course information

The instructor reserves the right to modify the syllabus.
COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Florence Miquel
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours Location: SH226D
Office Hours Times: Tuesdays from 10:30-11:30am
and by appointment.
Class Days: T/TH
Class Times: 12:30- 1:45pm
Class Location: SSW2500
Course Overview and Students’ Learning Goals and Outcomes
 FR423 is a survey of French business practices and language. The goal of this class is to provide learners
with the linguistic and cultural means to conduct business in a French-speaking country. To do so we
will go over a number of topics related to French business.
 You will improve your mastery of reading strategies and acquire new vocabulary. You will demonstrate
your reading and listening proficiency through exposure to a variety of French media. French 423 also
gives you opportunities to develop your writing proficiency, as well as your speaking proficiency
through class discussions and assignments.
 You will also be able to make comparisons between your culture/s and French culture by analyzing
significant differences between home culture and French culture.
 You will also able to recognize varieties of French language and discuss an aspect of contemporary
France or a Francophone nation. You will analyze and interpret key cultural issues within their
historical, socio-economic, political or geographical context. Finally you will be able to identify and
explain issues of ethnic, social and gender diversity in France and Francophone nations.
Description
FR423 is taught entirely in French. During this semester you will develop a more refined understanding of
French business. You will gain more exposure to the French press. You will increase your vocabulary and
acquire more idiomatic structures pertaining to business. You will learn how to conduct basic business
practices. You will have the opportunity to practice your speaking and listening skills through discussion, oral
presentations, and role play. You will have group activities at some point in the semester. You will develop
your writing skills through translation, article summaries and various activities. By the end of the semester you
will have a better understanding of the French business environment. You will also be exposed to practices
from other French speaking countries which will enable you to have a more global approach of the
Francophone world.
We will be using Amy Hubbell’s textbook A la recherche d’un emploi: Business French in a Communicative
Context. You will also receive documents in class and/or on SDSU Blackboard.

The instructor reserves the right to modify the syllabus.
Workload and Expectations
You are expected to come prepared to class. This implies doing the assignments before class as well as
reviewing the course content. Work will include written applications to what has been covered in class. You
will also have 2 short oral presentations and a group project. Tests will include quizzes, 2 exams and a two-
hour final.
You must check the course program regularly and keep yourself informed by contacting your instructor
and/or your classmates. All assignments must be typed.
Prerequisite and Enrollment Information
 Prerequisite: FR301 must have been completed. If not, you need to take an evaluation test.
 DROPS: Students who do not attend the first two class sessions or who do not meet the prerequisites
MAY BE DROPPED FROM THAT COURSE BY THE INSTRUCTOR. It is the student’s responsibility to keep a
current e-mail address on file through the e-services WebPortal at www.sdsu.edu/e-services. To
reenroll, you must receive an add code form the instructor and reenroll in the course by the
add/drop deadline.
 LAST DAY TO ADD/DROP CLASSES or change grading basis: February 3rd.
Course Materials
Required Materials (including all acceptable text editions)
 Required: Hubbell, Amy L., A la recherche d’un emploi: Business French in a Communicative Context.
Newburyport, MA: Focus/ Pullins, 2011. ISBN: 978-1-58510-372-0.
 Recommended:
- Business French (Harper Collins, 1992)
- French French dictionary http://www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais-monolingue (free)
 For further reading:
 DAFA: dictionnaire d’apprentissage du Francais des Affaires http://www.projetdafa.net/(free)
 Dictionnaire de l'économie / sous la dir. de Pierre Bezbakh et Sophie Gherardi ; préf. de Jean-
Marie Colombani, Larousse (Paris), "Le Monde" (Paris), 2000;
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k1200505f.r=Dictionnaire+de+l%27%C3%A9conomie++sou
s+la+dir.langEN
 French Press : lefigaro.fr, lexpress.fr, lexpansion.fr, lemonde.fr, capital.fr, valeursactuelles.com,
lepoint.fr.
 French Radio : http://www.franceinfo.fr/
 French TV: http://www.bfmtv.com; http://www.france24.com/fr/; http://www.tf1.fr/;
http://www.france2.fr/; http://www.france3.fr/;
Course Assessment and Grading
Présence, préparation et participation 15%
Devoirs 20%
Quizzes 15%

