• This course assumes considerable prior exposure to French language study (through FRE 1050/1060 or the equivalent).
• The focus will be on developing and honing the students' skills and familiarity with French conversational strategies in real-life, contextualized situations in order to promote heightened proficiency in not only listening comprehension and speaking, but also in reading, writing, and certain cultural aspects of the French-speaking (francophone) world. 
• By the end of French 2010, students may expect to have attained a level of linguistic competence allowing them to engage in various communicative atmospheres with linguistic accuracy and facility.
• In addition to homework and preparation for quizzes and exams, students should be prepared to contribute to the learning environment of the classroom as a whole and to participate in daily group/partner activities.

• Lively, Williams, and Harper. Liens en paroles. Boston : Heinle & Heinle, 1994.
• Access to email and internet browser for messaging / chatroom usage.
• Photocopies distributed periodically.
• CD : Un Meurtre à Cinet.

• Class Participation / Attendance
• Oral Interviews (3)
• Homework / Un Meurtre à Cinet

• Written Exams (2) 
• In-class Debate (1)
• Video projects (2)

Rationale : Many language skills (e.g. listening comprehension, pronunciation, and self-expression) are difficult, if not impossible, to acquire in isolation.  The number of contact hours spent manipulating a foreign language is directly related to the success each student has in learning that language.  Cultural immersion aside, the classroom is often the arena that affords the most opportunities for contextualized language use.  To ensure that students take full advantage of the classroom environment, the following attendance policy has been adopted :

1. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class session.
2. A student arriving to class after roll has been called will be counted as absent.
3. Each student is permitted two (2) unexcused absences without penalty.
4. Each unexcused absence beyond the second will result in the reduction of the course grade by one (1) percentage point.  (Example: A student whose average is 91 [A-], but who has 4 unexcused absences, will receive an 89 [B+] for the course).
5. Serious illness, family emergencies, or conflict with a university-sponsored activity (athletics, music groups, etc.) may be excusable with documentation.  Such cases will be handled on an individual basis.
6. Make-up policy : Eligibility to make up quizzes and exams is reserved for those who supply documentation for their absence and/or have made prior arrangements to reschedule such work.
7. Absence from class on one day does not excuse lack of preparation on the following day.  Students are responsible for contacting the instructor to learn of important announcements, assignments, etc. made during their absence.

• To encourage active and meaningful engagement in class, each student will periodically (every 3 weeks) receive an evaluation of his/her participation.
• A student's participation in French-related campus/regional events is strongly encouraged.
• The weekly French Conversation Group, (A Table!) : http://www.appstate.edu/~laneme/table.html
• The French Club, (Le Cercle français) : http://www.geocities.com/asufrancais/
• French films included in the International Film Festival : http://www.appstate.edu/~laneme/filmfest.html
are examples of opportunities that students may profit from to engage in French Studies beyond the classroom environment.
• Each of the aforementioned evaluations is based on a 50-point scale. Thus, 50 points x 5 evaluations = 250 total possible points for participation (25 % of course grade)

• Each student will undergo three oral interviews (one per five-week period) with the instructor by appointment. Relatively informal in nature, the interviews will be evaluated based on the spontaneity, creativity, and grammatical appropriateness of the student's French language usage. The purpose of these interviews is threefold:
• 1) They assist the instructor in gauging the student's progress on the path of linguistic competency in French by providing a substantial (~10 minutes) and concentrated (individualized) conversational base;
• 2) They provide those students who are hesitant at times to speak in class the opportunity to express themselves more comfortably;
• 3) They present an occasion for students to pause and recognize how much they have learned throughout the course of the semester.
• The first interview will be arranged on a one-to-one basis between the student and instructor.
• The second will be arranged between the instructor and pairs of students.
• The third will be arranged between the instructor and students in groups of three/four.

• The majority of class time will be devoted to interactive application of the materials presented in or to discussion of texts read for homework; therefore, it is expected that each student be prepared by carefully reading the assigned materials prior to coming to class.
• Homework assignments need not be typed, but should be submitted in legible handwriting.
• Written work is to be submitted at the beginning of the class session for which it has been assigned.  It is expected that no homework be late; in rare instances when a student is absent from class, s/he should remember to hand in the assignment in class the next day or the work will be considered late.  Late homework will receive no credit.
• Most homework will be related to the murder mystery game, Un Meurtre à Cinet (details forthcoming).

• Two written exams will be administered in this course.  While each exam will focus on the material covered since the previous exam, it should be remembered that language is inherently cumulative (you didn’t forget words you used when you were three just because you learned others when you were four...).
• Exams will measure the students’ use of French conversational strategies in a variety of forms (writing, listening, speaking, and reading components) as well as assess their knowledge of cultural components introduced throughout the course.

• In groups of three, students will prepare a debate on a subject drawn from the list of possible topics below (or may suggest another topic to their liking). Each student will assume a different role in the debate : supporting (pro), derailing (con), or moderating (neutral). Groups will be responsible for presenting any new vocabulary relevant to their topic to the class, for detailing their position, and for addressing questions to and from the class as a whole.
• Prior to the debates, students will receive a detailed description of the format to be followed.
• A "mock" debate will be arranged in the early weeks of the semester to afford students an opportunity to practice and fully understand the format for subsequent debates.
• Possible Debate Topics :

• Students, working in groups, will create two short skits (to be videotaped by the instructor); the first of these will be a reenactment of events drawn from Un Meutre à Cinet, the second a television commercial.

• It is the instructor’s policy to actively enforce the “Code of Academic Integrity” as outlined in the University’s General Bulletin (p. 34).  Students are asked to please familiarize themselves with the university’s definition of and stance regarding academic dishonesty.
• Students who may require exceptional classroom or evaluation environments (due to a learning disability, physical impairment, or the like) are asked to identify themselves to the instructor at the onset of the course, so that modified or alternative accommodations may be arranged.