French 101A CSULB

Fundamentals of French
Fall 2014
Instructor: Nicolas Bordage
Email:nicolasbordage@hotmail.com
Classroom: CBA Room 114
Section: 01

Office: AS 324
Office Hours: Mo/We 1:15-1:45 PM
Day/Time: Mo/We 2:00-3:50 PM
Course #: 3392

REQUIRED TEXTS AND MATERIALS:

Chez nous. (4th Edition) Valdman, Pons, and Scullen. Pearson-Prentice Hall, 2013 (with
access code to MyFrenchLab)
PREREQUISITES:
French 101A has no prerequisites. This course is designed for non-native speakers, that is,
students who have not studied French before and do not speak any French. If you have taken
French courses previously or speak even a small amount of French, please speak to your
instructor and/or the Language Coordinator about the possibility of enrolling in a course at
another level.
PREPARATION:
Since this is a four-unit course, the university requires a minimum of eight hours of outside
preparation per week. However, the amount of time necessary to be adequately prepared for class
will vary from student to student depending on a number of factors.
COURSE GOALS:
French 101A is the first course in a four-semester language sequence. This course is designed to
introduce you to the French language and the cultures where French is spoken. A variety of
classroom and laboratory activities will introduce and develop French language skills in four
areas: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Reading and writing activities will reinforce and
expand on the vocabulary and concepts presented and provide further cultural insights. As the
semester progresses, you will be able to comprehend and communicate in French at increasingly
complex levels. By the end of the term you will be able to participate in basic everyday
conversations, understand short texts, and express yourself in writing at a level consistent with
the material covered.
Language is communication. Do not be overly concerned when you make errors or stop yourself
when you detect an error. It takes time and practice to learn a new language. The instructor and
your classmates are more interested in what you have to say than in how correctly you can say it.
Above all, remember that acquiring a new language is exciting and rewarding, so enjoy
yourself!
GRADE DISTRIBUTION:

Participation (20%)
Since attaining communicative competence is the primary goal of this course, you must be
willing and prepared to express and share ideas with your instructor and classmates and to
cooperate in any group activities. Please be punctual. Tardiness is disruptive and disrespectful
both to your classmates and to the instructor.
Please note that simply attending class does not earn you better than a D grade.
Participation means to be actively and cooperatively involved in the classroom session.
Your participation grade is composed of the following two elements: 10 classroom activities
(10%) and a quantitative and qualitative assessment of your participation in class by the
instructor (10%).
You earn the first 10% of your participation grade through 10 classroom activities throughout the
semester. These activities are collected and graded. If you miss them, you will receive a 0 (zero)
for participation on that particular day. These activities may or may not be announced by your
instructor.
The second 10% of your participation grade are based on your instructors assessment of your
participation in class during the entire semester.
Absence or tardiness is not an acceptable excuse for missing classroom activities, quizzes, tests,
or assignment deadlines. It is the students responsibility to consult the calendar, syllabus, and/or
announcements for this course on BeachBoard or contact the instructor to discuss the possibility
of making up the work that was missed. Arriving late or leaving early (more than 30 minutes)
will be counted as half an absence. Classroom activities cannot be made up.
Homework (10%)
Homework assignments from MyFrenchLab and the textbook are intended to prepare,
complement, and reinforce the work done in class. Completing the exercises and readings
before coming to class will only benefit and ease the learning process, while failing to do so will
only make it more difficult for you to keep up with the work. All assignments must be
completed and turned in as assigned by your instructor. No late written work will be accepted.
The Student Activities Manual (MyFrenchLab) is available online. You should take advantage of
this very sophisticated online learning tool. It combines the traditional Student Workbook, a
dictionary, pronunciation help, grammar tutorials for both English and French, flashcards, and
other interesting and useful features in one system. Your instructor will check your computergraded homework online but may ask you to complete certain assignments in writing. Please
consult the course calendar and the calendar on MyFrenchLab on a daily basis for the due dates
of each homework assignment. Do not wait until the last day to work on the homework. While it
is possible to experience occasional technical difficulties with computers, this is not an
excuse for not turning in your homework on time.
Compositions (15%)
As part of your written work this semester, you will also be asked to write 2 (two) compositions
on topics related to your class work and readings. They will be evaluated on their organization,
grammar and content. Your compositions should be clearly organized (with your name, class,
and the assignment information), double-spaced and typed.
Quizzes (15%)

There will be 5 short quizzes throughout the semester. These quizzes are intended to test your
preparation for class (vocabulary, grammar and some cultural knowledge). If you do your
homework assignments on a regular basis, it will be easy for you to do very well on these
quizzes. Quizzes cannot be made up unless they are covered by an excused or documented
absence!
Exams (20%)
There will be two (2) in-class exams. Exam 1 is a traditional exam that tests your knowledge of
grammar, vocabulary, and culture by means of a variety of exercises. Exam 2 is a Dialogue
Exam in which we ask you to compose a conversation between two people based on a given
situation or task. Please consult the course outline posted by your instructor for the dates of these
three exams.
Comprehensive Final Exam (15%)
The final exam will be comprehensive but will emphasize the material covered after Exam 1.
Final exams are scheduled by the university. Please read the following statement carefully!
The University requires that every class include a final exam except certain activity classes
for which the dean of the college authorizes an exception. No instructor may change the
scheduled time for a final exam without authorization from the dean of the college. Always
check the final exam schedule before you register for your classes! The final exam schedule
for Spring 2014 is available on the universitys website at www.csulb.edu.
Please note: If it is impossible for you to take a scheduled exam or a quiz, or turn in a
composition on the due day because of a medical or other emergency, you must provide
your instructor with a valid written excuse. Please refer to Excused Absences below for
further information.
Skit (5%)
During the last week of the semester, your instructor will ask you to do a little skit or
conversation (with partner/s). If you participate actively in all classroom activities, you should be
more than adequately prepared to do well on this little exercise.
Language lab [LAB 305 and 306]:
You may complete assignments in the language lab, in any computer lab on campus, or at home.
While language lab attendance is not a requirement, we encourage you to use the lab because it
offers many useful resources (you might find a tutor there or other students who learn the same
language; you can also use the lab to practice your skit or write your compositions).

