Course Descriptions ~ French 101-232
[Information on courses beyond 232]
FREN 101, 102, 105, 201 and 202 focus on the learning and acquisition of the French language, with a fairly balanced emphasis on vocabulary and grammar, oral skills, listening and reading strategies, and process writing. All five courses offer an introduction to French and Francophone cultures, and are taught in French.
To complete the foreign language requirement, students may not take courses out of sequence (e.g. 102 then 101), nor skip a course in the sequence (e.g. 102, then 202), nor enroll in sequence courses simultaneously.
-
See detailed information about placement, the on-line placement exam, and FAQs at:
http://www.virginia.edu/french/resource/placement/
PARTICIPATION, PREPARATION, CONTRIBUTION TO THE CLASS ATMOSPHERE
Active participation is extremely important in a language class. The class participation portion of the student's final grade will reflect overall contribution to the learning atmosphere: preparation, active involvement during classroom activities, attention to the instructor and to classmates who are speaking French, and willingness to speak French. Attendance is essential and mandatory in these courses. Obviously, students who do not attend class cannot receive a good participation grade.
GRADING
Students are graded on chapter tests, an oral exam, a final written exam, compositions (weighted more heavily the higher the course number), homework/lab work, and quality of classroom performance. The grade breakdown in 101-202 varies, but will be approximately the following:
Sample Grade Breakdown
Approximate grade breakdown in 101-202:
Quizzes (lowest score dropped; no makeup quizzes) 35%
Compositions 15%
Daily Participation 15%
Final Exam 15%
Homework / Lab work 5%
Dictées (lowest score dropped; no makeup quizzes) 5%
Oral exam 10%
TEXTBOOKS
We are currently using the following textbooks: [updated March 2007]
FREN 101, 102, and 105
-
Voilà., Edition 5, by Heilenman, Kaplan and Tournier (Thompson 2006).
-
Online workbook and lab manual managed by Quia.
FREN 201 and 202
-
Collage: Révision de Grammaire (5th Edition), by Baker, Bleuze, Border, Grace, and Wiliams-Gascon. McGraw -Hill Higher Education.
-
Collage; Cahier d’exercices oraux et écrits (to acompany 5th edition).
-
Mise en scène: cinema et lecture, by Krueger, Weber and Martin. Prentice Hall.
-
Mise en scène companion web site: www.prenhall.com/mise (free).
FREN 232
-
La Grammaire à l’oeuvre, by Barson (Media Edition with Quia).
-
Autour de la literature (5rh Edition), by Schofer and Rice. Heinle.
General Textbook Policies
We are aware of the high cost of textbooks and offer the following policies and suggestions for keeping prices down:
-
Students in FREN 101 will use the same textbook and materials in 102. Likewise, the textbooks and materials for FREN 201 carry over to FREN 202.
We only adopt new editions when there are no longer enough current editions available.
When we want to change textbooks, we wait until our current textbook is going into a new edition — which is to say, students would have to have purchased new books anyway.
-
When we adopt new textbooks or new editions, we begin using these only in FREN 101 and 201, so that students who have already taken those courses may continue to use their books in 102 and 202.
-
We encourage students to share books. If you are in the in the 9:00 am section of FREN 101 and have a friend in the 11:00 am section, consider sharing your textbook. On-line and paper workbooks cannot be shared.
-
Be sure to take advantage of the many used and discount bookstores, many of them online.
The Language Program Director will lend textbooks to students whose financial need makes purchasing textbooks a serious burden.
FREN 101: Elementary French (4)
This elementary-level French class is designed for true beginners, that is, students who have never had French before. Often students with one or two years of high school French take FREN 101 due to low placement scores, or a significant lapse of time (5 or more years) since the last French course was taken. These students often recognize the material taught during the first two weeks of class, but soon fall into pace with the rest of the students in the class. Students with more than two years of high school French may not take FREN 101 for credit. They should take 102 or 105 (see descriptions). The same textbook and workbook/lab program are used in FREN 101, 102 and 105.
The aims of the course are: 1) basic oral expression; 2) listening comprehension; 3) elementary reading and writing;
Followed by FREN 102.
FREN 102: Elementary French (4)
Designed for students with an elementary knowledge of French. The skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing are further developed. The same textbook and workbook/lab program (second half of each) are used in FREN 101 and 102.
Followed by FREN 201.
