LAST UPDATED: 2018-06-26

Course information may be subject to change over the course of the term; the most up-to-date official version will be the one here on this site. Details of the weekly schedule may vary somewhat from section to section and from instructor to instructor, but following the same general structure and order.

The full course description and syllabus here below is for all sections of FREN 102 in general: some details will vary between winter and summer sessions, in winter sessions between daytime and evening sections, and from section to section and instructor to instructor.

QUICK NAVIGATION

• content & objectives
• eligibility
• required textbook & course materials
• modes of assessment & distribution of marks; work & expectations:
  
• advice & assistance
• co-ordinator contact information
• policies
• UBC admin information (warnings about the final examination, dates for withdrawal from the course without / with a W on one’s transcript)
• general weekly schedule: The general schedule is intended to help you plan and organize your work, and prepare properly for class, week by week.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

CONTENT & OBJECTIVES

FREN 102 is the second part of a pair of beginners’ French courses (after 101, for absolute beginners), of a “blended” and “enriched” approach. The objective of the course is the acquisition of basic comprehension, communication, and writing skills. It aims to provide students with a solid grounding in French grammar and the development of an awareness of the language’s structures, and to act as a useful introduction to French and Francophone culture. The course involves six hours a week of classroom work plus online practice exercises, homework, and preparation. FREN 102 takes students to around CEFR level A1.

READ ALSO (THE RULES):

• general aims & objectives
• expectations

ELIGIBILITY

FREN 102 is the second in a sequence of courses for true beginners. It follows on from FREN 101, which is a course for beginners and as such is intended and designed for people who have no prior knowledge of French. Generally speaking, students may not earn academic credit for any course below the level for which they have qualified by previous study.

UBC’s French course sequence should be taken in order and one course at a time: it is preceded by 101 (or equivalent taken elsewhere) and followed by 111 and 112 (FREN 112 satisfies the UBC Faculty of Arts language requirement); then 122, 123, 222, and so on. See further: http://fhis.ubc.ca/undergraduate-french-program/advising-french/

FREN 102 is probably the right course for you if:

• you have successfully completed FREN 101 (or the equivalent at another institution)
• or you have successfully completed French 10 (or the equivalent)
• or you have successfully completed French 11 (or equivalent) more than five years ago.

Not sure which course you should be taking?
What level of French course should you be in?
Will this course satisfy your degree language and/or distribution requirements?
Will you get credit for taking this class?
→ TO FIND ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS, PLEASE READ: placement / which French course to take.

SYLLABUS

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK & COURSE MATERIALS
(one item, for both FREN 101 and 102)

Manley, Smith, McMinn, Prévost
Horizons (6th edition)
Cengage: 2015

EITHER

• ISBN 9780176699406
  = custom softbound textbook
  + iLrn access code a.k.a. book key (on a card/sheet of paper in the “custom pack” package)
  available from the UBC Bookstore

OR

• ISBN 9781285457444
  = just the iLrn access code: no printed textbook (cheaper) purely online version

Both versions include an access code / book key, giving access to the Horizons online materials at iLrn: http://hlc.quia.com/books:

• Horizons ebook: can also be highlighted, annotated, printed out, etc.
• Horizons electronic student activities manual: online exercises
• further materials online: more exercises, practice, self-tests, audio-enhanced vocabulary flashcards, downloadable grammar & pronunciation tutorials & podcasts, games, puzzles, audio & video, etc.
• CAVEAT EMPTOR: IF PURCHASING PRE-OWNED COURSE MATERIALS, PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOUR ACCESS CODE DOES NOT EXPIRE BEFORE YOUR FINAL EXAM!

Course information and documents, as well as some supplementary materials, are here at https://blogs.ubc.ca/fren102. The most up-to-date official version will be the one at that site.

