ADVANCED FRENCH COMPOSITION

Fall 2002
FR 53213
Monday, 4:30-7:00
117 SFH

Description This course consists of an extensive and intensive exploration of some of the finer stylistic points of written French. This course is designed for advanced undergraduates and graduate students who already have a solid grounding in grammar and composition and who seek to acquire the skills necessary for an idiomatic, fluent writing style in French.
Goals This course takes as its point of departure the realistic recognition that students' ideas take form in their maternal language. Our goal will be to develop the skills necessary to express ideas with the same degree of depth and nuance in written French. We will concentrate closely on the mechanics and techniques of writing to enable students to become more aware of the conventions and interferences of French vs. English writing and thus to produce clear, idiomatic, and elegant French prose.
Objectives
  • To help students develop their own francophone voice and personal style in written French;
  • To examine the process of writing on a variety of subjects and using diverse rhetorical forms;
  • To engage students in the discussion and critical analysis of their texts as well as those of fellow students;
  • And finally, to enhance students' knowledge and mastery of French vocabulary and grammar.
    • Required Materials
  • Maurice Cagnon and Lillian Szklarczyk, Idée principale—style varié (New York: Harper & Row, 1989). ISBN 0-06-632098-4
  • Maurice Cagnon and Lillian Szklarczyk, Manuel d'exercices to accompany Idée principale—style varié (New York: Harper & Row, 1989). ISBN 0-06-632099-2
  • Raymond Queneau, Exercises de style (Paris: Folio-Gallimard, 1947).
  • A good bilingual dictionary that indicates usage. The Robert-Collins Unabridged is particularly recommended for its exhaustivity.
    • Recommended Materials
  • A good French-French dictionary such as Le Petit Robert or the Larousse;
  • A verb conjugation reference work such as Le nouveau Bescherelle.
    • Grading Compositions: 25%
    Participation: 25%
    Homework: 25%
    Final project: 25%
    Grading Scale A : 89,5 % à 100 %
    B : 79,5 % à 89,4 %
    C : 69,5 % à 79,4 %
    D : 59,5 % à 69,4 %
    F : moins de 59,4 %
    Compositions Short writing assignments will be collected weekly and will be graded based on the following criteria:
      a) degree to which the particular task was successfully completed (30%);
      b) quality of the message (30%);
      c) grammar and vocabulary (30%); and
      d) spelling and accents (10%).
    Compositions must be typed and double-spaced. Please do not use margins larger than 1.25." Late compositions will not be accepted.
    Participation You should speak French at all times in class, as will your instructor. Your participation will be evaluated approximately every 4 weeks, based on attendance, efforts to use French at all times, willingness to volunteer, quality of participation and contribution to the class, and overall attitude.
    Homework Homework will consist of exercises from The manual to accompany Idée principale—style varié, and will progress from specific parts of speech (the verb, the adverb, etc.) toward more general and complex topics such as word order and techniques for highlighting or underscoring ideas. We will cover approximately one chapter of Idée principale—style varié per week. Assignments will be collected weekly. Whether you type or write your assignments, please skip lines. Late work will not be accepted.
    Final project The final project will consist of a 6-8 page end-of-semester writing project. I will grant you substantial liberty in the choice of what type of project you undertake (extended exposé; literary stylistic analysis; translation of a literary or technical document; une dissertation; a research paper...). Please see me regarding the object and approach of your project on or before September 30. An outline and bibliography (if applicable) will be due on October 21 and a rough draft will be due on November 25. The deadline for submitting your final draft is Monday, December 9 at 8 p.m. Projects must be typed and double-spaced. Late projects will not be accepted.
    Your final project will be evaluated on the following basis:
      a) outline/bibligography: 10%;
      b) rough draft: 25%;
      c) final draft: 65%.
    Attendance Group activities for discussion and peer editing are a vital part of this course. For this reason, you are allowed only one unexcused absence. Thereafter, each unexcused absence will reduce your final overall grade by 4 percentage points. Excused absences include religious holidays, participation in University-sponsored events, a death in the family or family emergency, sickness or injury with documentation of treatment. It is your responsibility to make up all material covered in class during your absence.

