Intermediate French II

FR23202-001-13965
Fall 2016

Webpage:
http://www.personal.kent.edu/~rberrong/fr23202

Instructor: Evan Faidley

Office: 308-F Satterfield Hall
Office hours: Wednesday 1:30-4:30 p.m., and by appointment
Office phone. Email is the best way to reach me.
E-mail: efaidley@kent.edu

Warning! Your classes may be cancelled!

With the Recession, the university's budget has become very tight. As a result, and unlike in the past,
courses that do not have what is deemed to be sufficient enrollment are now being cancelled,
sometimes well before the start of the semester so that the instructor can be reassigned to another
class. This means that, if you do not want the classes you intend to take to be cancelled, you need to
enroll in them on the first day of preregistration the semester before. If you wait until later, you
may well find that the class has been cancelled, or that because another class has been cancelled for
insufficient enrollment the class you want has filled to the limit and you can no longer get in. This is
not just b.s. Do not wait to enroll in classes as many students have done in the past. If you wait
you may well find that the classes you need are not there or are no longer open.

Course Prerequisite

The prerequisite for this course is FR 23201 (Intermediate I) or its accepted equivalent. The College
wants us to notify you that "students in the course who do not have the proper prerequisites risk being
deregistered from the class."

Course Learning Outcomes and Expectations

This course prepares students to:

1. improve their reading skills in French
2. improve their writing skills in French
3. improve their composition skills for any language
4. improve their command of spoken French

Texts
Rarahu, available on line
A decent English-French French-English dictionary (you can buy a good one cheaply in a used book
store) for writing your compositions. A glossary for the reading is included online.
Students should also retain their copy of a French grammar book, or else print out the on-line grammar
included on this site.

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 Attendance
Attendance is mandatory. Students are allowed only three unexcused absences. Thereafter, for every
unexcused absence, a student's final grade will be lowered by one letter grade. Students are responsible
for knowing in advance what qualifies as an excused absence and must provide proof when they return
that their absence met university policy on excused absences if they want it to be regarded as excused.
The instructor will NOT ask for the proof; the student must provide it on his/her own initiative. All
absences for which such proof is not supplied will be marked as unexcused. University policy on what
constitutes an excused absence can be found at

http://www.kent.edu/policyreg/administrative-policy-regarding-class-attendance-and-class-absence

Note especially section 3-01.2 (F).: "Students shall [...] be responsible for all material covered in class
during their absence. Students are responsible for completing any makeup work resulting from their
absence. In no case is an excuse from class to be interpreted as a release from class responsibility."
Students must complete any work missed because of an excused absence promptly.

Grading

Participation
Class participation is crucial. How else are you going to improve your speaking skills? Students who
do not participate regularly and willingly - the instructor is not a dentist, and should not have to extract
answers! - will have their grade lowered by one letter grade. This is, of necessity, subjective.
Students who are not willing to accept such a subjective determination of class participation and
speaking must drop the class immediately. Remaining in the class will constitute acceptance of this
policy in all its subjectivity.

Compositions
The best way to get the grammar you learned into your system is to use it over and over again in
writing (and speaking, of course). So, during the course of the semester, you will write four
compositions, each with three well-developed paragraphs. (The instructor is the final judge of what
constitutes a well-developed paragraph. If you have questions about this, see him/her before the date
the composition is due.) Compositions will be graded in two steps. When you hand in a composition
for the first time, the instructor will highlight mistakes using a "correction key" (provided below), and
will award a percentage grade out of 70 points. Students must then correct their papers, and submit
them again for the remaining 30 points (deadlines are clearly indicated on the calendar at the end of
this syllabus). Students should, of course, make every effort to submit first versions with as few
mistakes as possible. The first version is not a draft; it is to be a fully-developed and -finished
composition. Note that the first version is worth the bulk of the grade for composition
assignments. Compositions are to be done completely on your own!, i.e., no asking friends or others
to "look them over" for you, and absolutely no translation software (see the "common excuses"
section below for more details about this). They need to be word-processed using Microsoft Word, as
they will be submitted online through Blackboard. Compositions will be graded on linguistic
correctness, primarily, but the instructor reserves the right to take other factors into account, such as
creativity, depth, and originality if and when he/she chooses. The grading system for compositions will
change during the course of the semester, as students are expected to have a firmer grasp of certain
points. Spelling errors and incorrect genders, since they can be avoided simply by looking words up in
a dictionary, are unacceptable from day one, and will constitute grounds for severe penalty
immediately. The compositions aren't that long (15 sentences), so there is no excuse for not looking up
every word to check its spelling and gender once you have typed your first version and are proof-
reading it.

