FRENCH 507 COURSE INFORMATION

(PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!)

 

Introduction:  The information offered below is intended to serve as a kind of “user’s manual” for participants, explaining in detail the various components of the course—specific tasks to be carried out each week, projects due toward the end of the semester, guidelines for posting messages on the website, etc.  Please note that French 507 in its present form is 100% online.  There are no class sessions on campus.  I am, however, always available to discuss concerns, questions, and problems. (See below)

Graduate vs. Undergraduate Requirements:  Since 507 is open to undergraduate as well as graduate students, please note that the requirements vary according to the student’s status.  Undergraduate students should pay special attention to the information on the Travail Pratique and the final paper, provided below.

The Role of the Instructor:   Given the format and delivery of an online course, it is to be expected that the role of the instructor will differ sharply from that of a more conventional course.  A great deal of the organizational and evaluative work takes place “behind the scenes,” and consequently the instructor is much less visible than in a traditional classroom course. My job is (1) to organize the material into coherent units  (2) to monitor the work of students as they progress through these units  (3) to contribute to threaded discussion where appropriate (mainly in the follow-up segment of the discussion forum), while not attempting to lead the discussion in any predetermined direction  (4) to address individual problems and questions as they arise  (5) to assess student progress and contributions, both by monitoring weekly postings, and by evaluating the written work submitted toward the end of the semester.

Even though my presence will not be intrusive, please remember that I am continually reading, noting, and evaluating all posted work, and that I am always available for consultation.  The best way to contact me is by e-mail, although I am always happy to talk by phone or schedule an office appointment. I will contact you personally if I become aware of any issues that require your attention.

Please check your UNCG email account on a regular basis. This is always how I will contact you.

General Guidelines for Posted Comments

  1. Please adhere closely to the suggested parameters for length.  If your comments are consistently too long or too short, I will ask you to adjust accordingly.
  2. All comments must be posted by Thursday night (12:00 a.m.).  You will not receive credit for any comments posted after the deadline.  Follow-up comments in the discussion forums must be posted no later than Saturday night (12:00 a.m.).
  3. Please make an effort to read all postings.  You will need to visit the website on a regular basis to be sure you don’t miss any of the discussion.
  4. Please remember that one of the primary objectives of this course is to foster discussion among the participants.  When making comments, try to take into account points that other participants have raised.  While you should try to avoid duplication, you may wish to offer substantiation for some comments, or raise questions concerning others.  I will be looking for evidence that participants are listening to each other, and are reacting thoughtfully to other points of view.
  5. If you disagree with another participant, please make an effort to remain tolerant and respectful of opposing points of view.
  6. Remember that all of your postings will be read, monitored, and evaluated, and will constitute an important part of your final grade.  Repeated failure to make all required postings, postings of inappropriate length, or late postings will adversely affect your final grade.
  7. Please follow the schedule set out in the calendar.  For this online course to function effectively, it is essential that all participants follow the same schedule.  Please do not make any postings on units that have not yet been covered, or on units whose posting deadline is already past.
  8. All posted comments must be in French.
  9. You may wish to contact participants directly by e-mail in order to follow up on certain issues of mutual interest—teaching techniques, pedagogical materials, websites, etc.  You are welcome to use the e-mail address list for this purpose.  Please do not contact other participants on the website.
  10. You are welcome to contact me directly with your questions and concerns. Again, please do not use the website for this purpose.
  11. Be sure to check the announcement section of the website on a regular basis.  This will be the only means used to communicate matters of interest and importance to the entire class.
  12. If, for any reason, you are unable to meet any of the deadlines or requirements for this course, you should communicate with me immediately by e-mail or phone.

Electronic Bibliography:  All articles on electronic reserve may be accessed online under the relevant topical area.

Required Weekly Work:

1.  Discussion Forum  Each unit will include a general discussion question.  In the general discussion, after reflecting on the question and reading the responses already posted by other participants, you should post a  substantial comment (approximately 125-150 words).  You may wish to agree or disagree with previously expressed points of view. Once all the initial comments have been posted (Thursday night, 12:00 a.m.), you will be expected to post a brief follow-up comment (25-50 words).  A follow-up comment is a reply to a posting made by someone else in the class.  This comment must be posted by Saturday night (12:00 a.m.).

2. Bibliography Discussion: After reading the assigned article for each unit, participants will post a brief statement (50-75 words) reflecting on the ereserves article. You may wish to point to parts of the article with which you agree or disagree, comment on ways in which the ideas might be concretely implemented, or discuss related issues and implications. In some cases I’ve provided a leading question, while in other cases the discussion is left completely open.

3. Pedagogical Activity:  Each unit will also include at least one question related to a pedagogical feature of the text. You will be expected to post a brief comment (50-75 words).  If you are asked to suggest a pedagogical activity, you need not design an entire exercise. You may simply describe how you would structure the activity and/or provide one or two sample questions by way of illustration.  If you feel that the range of possible exercises has been exhausted by those who have already responded, you may wish to limit your remarks to evaluations of those activities you find most interesting, providing refinements and suggestions for possible improvement, where appropriate. No follow-up comment is required.