FREN 105: Accelerated Elementary French (4)
For students with some previous background in high school French (more than two years of French in secondary school) who place at the 100-level, or who need a refresher course before continuing to 200-level French. Students who have already taken 200-level French (or higher) may not take 105.
A review of basic oral expression, listening, reading comprehension and writing. FREN 105 students cover the material in the 101-102 text in one semester at an accelerated pace.
Followed by FREN 201.
See also: PRIMARY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE 100-LEVEL AND the 200-LEVEL COURSES at the end of this page.
FREN 101G: Reading French for Graduate Students – No Credit
Designed specifically as a preparatory course for graduate students who intend to take a reading exam in French. Unlike the 101-202 sequence, FREN 101G is a grammar and translation course. Students who complete 101G should be able to read and translate French texts with the proper dictionaries and grammar resources. Students will not practice speaking, writing or listening comprehension skills in 101G. This course may not be used toward fulfillment of the undergraduate language requirement.
This summer (2007), FREN 101G will be part of the SLI. Therefore students who take 101G in summer will get more speaking practice than they would during the regular academic semester. Graduate students will attend morning classes and cultural sessions as usual, but will meet with another teacher in the afternoon to work on reading and translation.
Graduate students normally sign up for the SLI "non-credit option." Contact your DGS to see if your department or the Graduate School has funds to defray tuition costs for the SLI non-credit option. Visit the SLI web page
at: http://www.virginia.edu/summer/SLI/index.html
FREN 201: Intermediate French (3)
Designed for further development of speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. The same textbooks and workbook/lab program are used in FREN 201 and 202.
Followed by FREN 202.
By the end of FREN 201, students should be able to do the following:
Listening: You should be able to understand sentence-length utterances and short connected discourse on a variety of topics, including personal background and needs, school, personal interests and activities, instructions and directions. You should be familiar with such listening strategies as listening for the main idea, and listening for the speaker's tone and intonation, and listening for specific information. You will not yet be able to understand everything you hear. You will not be able to understand entire films without subtitles, but you should be able to understand designated sequences of films using visual cues and focused listening guidelines.
Speaking: You should be able to interact successfully with another speaker, dealing with designated topics and social situations. You will still make some vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar mistakes but will be able to introduce yourself, order a meal, ask directions, and make a purchase. You should be able to ask and answer questions and talk in a limited way about your personal interests and activities, and about topics, readings, and films you have studied in class. Misunderstandings might often arise, but you will be understood by a sympathetic native listener.
Reading: You should be able to understand paragraphs giving you directions, some short literary works, as well as longer passages. You will probably have to read more sophisticated passages more than once to understand. You should learn to use such reading strategies as skimming for the gist, scanning for specific pieces of information, guessing word meanings from context, predicting what might happen next and reading for meaning.
Writing: Students will practice a process approach to composition, useful not only in French but in other courses as well. You should be able to meet a number of practical writing needs: short messages, postcards, notes, letters or short, coherent compositions using material previously studied. You should be able to express present time or one other time frame (e.g., passé composé, imparfait or future) consistently. Your compositions and self-editing assignments should show some evidence of conscious organization, progress from a first draft to a final draft, attention to the reader (tone, register), and ability to edit your work according to guidelines.
Culture: Instead of presenting a comprehensive or chronological survey of the rich history and cultures of the French speaking world we guide students to study a variety of texts and images composed for real French speakers. Readings and films are at the center of this course. They should give students a sense of the variety of perspectives and voices of the French speaking world.
FREN 202: Intermediate French (3)
Designed for further development of the four skills at a more advanced level. The last of the required courses. The same textbook and workbook/lab program are used in FREN 101, 102 and 105.
Followed by FREN 232 or FREN 331.
Please speak to an advisor on the French faculty to determine which course to take. By the end of FREN 202, students should be able to do the following:
Listening: You should be able to understand sentence-length utterances and connected discourse on a wider variety of topics, including personal background and needs, school, personal interests and activities, instructions and directions, description and narration. You should become comfortable with such listening strategies and listening for the main idea, listening for speaker's tone and intonation and accepting the fact that you will not understand every word you hear. Comprehension will still be uneven, depending principally on the language and on the familiarity of the topic. You will not be able to understand entire films without subtitles, but you should be able to understand designated sequences of films without subtitles using guidelines and activities to focus your listening.