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 CORRECTION CODES

Code Explanation
agr. = agreement The agreement between your noun/adjective or subject/verb (etc) is incorrect.
ang. = anglais You used an English word. Please use French.
art. = article You used the wrong article. Review your indefinite, definite, and partitive
articles.
cv. = conjugaison Your verb is wrongly conjugated.
du verbe
exp. = expression You may have translated something literally instead of using a particular
expression. Consult a dictionary.
frag. = fragment You dont have a complete or coherent sentence.
g. = genre The gender (masculine or feminine) of the word is incorrect.
inf. = infinitif You conjugated a verb when you should have kept the verb as an infinitive. Or,
you left a verb as an infinitive when you should have conjugated it.
m. = mode You used the incorrect mood. Make sure you know when to use the indicative,
imperative, conditional, and subjunctive moods.
o. = orthographe Check your spelling.
ord.= ordre Check your word order.
per. = personne You used the wrong or inappropriate grammatical person (1st person, 2nd
person, 3rd person singular/plural).
pos/pdd = part of You used the wrong part of speech. The parts of speech are noun, pronoun,
speech/partie du adjective, verb, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection. Many
discours students mix up adjectives, adverbs, and nouns.
prep. = Look up the correct preposition to use. Is it , de, en, dans, pour, pendant, etc. ?
preposition
pro. = pronoun You used the wrong pronoun or relative pronoun.
t. = temps The tense is incorrect. Make sure you know when to use the prsent, futur,
pass compos, and imparfait.
w.w. = wrong You used the wrong word.
word
^ = missing word You have a word missing.
# = nombre You used the singular instead of the plural form or vice versa.

Note: Part of learning to write correct French is learning to proof-read your work for mistakes before
handing it in. You will be graded on what you turn in, not on what you meant to turn in. Therefore,
you need to make sure that you proof-read your papers carefully for typographical errors, etc., before
you turn them in. No one can do a good job of proof-reading on the screen. Print out a first version on
paper and proof-read that.

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 Some Common Excuses for Doing Poorly on the Composition Assignments

Students who work regularly and seriously on their assignments do well in this class, and every
semester there are As and Bs. Some students, however, for whatever reason, don't do what they
should, do poorly, and then try to justify their mistakes with what they offer as excuses. None of the
following excuses will be accepted in this class:

1. "I forgot." That's an explanation not an excuse. The assignment is given in class, in French, and
that's where you have to get it. So take notes on the explanations of assignments given in class and
make sure you look at them when you do the assignment. No one's memory is perfect. Don't trust
yours when it comes to something that involves your grade. See Taking Notes, below.

2. "I didn't look at the syllabus." No good look at the syllabus and the calendar every couple of days.

3. "I lost the syllabus." You have this hard copy, and it's on the class website.

4. "I misread the syllabus." This syllabus is in English so there should be no misunderstandings, but if
you don't understand something, ASK.

5. "My computer crashed and I didn't make a back-up." Always make a back-up! Even a brand-new
computer can fail. And they always know when you need them most and pick precisely that moment
to fail. Again, plan ahead to avoid last-minute emergencies.

6. "I didn't understand the assignment." If you don't understand an assignment, it's your responsibility
to ask questions about it before you leave class. Not later by e-mail but during class. Never leave class
not understanding an assignment. E-mail is fine for a one sentence answer, but no, I can't evaluate
your ideas by e-mail or type out what I explained in class. Instructors hold office hours and that is
what they are for. Use them. E-mail is not a replacement for a conversation, and there is much to be
learned in a good face-to-face conversation. The instructor does not generally read e-mail after 7pm, or
on the weekend, so plan ahead and don't wait until the last moment before an assignment is due to ask
a question about it.