The instructor reserves the right to modify the syllabus.
Examens 30%
Examen final 20%
Grades are defined as follow
A/A- Outstanding achievement; available only for the highest accomplishment.
B+/B/B- Praiseworthy performance; above average.
C+ Slightly above average.
C Average; satisfactory performance; the most common undergraduate grade.
C- Slightly below average.
D+/D/D- Minimally passing; less than the typical undergraduate achievement.
F Failing.
INC Incomplete Authorized: used only when the instructor concludes that a small,
identifiable portion of course requirements cannot be met within the academic term
for unforeseen, but valid reasons. A grade of "INC" may NOT be assigned to permit a
student to avoid an undesirable grade.
WU WU Withdrawal Unauthorized: a student who is officially registered for the course but
who has never attended or who has stopped attending after satisfactorily completing
a portion of the course will receive a grade of "WU." A "WU" counts as an "F" for
grade-point averages, but may be removed by repeating the course
CR/NC Credit/No Credit: Work equivalent to C or above will result in a grade of CR; work
equivalent to C- or below will result in NC.
Class Preparation Criteria
“A” comes to class and arrives on time with textbook, paper and pen every day; initiates and
maintains meaningful interaction during class time; shows leadership in group activities; avoids
using English in discussions and group activities; makes an effort to ask questions in French; is
always prepared; attempts to use complete sentences and elaborate on answers. Attention =
100%: Keeps phone, etc. stowed in bag, NOT on desk.
“B” shows willingness to participate; cooperates fully in discussions and group activities although
may not necessarily be the leader; answers readily when called upon; elaborates somewhat on
answers.
“C” participates more passively than actively in class and group activities; occasionally resorts to
use of English; gives slightly elaborated answers; is not always fully prepared for class sometimes
due to absences.
“D” seldom participates actively or engages in idle “chit-chat” with classmates; generally doesn’t
cooperate in activities (resorts frequently to English); commits many errors and makes little effort
to correct him/herself; is often absent and/or tardy and/or frequently when asked questions.
“F” is unprepared and rarely participates in class activities (sometimes due to excessive absences,
chronic tardiness, etc.); is not able to answer questions and almost never uses French.

The instructor reserves the right to modify the syllabus.
--Please be courteous to your classmates and your instructor during the class time by
SILENCING all electronic devices before entering the class, and not using them during class
time.
Accommodations
The learning environment should be accessible to all. SDSU provides reasonable accommodations in the
following situations:
 Disability: If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this class,
it is your responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at [phone]. To avoid any delay in
the receipt of your accommodations, you should contact Student Disability Services as soon as
possible. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive, and that accommodations based upon
disability cannot be provided until you have presented your instructor with an accommodation letter
from Student Disability Services. Your cooperation is appreciated.
 Religion: By the end of the second week of classes, students should notify the instructors of affected
courses of planned absences for religious observances.
 Official university activities (e.g., Athletics): Within the first two weeks of classes, a student who
expects to be part of an official university event or activity shall notify the instructors of affected
courses. At that time, the student shall request accommodation for any missed examinations or other
assignments. If scheduling changes occur, the student shall immediately notify the instructors.
WOn
Academic Honesty
The University adheres to a strict policy regarding cheating and plagiarism. These activities will not be
tolerated in this class. Become familiar with the policy (http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/srr/conduct1.html). Any
cheating or plagiarism will result in failing this class and a disciplinary review by Student Affairs.
Examples of Plagiarism include but are not limited to:
 Using sources verbatim or paraphrasing without giving proper attribution (this can include phrases,
sentences, paragraphs and/or pages of work)
 Copying and pasting work from an online or offline source directly and calling it your own
 Using information you find from an online or offline source without giving the author credit
 Replacing words or phrases from another source and inserting your own words or phrases
 Submitting a piece of work you did for one class to another class
If you have questions on what is plagiarism, please consult the policy
(http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/srr/conduct1.html) and this helpful guide from the Library:
(http://infodome.sdsu.edu/infolit/exploratorium/Standard_5/plagiarism.pdf)
Cheating and Plagiarism
Cheating and plagiarism are serious offenses. You are plagiarizing or cheating if you:

The instructor reserves the right to modify the syllabus.
 for written work, copy down or cut anything from a book, article or website and add or paste it into
your paper without using quotation marks and providing the full reference for the quotation, including
page number
 for written work, summarize / paraphrase in your own words ideas you got from a book, article, or the
web without providing the full reference for the source, including page number
 for an oral presentation, copy down or cut anything from a book, article, or website and present it
orally as if it were your own words. You must summarize and paraphrase in your own words, and bring
a list of references in case the professor asks to see it
 use visuals or graphs you got from a book, article, or website without providing the full reference for
the picture or table
 recycle a paper you wrote for another class
 turn in the same (or a very similar paper) for two classes
 purchase or otherwise obtain a paper and turn it in as your own work
 copy off of a classmate
 use technology or smuggle in documents to obtain or check information in an exam situation
In a research paper, it is always better to include too many references than not enough. When in doubt,
always err on the side of caution. If you have too many references it might make your professor smile; if you
don’t have enough you might be suspected of plagiarism.
If you have any question or uncertainty about what is or is not cheating, it is your responsibility to ask your
instructor.
TAKE THE TUTORIAL:
Test your knowledge of what constitutes plagiarism through a tutorial offered by the SDSU Library. To access
the tutorial go to: http://library.sdsu.edu/guides/tutorial.php?id=28
Consequences of cheating and plagiarism
SDSU instructors are mandated to report all instances of cheating and plagiarism to the Center for Student
Rights and Responsibility. Consequences are at the instructor’s and the Center for Student Rights and
Responsibility’s discretion. They may include any of the following:
 failing the assignment
 failing the class
 warning
 probation
 suspension
 expulsion
For more detailed information, read the chapter on plagiarism in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research
Papers (6th edition, 2003), visit the following website
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml and talk to your professors before turning in your
paper or doing your oral presentation.
The University of Indiana also has very helpful writing hints for students, including some on how to cite
sources. Please visit http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets.shtml for more information.