French 104 -- Course Outline -- Spring 2015

Texts: Contacts (9th Ed.) by Valette and Valette. 2009/2014. Houghton & Mifflin. This
includes accompanying materials.
Students are responsible for the material preceding the points indicated on the syllabus,
e.g. dialogues at the beginning of each chapter, Notes Culturelles, and
vocabulary.
Vocabulary boxes especially those at the beginning of each chapter -- are also
very important.
[ ] = students responsible for material, may not be covered in class
* = material which is quite important
Week of
26 jan

(Intro/p. 4-18) (p. 20-23, 28-29) (4A, B, E)

2 feb

(Ch 4 C, vocab 52, 55, 58) (5A*,B, [6A , B])

(Ch 6 C,D, p. 70, 72-3, 7A* [7B,C,D] Quiz)

9 feb

([7E], phontique p. 96, Ch 8 A,B,C, Ch 9B*)

(9 C*, D [9E], p. 125-6, Ch 10A)
(vocab. p. 138, 10 A [Ch 10 B,C] 10 D*,E, p. vocab 146 [11B,C])

16 feb

(vocab p. 150-1, [11 A,B, C] Ch 11 D, E) (12 A, B, C, Quiz) (13A*,

vocab p. 162 &164, B, C)

23 feb

(vocab p. 174 & 176, Ch 14A*,B,D [14C]) (14A,C,D)

(Ch15B*, D [15A, C, E], p. 226, 228)

2 mar

([Ch 16A], 16B, C, D, E, Quiz) (17 A, C, D [17B] [18A, B] 18C, p. 276

& 278) (19B [19A,C,D], 20 A, C, Rvision)

9 mar***

(HOURLY) (Go over hourly, 20 A,B*,C, D,E)

([21A] Ch 21 B*C*,E*)

16 mar

SPRING RE-CES-S

23 mar

(Rvision, Ch 22 A-F, phontique p.336) (Ch 23 A, B, C, D)

(Ch 23 D, Quiz)

30 mar

(24A,B [24 C]), phontique gnrale p, 386 & 388) (Ch 25 A, B, C*)
(26A, B*, [26 E], p. 436 & 8)

6 apr
13 apr***

(Ch 26, Monde francophone p. 230++) (Ch 27 A, B, Monde francophone

p.280++, Quiz) (27C, sant p. 436 & 438)
(Ch 27all, Rvision) (HOURLY) (Go over hourly, Ch 28A, B, C*)
Apr 17 = Last day to resign without academic penalty

20 apr

(Ch 28 phontique, [Ch 29 A] 29 B,*C, D) (Ch 29 D, E, Ch 30 A*,B)

(30 C, 30 phontique, 32 A, B; C)

27 apr

(Images du monde francophone p. 336++, Images du monde

francophone p. 390++, Quiz) (32 A, B, C, E) (33 A, B, C)

4 may***

(Ch 33 A, B, C, D, E) (Rvision) (HOURLY)

*** = Week of hourly exam.

No cuts without penalty to your grade. If you are enrolled after the last day to
withdraw, you will receive a real grade (not an "I") for the course. Incompletes are
not given, except for serious, documented medical conditions.
Classroom behavior
Students are expected to arrive to class on time.
Cell phones should be turned off and put away, as should electronic devices, including
computers, i-pods, video games, or other entertainments.
No food or gum may be consumed in class.
Arrangements should be made in advance a student must leave the class early.
Leaving and re-entering the room is not acceptable once the class has started.
Academic Honesty in Language Classes
Studying a second language presents a unique intellectual and academic challenge,
since worksheets and other in- or out-of-class assignments are intended to provide
students with the opportunity to practice and to produce content in a language other
than their native language. Thus all course-related activities -- from fill-in-the blank or
free answer exercises to research papers -- are considered to be learning products and
are presumed to be ones own work. In other words, the form of the work -- the second
language itself is as much a piece of the intellectual product as the answer(s), the
argument, or the substance of the work. Examples of unacceptable practices include:
Copying homework answers from another student
Use of commercial or machine translations
Downloading prose from websites in the second language
Translating prose from a source in English or another language
Having a more advanced peer or native speaker look over, correct, or otherwise
edit your prose written in the second language
Strategies that short-circuit or artificially enhance ones own use of the second language
constitute academic dishonesty and will be dealt with according to the procedures
outlined in the UB statement of academic integrity easily consulted on My UB.