7. "I didn't want to ask a question in class because I didn't want to look stupid." No one is born
knowing all the answers. That's why we have education. If you don't ask questions when you don't
understand something, you will never learn anything. So ASK! There is no such thing as a stupid
question, and besides, if you have a question, it is likely that others in the class are also unclear about
the same thing.

8. I didnt know that I wasnt allowed to use a translator. If you use a translator to produce ANY of
your work (whether this be the homework assignments or compositions), you will receive a zero for
the assignment, and you may be removed from the class (this happens more often that you might think
and in some cases, students have not been able to graduate because they have been failed for cheating).
If I SUSPECT that you have been using translation software (and trust me, it is OBVIOUS),
I WILL confront you about it and ask for an explanation. DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT USING
A TRANSLATOR. They do not work, and it is against university policy.

And a suggestion: If you will be working on more than one computer, make sure you use a USB key to
transport your document from one computer to the next. Some students send files to themselves
instead and then have problems. That, too, is not an acceptable excuse. USB keys are inexpensive and
a great tool.Papers will not be accepted late without a university-approved excuse.
The compositions together will count for 50% of the semester grade.

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Reading
What better way is there to learn how to understand French than to read it? Passages in Rarahu will be
assigned throughout the semester, and discussed in class. You must print out the assigned reading
for the day and bring it with you to class. Though it may seem rough going at first - and this is easy
French, folks, as real French goes - students should NOT despair. As the semester progresses, the
same new vocabulary will keep coming back over and over, so that, after a while, students will find
that they are looking up fewer and fewer words. (This is not just b.s. I have taught this text before at
this level, and this is what the students have told me at the end of the semester. They also say that they
sweated bullets at the beginning of the semester, depending on how good their previous French
preparation had been, so be prepared, but don't despair, because the reading WILL GET EASIER as
the semester goes along if you do the necessary work.)
DO NOT write an English translation on your printed text! You will never learn anything that way.
Write the words you do not know and their translations down SOMEWHERE ELSE, even if it is just
on the back of the printout, so that you can review them, and so that, when you read over the text again
later to prepare for tests and the exam, you can test yourself to see if you have retained the meaning of
the words you did not originally know.

To assist students in making sure that they have understood the reading assignment and to help them
prepare for class discussion of it, questions have been provided at the end of each reading section
("Rvision de la Lecture"). Students must type out answers to these questions and turn them in (NOT
E-MAIL THEM) at the beginning of each class. The answers will be graded for correctness of
comprehension, and will comprise 5% of the final grade. While this may not seem like a lot, it is a fact
that you will not score higher than a B in the course if you do not complete the homework
assignments. Two exams (one midterm and half of the final) will test your comprehension of the text.
Experience has shown that when students fail to complete the homework for a given reading, they
score zero points on these questions on the exams.
In addition, a reading comprehension midterm, for which those nightly reading comprehension
assignments will serve as good preparation, will constitute 10% of the final grade.

Grammar
Grammar will be derived from the reading and, primarily, from problems students have on their
compositions.

Two midterms covering grammar points presented in class will constitute 20% of the final grade.

Final exam
It will be a comprehensive final, covering both grammar and reading comprehension.
The final exam will constitute 15% of the semester grade.

Grading Summary:

Compositions: 50% Two grammar midterms: 10% each

Rvision de la lecture assignments: 5% Final exam: 15%
Reading comprehension midterm: 10%

The instructor reserves the right to use +s and -s in the final grades, and will make that decision at the
end of the semester.
Again, no assignment will be accepted late without a documented university-approved excuse.
Students not present for the tests and final at their scheduled times cannot request a make-up unless
they have a documented excused absence.

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 Departmental, College and University policies

Notice of My Copyright and Intellectual Property Rights

Any intellectual property displayed or distributed to students during this course (including but not
limited to powerpoints, notes, quizzes, examinations) by the instructor remains the intellectual
property of the instructor. This means that the student may not distribute, publish or provide such
intellectual property to any other person or entity for any reason, commercial or otherwise, without the
express written permission of the instructor.