READ NEXT:

• course materials
• course materials (2): online exercises.: includes step-by-step instructions on accessing iLrn, setting up there and activiting your book key/access code, using your ebook, online exercises, and other online materials

QUICK LINKS:

• your ebook and online exercises are at the iLrn Heinle Learning Center:
  http://hlc.quia.com/books
• course: FREN 102: summer 2018
• your course code: XRPBEP887
• iLrn guide 1: introduction + iLrn guide 2: the online exercises
  = how to use your book key to set up an account and access your online exercise assignments, e-book, etc. + all about the online exercises

MODES OF ASSESSMENT & DISTRIBUTION OF MARKS

• Homework (three short compositions) = 5%*
• Online practice exercises = 5%
• Francophone UBC & Vancouver fieldwork project = 5%*
• Vocabulary quizzes (five) = 5%*
• Oral & aural work = 10%*
• Tests in class (four, of which the best three count) = 30%
• Final examination = 40%

* = these parts (25% in total) of the final grade may be redistributed or reallocated in different ways by individual instructors

WORK & EXPECTATIONS

As is usual with university-level courses, students are expected to attend all of their classes and should also expect to be spending at least 2 hours outside class (regular preparation, homework, and practice) for every hour spent in class. For a six–hour class, that is at least twelve hours’ work; or, a little over an hour every day during the week, and the weekend off.

Language learning requires regular practice: like music, dance, martial arts, and sports. It is better to do some French every day, rather than trying to cram all your homework into one session on Sunday afternoon (also, this wrecks your weekend). FREN 102 has online exercises to provide you with this practice. You are actively encouraged to work on them with a fellow student, peer-to-peer.

BONUS: some useful practical general tips and advice from Timothy Gowers (Mathematics, University of Cambridge) > scroll down to “General study advice”

READ ALSO:

• general expectations and responsibilities in SYLLABUS (II): THE RULES

Homework compositions:

• should be YOUR OWN work, UNASSISTED: you MAY NOT use tutors, Francophone friends, etc. to help. It is important to your learning to make your own mistakes, and to learn from them.
• You MAY use the FHIS Learning Centre; for some assignments, your instructor may ask you to do so
• You may use dictionaries and other resources; some assignments may explicitly ask you to do so
• Topics will be communicated to you at least a week in advance of the due date;
• Forms of writing will vary, and you will always have a choice of form and topic (e.gg. journal, description, review, sketch, story, comment, poem, calligramme, epigram, pastiche, parody, synopsis, collage, photomontage, meme, … ). Short: usually under 50 words.
• There will be three homework compositions
• There may be other composition exercises, in class, contributing to the “quiz” part of your final grade; some of these composition exercises may be individual, and some in groups (ex. preparing skits / sketches)
• Compositions are worth 5% of your final grade*

Online exercises:

• are on iLrn: http://hlc.quia.com/books
  institution = UBC
  course = FREN 102: summer 2018
  course code = XRPBEP887
• PLEASE READ the detailed directions and guidance on how to access iLrn: course materials (2): online 
• Assigned exercises can be done several times
• The deadline for their completion is the day of the final exam
• It is recommended that you work on practice exercises in pairs of peers (but you may work alone or in small study groups of 3-5 fellow FREN 102 students, if you wish to). You may also see the GHIS Learning Centre for help.
• It is recommended that you do exercises regularly, after you have covered the work concerned in class—ideally every day—to reinforce what you have learned in class while it is still fresh in your mind
  • TIP: you may find it useful to redo exercises as revision before that chapter’s test and the final exam
  • TIP: there are also further exercises and extra revision materials on iLrn; these are optional and are not marked – see course materials (2): online 
• Online exercises are worth 5% of your final grade

Francophone UBC & Vancouver fieldwork project:

• May be individual or collaborative (pairs or small groups)
• Further instructions will be provided in week 1 of class
• It is worth 5% of your final grade*

Vocabulary quizzes:

• There will be five quizzes in class: short (5-10 minute) in-class activities, every week except for weeks when you have a test (no quiz that week)
• These are NOT tests: they are short (5-10 minute) in-class activities, “quiz” in the French sense of a game involving questions (like a TV quiz show)
• On the vocabulary of the previous week’s work
• Form and format will vary: individual/pair/team; pop quizzes, games, dictations, short translations, in-class writing, skits/sketches, fieldwork, and other collaborative problem-solving activities
• Worth 5% of your final grade*

Oral and aural work:

• Listening comprehension and pronunciation and speaking practice
• Form and format will vary: individual/pair/team; games, dictations, skits/sketches, fieldwork, etc.
• Worth 10% of you final grade*

Tests:

