Why study French? Back to top
French is a world language, spoken on every continent except Australia. On the World Wide Web, French-language sites are outnumbered only by English ones. This diversity means that French is an excellent window on the world and also a language you can use almost anywhere you go. It is a language long associated with the arts and with intellectual excellence, but today it's also a language of technology, as France has taken the lead in fields like aerospace and telecommunications. Perhaps the best reason to study French is one it shares with other languages: it gives you a chance to see the world with other eyes, to communicate with many who would otherwise be mute to you, to hear other people's stories and expand your own horizons. Learning another language allows you to 'think outside the box', when the box is your native tongue and, in the case of English, a smotheringly dominant world view. If you commit to learning another language and to understanding the uniqueness of other cultures, you will never be the same.
How French Online works Back to top
French Online is built almost entirely in Web pages, so the interface is the browser you're probably used to. That is, you click on buttons, icons and links to move from one page or section to another, hear sounds, watch video clips and do exercises. These tips will help you spend more time learning French and less time figuring out how the program works:
- It's color coded.
Green words link to translations. When you roll the mouse over a green word, its definition appears at the bottom of the screen. Blue words take you to other pages (exercise pages, for example).
- It's divided into modules, and each module is divided into sections.
Each module is organized around one main theme and covers both cultural and linguistic knowledge. For example, Module 1 is all about Paris. You'll learn words and expressions you can use to do that, as well as lots of cultural information Paris and it's history.
- Every module has required sections and one supplementary section.
The supplementary section is called "Suppléments," and it has its own icon at the top right of the module's main page. All the other icons are required sections. If you get through the required sections faster than expected, you can explore "Suppléments." It has all kinds of interesting tidbits related to the main theme of the module.
How to study Back to top
French Online is designed to take you about the same amount of time each week as would a regular classroom class, with one huge difference: you can schedule it to fit your needs. Learning that would normally take place in a classroom from 10 to 11:30 AM can happen in your dorm at four in the morning, if that's the best time for you. There are, however, required activities each week which you must complete, including the weekly class meeting, a 20-minute meeting with a language assistant or the instructor, and an evening chat session at a mutually convenient time.
The work you're required to do is listed below. There is also a work plan for each module which contains the instructor's suggestions for how to progress through the module. If you choose not to follow the recommended plan, you should still make sure to set aside about 8 hours each week for this class. Spreading the hours out, rather than doing all the work in one or two huge chunks, will help you learn better (it's also less stressful for you!)
Grading Guide Back to top
Grades will be continually posted and individually viewable on the WebCT Course Center.
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Category
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Total
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Module tests (4)
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30%
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Oral work
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20%
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Final Exam
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10% |
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Attendance and Participation
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20%
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All writing assignments
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20%
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| Total |
100% |
- Attendance and participation are essential when learning a language, and even more in this context.
Students will be expected to come to each and every class prepared (i.e., to have done all the work assigned for that week), and ready to debate, question what they have read, seen or heard.
This course requires your presence and active participation during class time, weekly individual twenty minute meetings with professor or language assistant, participation at French table or at a peer group, weekly « tchatche » (chat) sessions.
Only one excused absence will be allowed. Following absences will diminish the presence and participation grade accordingly. After the fourth absence, the student will be asked to withdraw from the course.
- Writing assignments: All writing is in French. It has to reflect the student’s own abilities. Students are encouraged to buy and use a good French dictionnary (Larousse/ Robert) and a good grammar book. See what is available in the bookstore for 2nd year levels. You could also buy an online dictionary and/ or grammar and spelling program by going to : http://www.ultralingua.com
Students may be asked to self-correct some assignments as per indications given by the professor, but that will not be the overall rule.
- Oral Work may take different forms. It could be dictatations, general understanding of recorded texts, production of text recorded and sent directly to teacher, conversation with another classmate or teacher ; role playing, etc., At all times, immediate and detailed feedback will be given.
- Module tests occur, every three weeks, at the end of the preliminary module, and each subsequent module. There is no specific exam on the last module, rather the material will be covered more prominently in the final exam.
Module tests last one hour, and are taken in the MLRC or Porter Hall 225C (1st and 3rd tests) and online (2nd and 4th tests). At all times, you are asked to respect the following rules :
- no outside help (friend, colleague, roommate, etc.,)
- no use of dictionnaries, grammar or class material, unless specifically directed by your teacher.
Non respect of these simple and essential rules will be referred to appropriate channels. See the university policy.
- The Final Exam will be taken online, in the MLRC, during the regular exam period . It will include a variety of components covering all aspects of this class. As previously indicated, the last module will figure more prominently. It will last 3 hours.
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