Registration Requirement
The official registration deadline for this course is 4 September, 2016. University policy requires all
students to be officially registered in each class they are attending. Students who are not officially
registered for a course by published deadlines should not be attending classes and will not receive
credit or a grade for the course. Each student must confirm enrollment by checking his/her class
schedule (using Student Tools in FlashFast) prior to the deadline indicated. Registration errors must be
corrected prior to the deadline. The last day to drop before a grade of "W" is assigned is 11 September,
2016. The last day to withdraw is 6 November, 2016.

Student Accessibility Policy

University Policy 3342-3-01.3 requires that students with disabilities be provided reasonable
accommodations to ensure their equal access to course content. If you have a documented disability
and require accommodations, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester to make
arrangements for necessary classroom adjustments. Please note, you must first verify your eligibility
for these through Student Accessibility Services (330-672-3391 or visit www.kent.edu/sas for more
information on registration procedures).

Student Cheating and Plagiarism

University policy 3-01.8 deals with the problem of academic dishonesty, cheating, and plagiarism.
None of these will be tolerated in this class. The sanctions provided in this policy will be used to deal
with any violations. If you have any questions, please read the policy at
http://www.kent.edu/policyreg/administrative-policy-regarding-student-cheating-and-plagiarism
and/or ask for information.

In this class, if you cheat, you fail. Not just on the assignment, but for the entire class. Yes, I
do do that. Yes, I have already done it. I didn't enjoy doing it, certainly, but neither do I allow cheaters
in my classes. Think twice if it's worth failing the class before you cheat. Whether you take tests in
class or elsewhere on a computer, you are, in this class, always on your honor that you seek no help
from others. If you do, you will fail the class. It's as simple as that.
In order to remain in this class, you have to sign and submit the University's Honor Pledge, as
modified for this class, which you will find on the left near the top of the website. It must be turned in
by the first class of the second week, or you will be deregistered from the class. Don't forget.

Respectful Student Conduct

The Department of Modern and Classical Language Studies follows University regulations regarding
student behavior in the classroom. It is expected that each student will be respectful to the instructor as
well as to fellow classmates. Use of profanity, rudeness toward fellow students or the instructor, angry
outbursts, refusal to participate in classroom activities, repeated tardiness, and leaving the classroom
prior to class dismissal are just some examples of disruptive behavior. The instructor will ask the
disruptive student to cease and desist and will inform the student of possible suspension and/or
dismissal from the class. Guidelines pertaining to class disruptions are outlined in detail in the
university policy register at 4-02.2. (http://www.kent.edu/policyreg/administrative-policy-and-
procedures-regarding-class-disruptions).

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 Policy for Makeup Test

If students have a documented sponsored athletic event, a religious holiday, or a documented medical
excuse, the instructor will provide an opportunity to make up a missed test. However, for an absence
caused by a university-sponsored event, students must notify the instructor before the absence and
provide official university documentation; for an absence caused by illness the student must provide
university-acceptable documentation (see above under Attendance) on the first class after the absence.

CALENDAR
The instructor reserves the right to make alterations in the calendar.

The text for the story is available on the class website broken down into units for each class, and is
accompanied by annotations that will make it easier to understand. Again, you must print out the
assigned reading for the day and bring it with you to class along with your written answers to
the "Rvision de la lecture" questions. No, bringing your laptop to class is not an acceptable
substitute for bringing a printout of the day's assignment.

I.
29.8. First day of class: introduction to the course and explanation of the pass simple

31.8 Rarahu Lectures 1-3

2.9 Rarahu Lectures 4, 6, 7

4.9 Last day to add the class.

II.
5.9 Labor Day: no classes
7.9 Rarahu Lectures 8, 9 (paragraphes 1-7, questions 1-4)
9.9 Rarahu Lecture 9 (paragraphes 8-24, questions 5-14)