• there will be four short (10-15 minute) tests in class, in common across all sections:
  —Test 1 on chapter 5
  —Test 2 on chapter 6
  —Test 3 on chapter 7
  —Test 4 on chapter 8
• further details of test form and format, revision guides, plus extra revision materials on iLrn: please read the revision guides 
• the best three tests count
• worth 30% of your final grade (10% each)

Final examination:

• the final examination is two and half hours long, and will take place during the final exam period (August 2018)
• it is cumulative, on everything in FREN 102 and including (as is usual in a language) the foundational grammar, vocabulary, and structures from FREN 101
• It is worth 40% of your final grade.
• further details of exam form and format, revision guides, plus extra revision materials on iLrn: please read the revision guides

* = these parts (25% in total) of the final grade may be redistributed or reallocated in different ways by individual instructors

ADVICE & ASSISTANCE

Your first port of call is your instructor (= the person who teaches you in class), who will hold weekly office hours.

You can also contact your instructor by email; their UBC email addresses are listed at:

• Class times, locations, & contact information

You can also talk to or email the course coordinator:

COORDINATOR:
Dr Juliet O’Brien
Office: Buchanan Tower 728
Office hours: (by appointment; please email to arrange a mutually-convenient time)
Email: juliet.obrien@ubc.ca

This course site also links to resources to help you and for finding help, at UBC resources & useful links:

• French advising via the department
• academic advising in the Faculty of Arts and throughout UBC
• where to find information and help for everything in UBC life: well-being, access and diversity, health, security, finance, being an international student, and any other matters of identity and being…
• UBC policies and procedures, rules and regulations, and the Ombuds office
• if in doubt, if you have any questions or worries about anything, please ask!
  —this course, your class, your instructor, and your coordinator are a safe space and here to help
  —if we don’t know an answer—we’re human—we’ll help you to find someone who does
  —this is a community of care

POLICIES

• Attendance is required.
• In order to pass the course, a student must pass the final examination.
• Although students are strongly encouraged to speak French in class, speaking competence will not directly be graded.
• Such details as quizzes, the content of tests, composition topics, and the selection of exercises assigned may vary somewhat from section to section at the discretion of individual instructors. They may not, however, vary from student to student within a section.
• Students may not do extra work for extra credit; nor may the percentage of marks allotted to any portion of the course be changed. No extra credit.
• It is the responsibility of students to make sure that all the required assignments have been done and to keep all marked assignments and be able to present them upon request.
• No late compositions will be accepted.*
• No make-up tests, quizzes, or in-class exercises.*

* For exceptions to the two previous policies, in exceptional circumstances, and with supporting evidence for your absence: see Late work, extensions and making up for missed work and Missing or rescheduling tests and examinations

READ NEXT: SYLLABUS (II): THE RULES:

→ I. Aims and objectives
→ II. Expectations
→ III. Responsibilities
→ IV. Grading criteria
→ V. Plagiarism
→ VI. Late work, extensions, and making up for missed work
→ VII. Missing or rescheduling tests and examinations
→ VIII. Quick links to UBC rules, policies, and procedures

These rights, rules, and responsibilities are in addition to, not instead of, all policies and guidelines as supplied by the University, Faculty of Arts, and Department of FHIS. The most up-to-date version will be online (at the aforementioned URL).

They apply generally across all sections of FREN 102: there may be some variation from instructor to instructor (for example, on the exact penalties for late work).

N.B.: you are expected to be cognisant with University rules and regulations: this is part of the contractual agreement every student enters into with the University when they register.

THE FINAL EXAMINATION I : ATTENDANCE

SEE ALSO: EXAM ACCOMMODATIONS

There are only three exceptions to the rule requiring that all students write their final examinations at the appointed time.

1. Students with three examinations schedules within a twenty-four hour period are said to face an examination hardship and are entitled to have the middle exam rescheduled. If French 101 falls in the middle of such a combination, consult the coordinator (contact information below).

2. Students who are prevented by illness, bereavement or other personal or family affliction from writing an examination on the appointed day may apply to their Faculty’s Academic Advising Office for deferral of standing. Documentary evidence will usually be needed to support the request.

