French 121

Prerequisite:
Students with a placement score between 380 and 440 on the French Achievement Exam (SAT II) or between 18 and 29 on the online placement exam should enroll in French 121. All students who have studied French elsewhere are required to take the placement test. (Students who completed French 110 at Penn should enroll in French 120).

Required Texts: (Available in the textbook section of the Penn Bookstore - 36th and Walnut)

Authors: Bragger & Rice. Je veux bien (second edition) Manuel de classe
Je veux bien. (second edition) Manuel de préparation
(plus accompanying Student CDs)

Course Description:
French 121 is an intensive one-semester language course for students who have had some French before but who can benefit from a complete review of elementary French. This course will provide a re-introduction of the basic structures of French with intensive work on speaking and listening designed to prepare students to take Intermediate French. Due to the nature of the course, the first half will progress rapidly with much more difficult material being presented after the midterm period.
As in other French courses, class will be conducted entirely in French. You will be guided through a variety of communicative activities in class which will expose you to rich input of spoken French and lead you from structured practice to free expression. You will be given frequent opportunity to practice your newly acquired vocabulary and grammatical structures in small group and pair work which simulate real-life situations. The course will introduce you to French and Francophone culture through authentic materials including written documents, simple articles, songs, films, videos, and taped conversations between native speakers. Out-of-class homework will require practice with CDs as well as regular writing practice. The course will also invite you to explore the Francophone world on the Internet.

Goals:
By the end of this course you should be able to meet a variety of day-to-day needs in a French-speaking setting and to handle a range of basic travel transactions. You will be able to engage in simple conversations on familiar topics such as family, weather, daily routine, leisure activities, etc. You will begin to be able to talk about the past and the future, make comparisons, describe people and things in increasing detail. You will develop reading skills that should allow you to get the gist of simple articles from the French press and you will feel more able to pick out information when you hear native speakers talking in a simple fashion about topics familiar to you. In addition to learning much practical information about life in France, you will gain a general familiarity with a variety of Francophone countries and areas such as Senegal, Quebec, the Ivory Coast, Guadeloupe, and Tunisia.

Required Work
Attendance: Regular attendance in class is required. Roll will be taken on a daily basis. You are allowed a maximum of five absences during the semester. Your instructor will talk to you after three absences and send a note of warning to your school office after four absences. After five absences your grade will be lowered. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to find out assignments and be prepared for class. Students are expected to come to class on time. Repeated tardiness will be counted towards an absence.
Oral Preparation: Because of the heavy emphasis on the development of oral and listening comprehension skills in this course, it will not be sufficient to study the assignments silently from the book at home. Oral exercises will be assigned regularly and these should be prepared out loud before coming to class. Student CDs are included with the Manuel de Préparation which will enable you to do most of your listening assignments at home. You may also be required to prepare some additional assignments at the Multi-Media Center. You can expect to do up to 1-2 hours of work outside of class for every hour in class. Your performance on these prepared exercises will be graded.
Written Homework: Written homework will consist of both grammar exercises as well as some longer compositions. All written homework (exercises and compositions) must be handed in on time. They will be accepted late only if you are ill.

Tests
Chapter Tests: There will be a total of three written unit tests
Quizzes: You will have weekly quizzes on Fridays. You may also have other quizzes which may not be announced in advance.
Listening tests: Your listening comprehension skills will be tested on three separate occasions throughout the semester
Oral tests: You will have two orals which will be individually scheduled with your instructor, one at midterm time, and the other at the end of the semester.
Final Exam: The written portion of the final exam will consist of a composition, a reading comprehension and a grammar component.
NOTE: THERE ARE NO MAKE-UP TESTS. IF YOU MISS ONE YOU WILL RECEIVE A 0.

Final Grade:
Written tests - 15%
Quizzes - 25%
Final exam - 15%
Composition - 10%
Oral and listening tests - 15%
Class preparation and participation - 20%

Grading Scale:  

MMETS (Multimedia Center):
The Je veux bien textbook series is sold as a package with a complete set of compact discs and students generally work on the audio components of their assignments at home. However, teachers may assign other listening or recording work in the MMETS center in the basement of David Rittenhouse Labs (33rd and Walnut). As a Penn student, you also have access to a variety of French instructional videos and cassettes for listening comprehension practice, and a large collection of French movies in the Van Pelt Library.

The Department Home Page:
Consult the Romance Languages Department Home Page for information on additional resources, such as local radio and TV programming in French, sources for French-language magazines and newspapers, or even French pastires. The page also has links to selected WWW sites which can enrich your study of the language. Under the section of Basic Language Programs, there is a page specifically for French 121 wichi contains the course description, the calendar for the semester, as well as other material pertinent to the course. Each section of French 121 will have a class session scheduled in a computer lab at MMETS at the beginning of the semester, where you will be introduced to these and other internet resources.

The Maison Française:
The Maison Française, part of the Modern Languages Residential Program of Gregory House, is located in the Class of 1925 building, 3940 Locust Walk. It hosts French film screenings that are free and open to the Penn community every Thursday night at 8pm. There is a weekly coffee hour or "pause café" for anyone who would like to speak French on Mondays from 7:30-8:30pm. It is also possible to join the residents for dinner any weeknight between 6:00 and 7:00 in 1925 Commons. For further details on these and other activities, click on the above link (The Maison française).

Tutoring Support:
Students who would like additional help with their language studies should contact the Penn Tutoring and Learning Resource Center at 3820 Locust Walk. The Center organizes regular sessions for walk-in help in a number of residences in addition to providing one-on-one tutoring.

Language Direct:
This is a new effort of the Wheel Project sponsored by the Modern Languages Program which will provide on-line tutorial help. Students can seek help on their study of French by e-mail at any time of day or night and receive a response within 24 hours. Language Direct will also organize on-site tutorials in the Modern Languages House that are keyed toward major exams such as the final. Consult their internet site (link above).

Study Abroad:
The University of Pennsylvania strongly encourages students to take advantage of the variety of opportunities for study abroad. Summer, semester, and year-long programs in France and Francophone countires are sponsored by Penn-Summer-Abroad (3440 Market St., Suite 100, Tel: 8-7028) and the Office of International Programs (133 Bennett Hall, Tel: 8-4661). The Penn-in-Tours program offers an intensive intermediate course (French 134) which affords students who have completed French 121 an attractive option for attaining proficiency in French in a six-week summer program in France. Contact the program director, Kathryn K. McMahon, or visit the Web site.

Director of the French Language Program:

Kathryn K. McMahon
Williams 532
898-7440

French 121 Coordinator:

Carina Ferreira
Williams 449
573-2314