11.9 Last day to withdraw without a grade of W.

III.
12.9 Rarahu Lectures 10-11
14.9 First Essay due: Dcrivez un pays exotique o vous voudriez passer les vacances. Pourquoi cet
endroit vous appelle-t-il? Qu'est-ce que vous esprez y trouver? (As always, three well-developed
paragraphs with a minimum of fifteen sentences.) About 50 minutes of class time will be spent having
each student present his or her composition to the class from memory (not reading it) in French; if
time allows, students may ask questions about particular presentations once all have been given.
16.9 Rarahu Lecture 12-13

IV.
19.9 Review grammar from First Essay
21.9 Rarahu Lectures 14-15
23.9 Rarahu Lectures 16

V.
26.9 Rarahu Lecture 17; Rewrite of First Essay due
28.9 Rarahu Lecture 18
30.9 Rarahu Lecture 19

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VI.
3.10 Review for first grammar midterm
5.10 First grammar midterm
7.10 Rarahu Lecture 20

VII.
10.10 Rarahu Lectures 21-23
12.10 Second Essay due: Vous vous trouvez maintenant dans le pays exotique que vous avez dcrit
dans votre premier essai. Et vous rencontrez quelqu'un, quelqu'un que vous trouvez bien intressant!
Dcrivez cette personne, votre rencontre, et pourquoi cette personne vous intresse. (As always, three
well-developed paragraphs with a minimum of fifteen sentences.) About 50 minutes of classtime will
be spent having each student present his or her composition to the class from memory (not reading it)
in French; if time allows, students may ask questions about particular presentations once all have been
given.
14.10 Rarahu Lecture 24, Lecture 25 (paragraphes 1-13, questions 1-10)

10-14 October: Instructors input mid-term grades

VIII.
17.10 Review grammar from Second Essay
19.10 Rarahu Lecture 25 (paragraphes 14-18, questions 11-14), Lecture 26
21.10 Rarahu Lectures 27-29

IX.
24.10 Reading comprehension midterm Rarahu Lectures 1-29; Rewrite of Second Essay due
26.10 Rarahu Lectures 30-31
28.10 Rarahu Lectures 32-33

X.
31.10 Third Essay due: Dans votre deuxime essai, vous avez racont votre rencontre avec une
personne intressante dans votre pays exotique. Votre amiti/amour/etc. avec cette personne va de
mieux en mieux. Racontez trois vnements qui dmontrent le dveloppement de votre
amiti/amour/etc. avec cette personne. (As always, three well-developed paragraphs with a minimum
of fifteen sentences.) About 50 minutes of class time will be spent having each student present his or
her composition to the class from memory (not reading it) in French; if time allows, students may ask
questions about particular presentations once all have been given.
2.11 Rarahu Lecture 34-35
4.11 Review grammar from Third Essay.

6.11: Last day to withdraw

XI.
7.11 Rarahu Lecture 36-37; Revision of Third Essay due.
9.11 Rarahu Lecture 38
11.11 No class: Veterans' Day

XII.
14.11 Rarahu Lectures 39-40
16.11 Rarahu Lectures 41-44
18.11 Rarahu Lectures 45-47

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XIII.
21.11 Fourth Essay due: Au choix: 1) La fin de votre sjour au paradis est arrive. Est-ce que vous
restez l-bas, ou revenez-vous chez vous? Pourquoi? Quelles sont vos motions, en faisant la dcision?
ou: 2) Qu'est-ce qui vous a parl directement dans Rarahu? Qu'est-ce qui vous a intress le plus?
Pourquoi? (As always, three well-developed paragraphs with a minimum of fifteen sentences.) About
50 minutes of class time will be spent having each student present his or her composition to the class
from memory (not reading it) in French; if time allows, students may ask questions about particular
presentations once all have been given.
23-25.11 Thanksgiving Vacation: no class

XIV.
28.11 Rarahu Lecture 48-51; Review for Second Grammar Midterm
30.11 Second Grammar Midterm
2.12 Go over midterm

XV.
5.12 Rarahu Lectures 52-53, Revision of Fourth Essay due.
7.12 Review grammar and reading comprehension for final exam
9.12 Review grammar and reading comprehension for final exam

14.12: Comprehensive Final exam Wednesday, 10:15-12:30 for section meeting MWF 12:05-
12:55 p.m.