Professor: A Ngamaleu

Office Hours: Thursday 5pm-6pm (and by appointment)

Required Materials: Amon, Muyskens, Omaggio Hadley, Vis-à-vis: Beginning French. 8th Edition. McGraw Hill.

Course Objectives
This course is designed to help students learn French by focusing on four fundamental language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Oral activities, listening exercises, written work, reading assignments, and cultural experiences (through video and film) will improve facility to speak and understand both spoken and written French. In addition, the study of grammar, vocabulary, and communication skills will be organized around an engaging and dynamic introduction to a variety of Francophone cultures around the world, from France and Wallonie, to Québec and Martinique, to Senegal and Morocco.

Access to Connect will be needed daily to complete homework assignments and prepare for class: connect.mheducation.com.

When indicated on the syllabus, students will complete the assigned exercises, and the instructor will verify that the homework is completed at the end of the semester.

Daily Preparation Before Class

The successful acquisition of a foreign language requires daily, methodical, accumulated study and practice. Exchange of emails or phone numbers, and the formation of study groups are encouraged. Before every class, students are expected to: 1. Prepare the assigned pages in the Vis-à-vis textbook (indicated by TB in the syllabus) by reading them over and familiarizing themselves with the grammar, material, and vocabulary. 2. Complete the assigned exercises in Connect (indicated by WB in the syllabus).

Practicing oral communication will be the focus of class meetings, which are intended to provide opportunities to use what has been already studied at home. In class, only brief summaries of grammar and vocabulary will be given. The explanations in Vis-à-vis allow students to learn rules and forms before class. Class time will thus be spent mainly on activities that develop interactive communication in French and reinforce the vocabulary and structures that have been studied.

The class will meet three times a week. Each class is 75 minutes. Daily attendance, punctuality, and active participation are absolutely required. A student who misses class should inform the instructor in advance (in person or by email) and be prepared to present written documentation. Late arrivals disrupt class and are disrespectful to classmates and to the instructor. Lateness and absences will have serious effects on the final grade. Two late arrivals count as an absence. After two unexcused absences, each additional unexcused absence will lower the participation grade by one point. A student who accumulates five unexcused absences gets a failing grade (F) for the course. Participation means active, daily, energetic involvement in class and is essential for building communication skills. Participation means active, daily, energetic involvement in class and is essential for building communication skills.