4. Website Search You will be expected to locate a website related to the text under discussion, and to post the site along with a brief annotation. Before you post your site, please visit the previously posted sites in order to avoid duplication.  Remember that the site must somehow complement the text under discussion, but need not be strictly related to the work of the author.  The work of a poet from a Francophone country, for example, might be complemented by a website related to the country/culture of origin.  Please Note:  The collection and assessments of websites is mandatory, and will be evaluated as part of the final grade. 

The website search area where you post your websites works just like a regular discussion board. When you click to add a thread to the discussion, type in your annotation in the Message field, and copy the full address of the website (including the "http://"). Right-click in the Message area and choose to "Paste" the copied web address into the field. Then submit your message.

Grading:   The final grade will be based on the following:

            Posted Comments (websites, articles, pedagogical issues)         20%

            Follow-up Comments in Discussion Forums                                    20%

            Travail Pratique                                                                                    30%

            Final Paper                                                                                           30%

Projects:

Travail Pratique   You will choose five literary texts, either from Architextes (but not texts included in the syllabus) or from other sources, that you consider suitable for integration into introductory/intermediate-level language courses.  For each text, include the following:

Each of the five units should be 1 ½-2 pages in length, not including the text (to be included in the appendix), for a total length of 8-10 pages (not including appendix), double-spaced, standard font size. Please adhere closely to these parameters.  Papers that are too long or too short may be returned for revision.  This project will be due approximately one month before the end of the semester, on October 27th, and may be submitted in hard copy or as an e-mail attachment. Please feel free to consult me by e-mail if you have any questions.

Undergraduate Version of Travail Pratique:  Three units (each, 1 ½-2 pages in length) for a total of 5-6 pages (not including appendix).

Final Paper  This paper should focus on one particular aspect of teaching language/culture through literature.  It may be an issue that has been covered in a threaded discussion, or a topic that has not been directly addressed during the course.  The subject must relate generally to the teaching of literature, and must be submitted for approval before you begin work.  The paper will include two components:

1. A theoretical section outlining the basic issues under discussion, defining and addressing various problems and challenges related to these issues, and proposed strategies for resolving these problems.  Some bibliographic sources should be cited here.

2. An outline of the presentation of a particular text.  If you are dealing with the teaching of poetry, for example, you may wish to focus your presentation on one particular poem or a series of short poems.  This part of your paper will be similar in format to the presentations included in your Travail Pratique,  but will cover the text in much greater depth and detail. 

The paper should be 10-12 pages in length, not counting the text, which should be included in a separate appendix (double-spaced, standard font size, may be submitted in hard copy as an e-mail attachment.)  Again, it is important to stay within the indicated range of length.  Papers that fall outside the range may be returned for revision, resulting in a grade of “Incomplete.”

Both the Travail Pratique and the final paper are to be written entirely in French.

Undergraduate Version of Final Paper:  The paper should be 6-7 pages in length.  All other criteria apply.

Questions?  Need Help?  If you have any questions or concerns related to the course, please feel free to contact me.  E-mail is the most efficient form of communication (dafein@uncg.edu).  I monitor my e-mail constantly, and try to reply as quickly as possible to all queries.

If you are experiencing any technical problems with the course (e.g., if you are having difficulty posting messages), please contact Anita Warfford (aawarffo@uncg.edu). 

How to Submit Your Travail Pratique and Final Paper

I can accept your written assignments as Microsoft Word documents. If you do not have a version of Microsoft Word, you can type your assignments in a basic text editor. If you use a PC, you can type your paper in Notepad or WordPad. Both of these programs come loaded on PCs. You can find them by going to START>PROGRAMS>ACCESSORIES. Both programs recognize foreign characters, however Notepad will not recognize any formatting such as bold and italics, so WordPad would be preferable.

If you use a Macintosh, you can type your assignments in Simpletext. Simpletext will also recognize foreign characters, although it will not allow for more advanced formatting such as bold and italics.

Submit your assignments to me as email attachments (dafein@uncg.edu).

IMPORTANT: Please make certain that your computer is not infected by any viruses. If you are taking an online course, it is strongly recommended that you invest in Anti-Virus software. Computer viruses are spread most often through email and if your computer becomes infected, you could lose all of your computer files.

Post Your Biographical Information

Before beginning the first unit, please post a brief personal introduction. With a short statement (about 100 words) in French, introduce yourself and share whatever information you would like the other participants to know about you.  Since contact between participants will be limited to online interaction, it may be useful to know a little about the people whom you will be engaging in discussion.

To create your post, click on the Syllabus link in the lefthand Blackboard navigation for the course. At the top of the Syllabus page, you will see a link called "First Assignment Discussion." Click on that link, and then click the button to "Add New Thread." Type in your subject, the message, and then click Submit.