     
    COURSE SCHEDULE
     
    I. RACONTER
    26 Aug. Introduction; le récit

  • Idée principale—style varié: Le verbe
      Texte: pp. 1-9 [Section 1 (Verbe anglais traduit par un substantif français) - Section 6 (Rendre en français un verbe + une préposition ou un adverbe)]
      Manuel: hand in exercices de sélection A à D--odd numbers only (pp. 22-24). Questions from exercices d'assimilation 1-6 to prepare for Sep. 9 class discussion: TBA.
  • Write a one-page, typed and double-spaced narrative patterned after Queneau's "Récit." Conjugate verbs in passé composé and imparfait (not in the passé simple). You may write about anything you wish, however your text must describe a sequence of actions or events and must involve at least two people. E-mail me your text on or before Thursday, September 5.
    • 2 Sep. Congé de la fête du travail—pas de cours.

  • Rewrite your narrative using Queneau's "Notations" as a model. Bring both texts to class to discuss, peer edit, and hand in.
    • 9 Sep. Le récit; la narration; la description

  • Idée principale—style varié: Le verbe, suite et fin8 [Section 7.

      Texte: Texte: pp. 9-18 [Section 7 (Etre) - Section 12 (Verbes faisant du sujet anglais un objet français)]
      Manuel: hand in exercices de sélection E et F (p. 25) and exercice de synthèse A (p. 26). Questions from exercices d'assimilation 7-12 to prepare for next week's discussion: see WebCT.
  • Rewrite your narrative, modifying it along the lines of Queneau's "Métaphoriquement." Bring your text to class to discuss, peer edit, and hand in.
    • 16 Sep. La description; livrer ses impressions et sentiments

  • Idée principale—style varié: L'adverbe

      Texte: pp. 19-26 [Section 13 (Adverbe en -ment remplacé par un complément circonstanciel) - Section 18 (Adverbe anglais even)]
      Manuel: hand in exercices de sélection A-E (pp. 39-42) and exercice de synthèse A (pp. 42-43). Questions from exercices d'assimilation 13-18 to prepare for next week's discussion: see WebCT.
  • Rewrite your narrative from a subjective first-person perspective (see Queneau's "Le côté subjectif") and then from the point of view of someone else involved in the narrative (see Queneau's "Autre subjectivité"). Bring both texts to class to discuss, peer edit, and hand in.

    •  
    II. ORDONNER SES IDEES
    23 Sep. Le plan: pour informer; pour confronter; pour discuter

  • Idée principale—style varié: Le substantif

      Texte: pp. 27-33 [Section 19 (Substantif anglais singulier/substantif français pluriel) - Section 24 (Substantifs à éviter)]
      Manuel: hand in exercices de sélection A-C (pp. 53-54) and exercice de synthèse A (pp. 54-55). Questions from exercices d'assimilation 19-24 to prepare for next week's discussion: see WebCT.
  • Choose a controversial topic of interest to you. Write an outline for an essay on your chosen topic, using each type of organizational approach discussed in class.
    • 30 Sep. Introduire et conclure (suite et fin); utiliser les exemples.

    Final project topic due.

  • Idée principale—style varié: L'adjectif

      Texte: pp. 35-43 [Section 25 (Adjectif traduit par une construction substantive) - Section 31 (Adjectifs composés)]
      Manuel: hand in exercices de sélection A-C (pp. 76-78). Questions from exercices d'assimilation 25-31 to prepare for next week's discussion: see WebCT.
  • Using one of the plans pour informer, write a short (2-3 page), objective essay on the controversial topic that you chose for the Feb. 19 class, including an introduction, 2-4 body paragraphs, and a conclusion. For detailed information about the different plans pour informer, see the supplementary materials posted on the class WebCT site, under "Study Tools" in the "Sep. 30" folder.

    •  
    III. ARGUMENTER
    7 Oct. Les arguments (d'autorité, de cause à effet...); livrer une opinion

  • Idée principale—style varié: L'adjectif, suite et fin

      Texte: pp. 43-53 [Section 32 (Adj. possessif anglais/proposition relative française) -- Section 37 (Les adjectifs à position variable)]
      Manuel: hand in exercices de sélection D-E (pp. 78-79) and exercice de synthèse A (pp. 79-80). Questions from exercices d'assimilation 32-37 to prepare for next week's discussion: see WebCT.
  • Using your controversial topic, write a short (2-3) page, subjective essay in which you state and argue for your opinion (Situation, opinion, proposition).
    • 14 Oct. Confronter ; les arguments (d'autorité, de cause à effet...) ; les transitions

