• To be able to communicate in French comprehensibly in non-complicated situations such as grettings, making everyday purchases, asking for information, or ordering in a restaurant.
• To understand the gist of oral native speaker communications such as train announcements, directions, or advertisements
• To read simple authentic written texts such as signs, advertisements, simple descriptions or package intructions
• To write short paragraphs in largely error-free French for communications such as thank-you letters, postcards, or e-mails

• To learn correct pronunciation of French sounds and sentences
• To learn basic present tense conjugations of regular and irregular verbs
• To begin learning basic grammar structure necessary for successful communication
• To learn basic vocabulary of everyday life
• To learn distinctions between formal and informal forms of address
• To begin to recognize and understand French and Francophone cultural codes of behavior
• To learn historical and cultural facts about the history of France and the Francophone world

• The first year grammar text C'est ça by Golding and Jeantet (McGraw-Hill, 1995) with companion workbook
• Language lab work using C'est ça audio tapes
• The use of supplemental realia to assure exposure to authentic French communications, for example videotapes, movies, brochures, menus, catalogues, advertisements, Internet sites, e-mail, French radio
• The use of video-camera recordings of student activities

Homework:  Homework will be assigned and checked regularly.  Each assignment is worth 5 points.  If the assignment is from the workbook, the work must be corrected according to the answers provided in the back of the workbook.  Failure to do this step will result in less than full credit, as will incomplete assignments.  Homework turned in late will not be credited, as homework preparation is essential to class participation.
 
Tardiness: Tardiness of 20 minutes or more will be considered an absence.

Exams and quizzes: Exams will be given on the date indicated on the syllabus, at the time for which a student is registered. Make-up exams are given only by permission of the professor, and only before the scheduled date. If you find yourself in an emergency situation and so cannot take an exam (for example, you are snowed in at the Boston airport or have just had an appendectomy and are still in the recovery room) YOU MUST NOTIFY YOUR PROFESSOR IMMEDIATELY, by e-mail or phone.  Quizzes cannot be made up since one, your lowest grade, will be dropped.

Oral presentation:   

The purpose: 1. To learn to give an extemporaneous lecture (in English), such as one you might (eventually) give at a board meeting for your boss.  This is part of your formation as a Hampden-Sydney man.  2. To learn about a topic which is part of French or Francophone culture or history,  information which you then share with the class so that we all broaden our knowledge of France, the French and Francophone people, and their contribution to global history and culture.

Guidelines:
Do not plagerize.
Practice and time yourself to 5-6 minutes.
Use any props which will make your talk more interesting and easy to follow for the audience: pictures, maps, charts, realia, etc.
Be attentive when taking notes; it is best to put the information into your own words as you are taking notes from your sources.
Prepare documentation of your sources to turn in.
Do not read the report.  You may have brief notes, but they must be on index cards. Reading a report will result in a reduction of one letter grade on the project.

Writing Assignments: You will be write several short assignements as well as a journal. Assignments turned in late will receive a penalty of one letter grade per 24 hour period.  Using any sort of computer translating program is considered an infraction of the Honor Code. Your writing journal will be written in a large size blue examination booklet and will contain 10 sentences from each chapter which use the vocabulary and grammar learned in that chapter.
 
A supplemental session will be offered from 6:00-7:00 p.m. Wednesday evenings in Bagby 307, which offers additional attention to pronunciation, oral production and grammar.

Distribution of the grade:

2 Exams	200 points	20%
5/6 Quizzes	100 points	10%
5 Vocabulary Quizzes	100 points	10%
Writing Assignments (2 + journal)	100 points	10%
Oral Presentation and Oral Exams (2)	150 points	15%
Participation and Homework (40 @ 5 points each)	200 points	20%
Final Exam	150 points	15%
Total	1000 points	100%

 
Grade Breakdown

100-98=A+  97-93=A  92-90=A-  89-88=B+  87-83=B  82-80=B-

79-78=C+  77-73=C  72-70=C-  69-68=D+  67-63=D  62-60=D-  59-...=F