French 442 17th Century French Literature : Molière Fall 2000 TR 2 :00 -3 :15 FAC 254

Instructor: Nathan Love, Ph.D. (I.U.)  FAC 282  Office hours:  M-F 8:00-9:00

e-mail: nathan.love@wku.edu  Web page: http://people.wku.edu/nathan.love 

F442 17^th Century French Literature counts toward fulfilling the French minor and major literature distribution requirement. Through coursework, experience abroad, and other cultural encounters, the Modern Languages Program cultivates communicative skills and cultural awareness that prepare students at Western Kentucky University to be more knowledgeable and sensitive citizens of the global community.

The course goals, listed in order of priority are:

Familiarity with theater of Molière

Reading French prose, essay and fiction with discernment and critical understanding

Writing: students will learn to write essays in French which explore the interplay between thought and fiction.

Preparation: become prepared linguistically to take more advanced French

The project may take a variety of forms: exposés, PowerPoints, bearing on a play by Molière that we are not reading or bearing on one of the themes running through his works.

Tests: There will be no make up tests.  If you anticipate a problem with taking an exam when it is scheduled, or if you should miss an exam, contact me at your earliest opportunity!

Participation and attendance: class participation is essential; speaking French at every opportunity will help a student with his/her oral practice.  Class attendance is not optional. Class attendance is a necessary condition for class participation. Students are to log in to the Blackboard site for the course: Blackboard: (http://ecourses.wku.edu) and stay abreast of announcements, assignments and changes in the syllabus at least three times each week. There will be questions or assignment posted on Blackboard between meetings to be answered in writing in French before the next class. Students are expected to come to class prepared, to contribute to class activities, to arrive on time, to avail themselves of resources (see next page), and to seek help from instructor when appropriate.  Cell phones must be turned off during class; they must remain out of sight during all graded activities.  I will come well-prepared, provide opportunities for you to hear, speak, write and read French. I will be available during stated office hours.

Expectations in summary are as follows. Students are expected 1) to attend and participate in class sessions, 2) to study in preparation for class meetings, 3) to demonstrate knowledge and language skills acquired, 4) to work on pronunciation, listening comprehension and recognition of spoken vocabulary, 5) to submit by deadlines work required, 6) to meet with the instructor for practice or explanation, as necessary, 7) to turn in for a grade the student's own work and, of course, not to permit work to be used by another for his/her graded assignments. 8) Students are to log in to the Blackboard site for the course: (http://ecourses.wku.edu)  and stay abreast of announcements, assignments and changes in the syllabus at least three times each week. There will be questions over each reading assignment posted on Blackboard between meetings to be answered in writing in French before the next class. The instructor is expected 1) to be prepared for teaching each class session, 2) to offer clear examples and explanations, 3) to encourage participation from students, 4) to offer as much oral practice in class as possible, 5) to meet with students outside of class, as requested, 6) to be fair-minded at all times, 7) to respect students, and their beliefs and opinions, 8) to challenge students to meet the course goals as fully as possible.

Read some French every day without exception and you will discover why language courses used to meet daily. The best way to learn, to meet course objectives and to maximize benefits derived from study of French is without a doubt to study some French every day.

Resources available include the textbooks, consultations and help (esp. on exposés) during office hours. I can find more resources for anyone needing more than these, and would be pleased to do so.  For additional resources for individuals, click here.

Academic dishonesty:“Students who commit any act of academic dishonesty may receive from the instructor a failing grade in that portion of the course in which the act is detected or a failing grade in the course without possibility of withdrawal” (from the 2006-2007 online student handbook). Acts of academic dishonesty include the use of a translating device to complete writing assignments and failing to turn cell phones and PDAs off before taking an exam. Student work may be checked using plagiarism detection software. See Western's statement on academic dishonesty in the 2006-2007 online student handbook for more information. See the same source for university policy on plagiarism ‑ "To represent written work taken from another source as one's own is plagiarism. Plagiarism is a serious offense. The academic work of a student must be his/her own. One must give any author credit for source material borrowed from him/her. To lift content directly from a source without giving credit is a flagrant act. To present a borrowed passage without reference to the source after having changed a few words is also plagiarism." The use of online translation aids is strictly prohibited. Students enrolled may not assist one another on graded exercises.

Changes: Changes to all matters above may become necessary, especially regarding the syllabus and/or the due dates of graded work. The instructor reserves the right to make such changes as he/she deems necessary. It is the responsibility of the student to obtain the most recent iteration of the syllabus either as posted on the Blackboard site for this course or as made available in the classroom.

Students with disabilities who require accommodations (academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids or services) for this course must contact the Office for Student Disability Services, Room 101, Potter Hall.  The OFSDS telephone number is (270) 745-5004 V/TDD.  Please DO NOT request accommodations directly from the professor or instructor without a letter of accommodation from the Office for Student Disability Services.