3. An examination whose date falls on a religious festival will be rescheduled by the coordinator for adherents of the faith concerned. But please note: you may not invoke the policy to justify an early departure from campus for the holidays unless you adhere to a religion that has no place of worship in the Lower Mainland. Your exam will simply be moved a few days in either direction.

THE FINAL EXAMINATION II : DIRE WARNINGS

1. Under no circumstances will an examination be rescheduled to accommodate a student’s travel plans, not even to prevent the waste of money unwisely spent before the exam schedule was known.

2. No provision will be made for students who miss a scheduled examination because they misread the timetable.

WITHDRAWAL & CHANGE OF REGISTRATION DATES

• Friday 6 July 2018
  = last day to drop without a “W” standing (so: dropping a course doesn’t appear on your transcript) and for other changes of registration (from credit to audit, or to Credit/D/Fail)
  through the Student Service Centre online
• Friday 20 July 2018
  = last day for course withdrawals with a “W” standing (appearing on your transcript) and other changes of registration (from credit to audit, or to Credit/D/Fail)
  through the Student Service Centre online
• after 20 July 2018
  = the Student Service Centre will be unavailable for course withdrawals or other changes in registration: withdrawal, at this point in the term, is a formal academic concession for which you will have to apply to and receive the approval of the Academic Advising Office of your home Faculty (ex. Arts).

GENERAL SCHEDULE
(for all sections)

The general schedule is intended to help you plan and organize your work, and prepare properly for class. It outlines, week by week:

• what work you should prepare ahead, for the next class
• what work will be covered in class
• homework to do that week: online practice exercises and compositions
• in-class assignments: quizzes and tests

Your instructor may also supply you with a more detailed schedule, specific to your section.

Downloadable and printable PDFs:

• PDF: syllabus & sample general schedule, Monday & Wednesday (last updated: 2018-06-26)
• PDF: syllabus & sample general schedule, Tuesday & Thursday (last updated: 2018-06-26)

ITEMS IN BOLD CAPITALS = assessed work

SEMAINE 1
Du 3 au 6 juillet 2018
MONDAY: NO CLASSES, PUBLIC HOLIDAY, UNIVERSITY CLOSED

• WORK IN CLASS THIS WEEK:
  ❊ Introduction: the course and its materials, academic language-learning, languages, the French language, the Francophone world, and FREN 101 review
  ❊ Horizons, Ch. 5: regional focus + compétences 3 + 1 (p. 178-81, 194-99, 182-87)
• ASSIGNMENTS IN CLASS: QUIZ: FREN 101 review
• TO DO BY THE END OF THIS WEEK:
  ❊ obtain course materials
  ❊ iLrn ONLINE EXERCISES on this week’s work, ch. 5 compétences 3 + 1

SEMAINE 2
Du 9 au 13 juillet 2018

• WORK IN CLASS:
  ❊ Ch. 5: compétences 4 + 2 (p. 200-05, 188-93)
  ❊ Ch. 5: lecture et/ou culture (208-11 or alternative)
  ❊ Ch. 6: regional focus + compétences 1-2 (216-35)
• ASSIGNMENTS IN CLASS:
  ❊ QUIZ on the previous week’s work, ch. 5 compétences 3 + 1
  ❊ TEST on ch. 5 (in your last class this week, 10-15 minutes)
• TO DO BY THE END OF THIS WEEK:
  ❊ iLrn ONLINE EXERCISES on ch. 5 + ch. 6 compétences 1-2
  ❊ COMPOSITION 1 (on ch. 5 material)

SEMAINE 3
Du 16 au 20 juillet 2018

• WORK IN CLASS:
  ❊ Ch. 6: compétences 3-4 (236-45)
  ❊ Ch. 6 lecture et/ou culture (248-51 or alternative)
  ❊ Musique et/ou poésie (256-57 or alternative)
  ❊ Ch. 7: regional focus + compétences 1-2 (258-69)
• ASSIGNMENTS IN CLASS:
  ❊ QUIZ on ch. 6 compétences 1-2
  ❊ TEST on ch. 6  (in your last class this week, 10-15 minutes)
• TO DO BY THE END OF THIS WEEK:
  ❊ iLrn ONLINE EXERCISES on ch. 6 + ch. 7 compétences 1-2
  ❊ COMPOSITION 2 (on ch. (5-)6 material)