French Language Courses -- French 104 Policies

Goals, Values, and Skills -- This one-semester sequence is designed for
students who have studied French in high school, who have taken the Regents exam,
and who need to quickly refresh their linguistic and communicative skills before starting
intermediate level study. Thus the material on this syllabus reflects the statewide
Regents syllabus for high school levels I-III. The first half of the course focuses on
material students have already studied in high school, including four basic verbs (tre,
avoir, faire and aller), the formation of the present and past tenses (pass compos and
imparfait), as well as adjective formation. The second half of the course focuses on
material, which may be slightly less familiar: the future and conditional tenses, relative
pronouns, and the subjunctive. The textbook, Contacts, also discusses the cultures of
the French-speaking world. All four language skills are used in French 104: listening,
speaking, reading, and writing in a cultural context. In functional terms, you will be able
to use appropriate greetings and farewells, ask simple questions about daily matters,
and respond correctly (both orally and in writing) to questions about your own life and
opinions, as well as those of others. You should be able to satisfy basic survival needs
and social courtesies. Specifically, in the first half you will re-learn to describe events
and people, and narrate events in the present and past. In the second half you will relearn to speculate about the future, relate sentence in more complex fashion, and write
brief, coherent, and correct paragraphs on simple topics. The material in French 104 is
more demanding as the semester progresses and will require sustained effort as the
semester progresses.
Academic Content -- You are responsible for material assigned on the "Course
Outline," whether or not it is practiced in class.
Course Requirements -- You 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. Note: At least
one hour a week with audio component of the text, spread out over two to three days, is
indispensable.
Grading -- Transitional French is a concrete, performance-oriented course, for
which accuracy and mastery are essential. In general, the following grading scale will
apply:
100%-90% = A
High distinction
89%-80% = B
Superior
79%-65% = C
Average
64%-55% = D
Minimum passing
below 55% = F
Failure
(These are the official grade descriptors for undergraduate courses. The
French Language Program takes them seriously.)
The difficulty of the exam and the relative preparedness of the students may
necessitate deviation from these cut-offs.

Pluses and minuses are taken into account when averaging students' grades.
Calculating the final grade -- The combined average of the two types of exams
-- quizzes and hourlies -- will begin to determine your grade, i.e. the average grade (not
percentage) of the quizzes (25%) and the average grade (not percentage) of the three
hourly exams (50%). Because French 104 requires active learning during class time,
fully 25% of the grade is at the discretion of the instructor, according to the following
criteria:
A = Excellent: handed in all homeworks on time, volunteered in class, answered
questions and performed activities correctly; serious effort, a leader.
B = Good: did most of the homework most of the time, usually on time, could
respond if called on, responded with relative ease and accuracy; a
generally able member of the class
C = Acceptable: handed in homeworks regularly, could respond with prodding,
occasional sometimes serious errors, may have needed help in written
or oral work
D = Fair: spotty completion of homeworks (or handed in to catch up in
batches), seldom volunteered in class, could only respond with
multiple hints or assistance; generally unreliable
F = Unacceptable: did virtually no homework, did not volunteer in class, could not
respond or contribute meaningfully to class activities, unreliable or
/uncooperative
Attendance, homework and participation are the means by which learning takes place.
As such they are tools for learning; they cannot substitute for being able to use
the language.
Poor ratings in the discretionary portion will lower your grade: For every 5
classes missed, your grade can be lowered by one notch (one third),
i.e. An A- will drop to a B+; 10 classes missed and an A- will drop to a
B.
Regular attendance and participation will not, all by themselves, bring up a
borderline grade, from a C+ to a B-, for example.
Absences must be promptly and officially documented.
No extra credit work will be given as a substitute for demonstrated mastery of the
material on the syllabus.
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.
If you are enrolled after the last day to withdraw, you will receive a real grade (not an
incomplete or I,) for the course.
Incompletes are not given, except for serious, documented medical conditions. In any
case, University policy requires that you be passing the course to qualify for an

incomplete. Under no circumstances will an incomplete be given as a substitute

for a failing or undesirable grade.
Given the regularity of quizzes and hourly exams, your level of mastery of the material
is quite evident throughout the semester. Thus, once a grade is issued, it will not
be changed. Do not attempt to cajole, wheedle, browbeat, or nag the instructor
to make an exception.
Office hours -- Your instructors will hold office hours at least three hours a week
for help and consultation, on either a walk-in or by-appointment basis. These office
hours are designed to provide you with extra help or explanations when you have a
hard time with certain concepts. Take advantage of the opportunity for one-on-one
work. If you make an appointment please keep it.
Problems with the course or instructor -- If you have extraordinary difficulty
with the course or the instructor take immediate action: meet with your instructor for
guidance or discussion of problems. Typically, by the 6th week of classes, your standing
in the course can be determined and a mid-semester progress consultation should take
place.
You may want to seek tutoring. The Department maintains a list of qualified
individuals for you to work with. Fees vary.
If problems persist after you have spoken with your instructor, you may want to
speak directly with the French Language Program Director.
Issues, complaints, misgivings should be taken up early in the semester
certainly no later than mid-semester so that corrective action can be
taken. Its too late to complain two weeks before the semester ends.
French Language Program Director:
Nicole Bojko, 936 Clemens Hall. Email: nmlucey@buffalo.edu
These activities are designed to reflect the Departments goals and learning outcomes,
described as follows:
In the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures students find forums in which to
exercise critical thinking, develop proficiency in linguistic and intellectual communication, and
cultivate a heightened sense of cultural awareness. Our courses guide students in the readings of
languages and cultural codes across a number of historical and geographical divides. They
engage students in articulating their own relationship to a variety of texts and to the cultures of
which they speak, which can and should become a lifelong endeavor. Our programs reflect the
interdisciplinary scholarship of the departments faculty. Here, students and faculty share a
model of inquiry and problem solving, and a common urge to explore the world. A workshop for
all, the Department of Romance Languages is an expression of interconnectivity, engaged as it is
in a dialogue with the arts and humanities, science and technology, and language itself.