  • Idée principale—style varié: Le pronom

      Texte: pp. 55-62 [Section 38 (Emploi et omission de l'article devant un sustantif en apposition) -- Section 43 (Emploi de l'article : autres exemples)]
      Manuel: hand in exercices de sélection A-D (pp. 89-91) and exercice de synthèse A (p. 92). Questions from exercices d'assimilation 38-43 to prepare for next week's discussion: see WebCT.
  • Using your controversial topic, write a short (2-3) page, subjective essay in which you state and argue for your opinion. Take as your organizational model either the Situation, Opinion, Proposition or Thèse-Anthithèse variants of the plan pour discuter. Do not use the Thèse-Anthithèse-Synthèse variant.
    •  
    IV. EXPLIQUER
    21 Oct. Dépasser les contradictions

    Final project outline & bibliography due

  • Idée principale—style varié: Le pronom, suite et fin

      Texte: pp. 63-68 [Section 44 (Emploi du pronom personnel en) -- Section 47 (Moyens d'éviter la multiplication de propositions relatives)]
      Manuel: hand in exercices de sélection A-B (pp. 103-04) and exercice de synthèse A (pp. 104-05). Questions from exercices d'assimilation 44-47 to prepare for next week's discussion: see WebCT.
  • Using your controversial topic, write a short (2-3) page dissertation using the plan thèse, antithèse, synthèse.
    • 28 Oct. Rapporter

  • Idée principale—style varié: La préposition

      Texte: pp. 69-78 [Section 48 (Amplification en français de la simple préposition anglaise) -- Section 49 (Prépositions : remarques diverses)]
      Manuel: hand in exercices de sélection A-B (pp. 116-17) and exercice de synthèse A (pp. 117-18). Questions from exercices d'assimilation 48-49 to prepare for next week's discussion: see WebCT.
  • Write an impartial, objective report of an event.
    • 4 Nov. Le reportage

  • Idée principale—style varié: La conjonction

      Texte: pp. 79-86 [Section 50 (Propositions subordonnées) -- Section 53 (Proposition conditionnelle)]
      Manuel: hand in exercices de sélection A-D (pp. 137-40). Questions from ex. d'assimilation 50-53 to prepare for next week's discussion: see WebCT.
  • Write a reportage in which you present and discuss an event that you attended or a locale that you have visited (dans la mesure du possible, please choose an events/locale with which other students in the class are not familiar).

    •  
    V. COMMUNIQUER
    11 Nov. L'article de presse

  • Idée principale—style varié: La conjonction, suite et fin

      Texte: pp. 86-93 [Section 54 (Proposition concessive) -- Section 57 (Conjonctions: remarques diverses)]
      Manuel: hand in exercices de sélection E-G (pp. 140-41) and exercice de synthèse A, Série 1--odd numbers only (p. 142). Questions from ex. d'assimilation 54-57 to prepare for next week's discussion: see WebCT.
  • Write a brief article (3 pages maximum) using the materials provided to you in class (dépêches, photograph or photographs for illustration, etc.).
    • 18 Nov. Le curriculum vitae: class location TBA

  • Idée principale—style varié: L'ordre des mots

      Texte: pp. 95-104 [Section 58 (Position de l'objet) -- Section 60 (Inversion)]
      Manuel: hand in exercices de sélection A-C (pp. 157-59) and exercice de synthèse A (p. 160). Questions from exercices d'assimilation 58-60 to prepare for next week's in-class discussion: see WebCT.
  • Prepare a CV in French that includes all pertinent data, paying particular attention to differences is content vis-à-vis the US resumé. Please see me well in advance if you do not know how to perform the necessary formatting using MS Word.
    • 25 Nov. Congé du jour d'Action de grâce7mdash;pas de cours
    2 Dec. > La demande d'emploi: class location TBA

  • Idée principale—style varié: La mise en relief

      Texte: pp. 105-14 [Section 61 (Mise en relief du sujet) -- Section 69 (Le superlatif)]
      Manuel: hand in ex. de sélection A-D (pp. 177-80) and ex. de synthèse A, Série 1--odd numbers only (pp. 180-81). Questions from ex. d'assimilation 61-69 to prepare for next week's discussion: see WebCT.
  • Using one of the 2 URLs (web site addresses) provided to you in class, find a position in France for which you feel reasonably qualified and write up a demande d'emploi. Those of you who have a good idea of 2-3 French companies for which you'd like to work—and for which you'd be qualified to work—may at the discretion of the instructor compose une candidature spontanée in the event that you do not find anything suitable on line.
    • 9 Dec. Final projects due by 8:00 p.m.