire the ability to understand written, contemporary French at an intermediate level of competency. Proficiency in reading comprehension is attained by a systematic, programmed approach which will enable the student to recognize the meanings of fundamental French grammar forms, attain a recognition vocabulary of up to 1500 French words plus cognates, recognize the sentence structure in French, and develop a number of techniques to read a foreign language. Translation is only used to establish and verify the meaning contained in words and phrases in French.  The goal for this course is to read current French magazine articles or publications with 70% comprehension rate, or better. Textbook No purchased textbook is required for this course. A French-English dictionary of any type may be useful. Format and Method The class meeting sessions are presented online, rather than in person on campus. These materials prepare students to take progressively more difficult reading proficiency practice tests and actual midterm & final tests. The online materials will have a grammar presentation, then reading practice format and will include: Comparative French & English explanation of grammar points Practice exercises for recognition of the grammar, new vocabulary, and review of grammar and vocabulary from previous lessons Development of better understanding of English and French grammatical terminology and concepts to increase reading comprehension skills in French A programmed approach to testing, with readings becoming progressively more difficult Use of authentic text materials to appreciate historical, geographical, literary and contemporary issues in a cultural context The ACTUAL class meetings (every 4th week) will be for taking paper/pencil tests in-person, on-campus. Weekly Outline The 16 weekly modules will be based on grammar concepts as follows (this is being updated): Module 1: Module 2: Module 3: Module 4: Test #1 Module 5: Module 6: Module 7: Module 8: Test #2 Module 9: Module 10: Module 11: Module 12: Test #3 Module 13: Module 14: Module 15: Module 16: Test #4 Testing The tests will consist of recognizing sentence structures, doing reading(s) in French, and answering questions in English about the content and meaning of the reading(s). Explanation of ONLINE Section 1 of French 7 is Online. This means students are to complete class hours AND homework at their own convenience and on their own schedule; they will be sitting at a computer to "attend" class at their convenience, AND the homework needs to be submitted electronically by the weekly DUE DATE. Assignments consist of reading the grammar explanations, AND completing the online exercises which are on SacCT. This program (which stands for Sac Course Tools) is for online courses and allows the instructor to place course materials on the Web for enrolled students. To be successful in any online course, students must have good time management skills. Students are on their own for managing their coursework, per the materials given online. Failure to log into the class means failure to "attend" class !  Technology Requirements All students will need to have a current Saclink account (free computer account for enrolled students) to access the course materials in a program called "SacCT". Students will need to access the Internet fairly easily and efficiently to do the online assignments. If their connection from off-campus to the Internet is slow or unreliable, or if students have an older, low-speed, low-memory computer, it is recommended that online assignments be done in campus labs where the computers are newer and the connection to the Web is quite fast. Students should not become frustrated with the technology if taking an online class. Please contact the instructor with any concerns. During the first week of class at the first class meeting, an technical orientation will be given. Homework Each week, students will learn/review grammar concepts, do some memorization of new vocabulary, and do a variety of exercises, drills, games and slide shows which all reinforce the week's unit. Exercises can be repeated an unlimited number of times, to improve exercise grades. The goal is to be able to read French. One hundred percent (100%) online participation is required for this course, with no exceptions. This means that you must do ALL the exercises, every week, with a passing grade of 70% or better, throughout the semester. If you do not do the exercises, you will not be prepared for the midterms ! If you do not do the exercises, you will fail the course on the basis of inadequate participation. Online exercises will no longer be available to do after the Midterm which covers those exercises. TESTS are on paper with pen/pencil, on campus, in the classroom, and require a picture ID card.  THERE WILL BE NO MAKE-UP TESTS. (Make-up tests can be arranged in advance, however.) In other words, do your homework on time every week, ask questions, attend electronic office hours, and don't miss your Midterms !!! Grades A standard 100 points base (90-100=A, 80-89=B, 70-79=C) grading scale is used. The final grade will be based on the total of homework points, and 4 tests (one exam every 4 weeks). Make note that an Incomplete will be given to students who do not attend class electronically, do not do assignments electronically and do not take tests, only if a written completion contract is signed by both student and instructor. An Unofficial drop (a "U" grade which turns into an "F") will be given to students who do not attend class electronically, do not do assignments electronically and do not take tests. In particular, students who do not do the first 3 weeks of online assignments will not be able to take the first Midterm. Students who have not done the first 3 weeks of online assignments nor taken the first Midterm in week 4 will be dropped administratively with a "U" grade. The final grade for the course will be based on the average of the homework weekly scores (1/5) averaged with the four midterm tests (4/5). Special Needs Every effort will be made by this instructor to accomodate students who have special needs. Please speak to the instructor in person.  Contact Information Voice Mail: 916-278-7417 Office in Mariposa Hall 2058 For current Office Hours, see Prof Suter's Web Page. (http://www.csus.edu/indiv/s/suterla) E-mail Address: suterla@csus.edu SacCT site for Course Mail, Group Mail, Homework and Online Exercises (SacCT login and password are given to enrolled students only): http://online.csus.edu Foreign Language Department Office: MRP 2051 at (916) 278-6333. Faculty Mailboxes are located in MRP 2053. Mailing address: CSUS Foreign Language Dept 6000 J Street Sacramento, CA 95819-6087 BACK to instructor's page. BACK to Foreign Language Page (French). Click here to look at the campus Class Schedule, or click the Browser "BACK" button to return to the previous page. This page updated: 31 July 2008