GRADE DISTRIBUTION:
Participation:
Homework:
Compositions:
Quizzes:
Exams (2):
Skit:

20 %
10 %
15 %
15 %
20 %
5%

GRADING SCALE:
90 - 100
A
80 - 89
B
70 - 79
C
60 - 69
D
Below 60
F

Final:

15 %

COURSE CALENDAR: Your instructor will post a course calendar on BeachBoard. This calendar
contains the dates for the exams, the skit, the final exam and other pertinent information. The instructor
can make changes to the calendar and will notify you should this be the case.

OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION:

Communication between instructor and students:
It is the students responsibility to maintain a valid email address throughout the semester. The
instructor will post pertinent course information on BeachBoard on a regular basis and the
students need to check both BeachBoard and their email frequently. If students are unable to
attend a scheduled exam (see course calendar and the final exam schedule) due to a medical or
other emergency, they have to notify the instructor as soon as they can by email or phone.
BeachBoard and the CSULB Technology Help Desk (AS 120):
The Help Desk can assist you with a wide range of computer-related issues and problems
including: operating systems, remote connection to CSULB, Microsoft Desktop
applications, anti-virus software, and Internet- and Web-related topics. Contact the Help
Desk by phone, e-mail or on the web.
Phone: (562) 985-4959
E-mail:helpdesk@csulb.edu Web: helpdesk.csulb.edu
Withdrawal Policy:
It is the students responsibility to withdraw from classes. Instructors have no obligation to
withdraw students who do not attend courses, and may choose not to do so.
The students should consult the Schedule of Classes for the various withdrawal deadlines.
Withdrawal from a course during the final three weeks of instruction requires the signature of the
instructor, the department chair, and the dean of the college and is permissible only for serious
and compelling reasons. [Severe or extensive medical problems would be a reason to withdraw
after the deadline, but the possibility or fear of receiving a final grade lower than desired, or a
change in ones work schedule are not considered serious and compelling reasons]
Cheating and Plagiarism:
It is expected that the work you submit for this class will be your own and that when it is not you
will give credit to the source by using quotation marks, footnotes or some other form of
reference. General definitions of what constitutes cheating and plagiarism and the measures the
university may take in such cases are given in the Schedule of Classes, pages 51 and 52. For
example, using the Internet (services such as Babel Fish or Googles translate service) to
translate English compositions into French or having somebody proofread (meaning
correcting) your work constitutes a form of cheating and the work will not be accepted as your
own (in addition to receiving 0 credit, instances of cheating will be brought to the attention of the
Office of Judicial Affairs).
Use of cell phones, computers, pads, or any other electronic devices:
As a member of the learning community, each student has a responsibility to other students who
are members of this community. When cell phones ring and students respond in class or leave
class to respond, it disrupts the lesson. Therefore, the use by students of cell phones or similar
communication devices during scheduled classes is not allowed. All such devices must be

turned off or put in a silent (vibrate) mode and ordinarily should not be taken out during class.
Given the fact that these same communication devices are an integral part of the Universitys
emergency notification system, an exception to this policy would occur when numerous devices
activate simultaneously. When this occurs, students may consult their devices to determine if a
university emergency exists. If that is not the case, the devices should be immediately returned
to silent mode and put away.
Students are permitted to use computers during class for note-taking, other class-related work or
for using their e-book. Those students using their cell phones or computers for activities that are
not related to the work done in class (such as texting, emailing, checking the internet, etc.) must
leave the classroom and the student will be marked as absent.
Excused Absences:
Students may have a valid reason to miss a class. Students are responsible for informing their
instructor of the reason for the absence. For a list of acceptable reasons to miss a class, the
student should consult the current CSULB Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog. In case a
student misses a scheduled test or other assignment due to a serious emergency, s/he must
provide the instructor with a valid written excuse before s/he will be allowed to make up that
examination. A valid excuse will include the date(s) and reason for the absence from class as
well as the name and phone number (and other appropriate information) of the doctor or other
person who can be contacted to verify this information. Your instructor will not accept
documentation that is illegible or incomplete.
Students with Disabilities:
Students with disabilities who need assistance or modification to the Universitys programs
and/or activities should inform their instructor (or the Language Coordinator) immediately upon
knowing that such modification is necessary. You should discuss your request for reasonable
accommodation in academic courses with the instructor (or Language Coordinator) and with the
Office of Disabled Students Services, located in Brotman Hall 270, telephone (562) 985-5401. If
the modification or accommodation provided is inappropriate or insufficient, you may seek the
assistance of the Office of Equity and Diversity.
NB: Disability cannot be claimed retroactively for work or exams already completed in this
course.
Problems and concerns:
Any problems or concerns you may have regarding this course should first be presented to your
instructor. If the issue remains unresolved, make an appointment to discuss the matter with
Dr. Oliva, Language Coordinator, German, Russian Languages and Literatures Department.
Dr. Cedric Joseph Oliva

Office:
Email:

AS 342
cedric.oliva@csulb.edu

NB: Under no circumstances can changes be made to this syllabus without the consent of
Dr. Cedric Joseph Oliva or Dr. Markus Muller.