Speaking: You should be able to interact successfully with another speaker, dealing with a wider variety of topics and social situations. You will still make some vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar mistakes but will be able to introduce yourself, order a meal, ask directions, make a purchase, talk about your personal history, interests and leisure activities, and about topics, readings, and films studied in this class. You should begin to use past and future tenses more consistently. Misunderstandings might still arise, but you will be understood by a sympathetic native listener.
Reading: You should be able to understand longer passages dealing with aspects of North American, French and Francophone cultures. You will still probably have to read more sophisticated passages more than once to understand. You should become comfortable using such reading strategies as skimming for the gist, scanning for specific pieces of information, guessing word meanings from context, predicting what might happen next and reading for meaning. You should begin to read literature with an analytical eye, considering such aspects as characters, theme. And point of view.
Writing: Students will continue to practice a process approach to composition, useful for writing not only in French, but in other courses as well. You should be able to meet a number of practical writing needs: short messages, postcards, notes, letters or short, coherent compositions using material previously studied. You should be able to express present time or one other time frame (e.g., passé composé, imparfait or future) consistently. You should begin to control the differences in usage of the passé composé and imparfait. Your compositions and self-editing assignments should demonstrate increased evidence of conscious organization, ability to revise work based on comments from teachers and peer reviewers, evidence of progress from a first draft to a final draft and from the first composition to the last, attention to the reader (tone and register of writing), and ability to edit your own work according to guidelines.
Culture: Instead of presenting a comprehensive or chronological survey of the rich history and cultures of the French speaking world we guide students to study a variety of texts and images composed for real French speakers. Readings and films are at the center of this course. They should give students a sense of the variety of perspectives and voices of the French speaking world.
FREN 232: Intensive Intermediate French (3)
Pre-requisite: Appropriate placement score or FREN 202 (see the Language Program Director for advice).
This in-depth, intermediate-level course is recommended for students who nearly place out of FREN 202, and for any students who wish to refine and expand their mastery of French grammar before taking 300-level courses. Students who have completed FREN 202 may take 232 as an elective to fine-tune their language skills.
PRIMARY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE 100-LEVEL AND THE 200-LEVEL COURSES
You will encounter most elements of French grammar (nouns, verbs, prepositions, relative pronouns, adjectives, etc.) and most verb tenses and modes (present tense, passé compose, imparfait, imperative, subjunctive) in FREN 101 and 102 (or 105). What will be different in 201-202 is the breadth of coverage (you will learn more verbs, more relative pronouns, and more usages of various grammar structures you have already encountered), the depth of coverage (you will learn more nuances of usage) and the extent to which you will use grammar to communicate effectively (in speaking and writing) and to interpret what you read and hear in French.
In FREN 101-105, much (though not all) of your language practice will involve communication about yourself and about things you already know.
While you will still express opinions and communicate about yourself in FREN 201 and 202, you will also have more opportunities to talk and write about subjects and situations outside of your personal experience.
Films and readings made by and for French-speaking audiences are at the center of FREN 201 and 202. You will be guided to use the language skills you are developing to engage with these cultural materials.
201-202 SEQUENCE
In FREN 201 and 202 you will still have many opportunities to talk about the things you know best (yourself, your experiences). You will also react to, express opinions, and speak and write objectively about readings, images and films.
Both FREN 202 and 232 are intermediate college-level grammar review courses, designed for students who have already studied, though not mastered, the basic elements of French grammar, including such verb tenses as the passé composé, imparfait, future, conditional, subjunctive. They both require a review of certain amount of material on your own outside of class.
FREN 202 is the conclusion of FREN 201, using the second half of the same text book. Students may need to review some of the material in the first half of the text on their own, depending on individual background and knowledge of French. The course includes more cultural information and vocabulary building than does FREN 232. Because we review only about half the grammatical structures of French in FREN 202, the pace of the course is somewhat slower than that of FREN 232. Students who do high-quality work in FREN 202 are accepted into FREN 331.
FREN 232 is an intensive review of all basic French grammar in one semester (the same kind of material covered in FREN 201-202). Students in FREN 232 usually have a better knowledge of verb forms, adjective agreement rules, basic distinctions between the use of the passé composé and imparfait, etc., than do students in FREN 202. This basic knowledge allows the pace of FREN 232 to be more rapid than that of FREN 202. FREN 232 presents more idiomatic information and details of grammar than does FREN 202, but less cultural information and basic vocabulary. There is time in 232 for more reading and/or writing and/or internet activities.