SEMAINE 4
Du 23 au 27 juillet 2018

• WORK IN CLASS:
  ❊ Ch. 7: compétences 3-4 (278-87)
  ❊ Ch. 7: lecture et/ou culture (290-95 or alternative)
  ❊ Ch. 8: regional focus + compétences 1-2 (300-21)
• ASSIGNMENTS IN CLASS:
  ❊ QUIZ on ch. 7 compétences 1-2
  ❊ TEST on ch. 7 (in your last class this week, 10-15 minutes)
• TO DO BY THE END OF THIS WEEK:
  ❊ iLrn ONLINE EXERCISES on ch. 7 + ch. 8 compétences 1-2
  ❊ COMPOSITION 3 (on ch. (5-6-)7 material)
  

SEMAINE 5
Du 30 juillet au 3 août 2018

• WORK IN CLASS:
  ❊ Ch. 8: compétence 3 (322-27)
  ❊ Ch. 8: lecture et/ou culture (336-39 or alternative)
  ❊ Musique et/ou poésie (344-45 or alternative)
  ❊ Ch. 9: regional focus + compétences 1-2 (346-61)
• ASSIGNMENTS IN CLASS:
  ❊ QUIZ on ch. 8 compétences 1-2
  ❊ TEST on ch. 8 (comp. 1-3 only; NOT comp. 4; in your last class this week, 10-15 minutes)
• TO DO BY THE END OF THIS WEEK:
  ❊ iLrn ONLINE EXERCISES on ch. 8 compétences 1-3 + ch. 9 compétences 1-2

SEMAINE 6
Du 7 au 10 août 2018
MONDAY: NO CLASSES, PUBLIC HOLIDAY, UNIVERSITY CLOSED

• WORK IN CLASS:
  ❊ Ch. 9: compétence 4 (368-71)
  ❊ Ch. 9: lecture et/ou culture (374-77 or alternative)
  ❊ revision
  ❊ student evaluations (15 minutes in class)
• ASSIGNMENTS IN CLASS:
  ❊ PROJECTS
• TO DO BY THE END OF THIS WEEK:
  ❊ iLrn ONLINE EXERCISES on ch. 9 comp. 1-2 + 4

PÉRIODE DES EXAMENS
Du 14 au 18 août 2018

FINAL EXAMINATION (2.5 hours)

• date, time, and location t.b.a.
• ***NB you will not be examined on ch. 8 comp. 4 or ch. 9 comp. 3, which we do not do in FREN 102***

FINAL FINAL FINAL AMNESTY DEADLINES FOR ASSESSED WORK…

All work must be completed by the day of your final exam at the very latest (ex. online exercises). This is for a practical reason: your instructor has to submit their final grades for your class shortly after that final exam, and as it will take them at least a couple of days to mark the final exam (and they may have other exams to mark from other classes they’re teaching), they need all marks for all other work from the course to be ready by the time they have finished marking the exam and are calculating and calibrating final grades. That having been said, individual instructors’ policies may vary on amnesties for late work, which might be a few days after the final exam.

ABOUT THE FINAL EXAM

The date of the final examination is not yet known. It is not set by your instructor, the course coordinator, or the Department of French, Hispanic and Italian Studies; nor by the Faculty of Arts. They have no control over it. It is set by the Higher Authority that is Enrolment Services.

The examination schedule will be available around half-way through the term, and exam locations will be posted shortly after. For more, see:

• Courses & Registration > Exam overview

Information will be added and updated here accordingly, once it is known.

Your personal examination schedule will be at the Student Service Centre; the complete examination schedule for all UBC courses may be consulted at

• Courses & Registration > Exam schedule.

The examination period for this term runs from 14 to 18 August 2018 inclusive. It is strongly recommended that you not make any travel plans or purchase tickets until the examination schedules have been published: vacation or other travel is not an acceptable reason for absence from an examination. See also:

• Syllabus > The final examination: attendance & dire warnings.

Course information may be subject to change over the course of the term; that is in the nature of a flexible, responsive, interactive course. Changes will only be in your favour: ex. if a deadline is changed, it will only ever be moved forwards in time to a later date: never to an earlier one! The most up-to-date official version of any information will be the electronic one at this post here on this site.