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Professor: Louisa Mackenzie
Class time: Monday, Wednesday 10:30 – 12:20
Class location: Communications 326
Office hours: Wednesday 3:30- 5.00, in Padelford C-259
Web site: http://faculty.washington.edu/louisam/templates/fr305.html
Contact information: louisam@u.washington.edu
I will have an assistant who will be in charge of grading papers (although
I will check her work), and who will be available to you if you require help
with writing in French. I will pass on her e-mail and office hours as soon
as I have them.
IMPORTANT: I encourage and urge all students with disabilities to come
and see me after class or during office hours, and to tell me how I can best
accommodate you and help you to get the very most out of the class meetings
and assignments.
Attendance:
This class may be more heavily participatory than you are used to. You will
not be graded directly on attendance, but it will be very hard for you to
attain top grades without very regular and active presence in the classroom.
Regular attendance is not only a matter of getting the most out of the class,
but also a matter of respect for your fellow students. I take it seriously.
NB: More than two unexcused absences will reduce your final grade by 0.1 per
additional absence. E.g., if you have five unexcused absences, your grade
will be reduced by 0.3.
Participation:
I look for more than a body in a chair. I expect you to show me active engagement
with the assigned reading material. For most of you, probably, this will mean
participating in class discussions. For others who may be less comfortable
speaking out in public, I understand that you will not necessarily show your
engagement in this way. I am open to a flexible definition of what it means
to participate in a class. You may prefer to come to my office hours to talk
to me one-on-one, or to get together with a small group of fellow students
to read and discuss, or use the online discussion board). You may also e-mail
me with brief questions, but understand that I do not as a rule teach by e-mail,
so I am unlikely to engage in a very long intellectual e-mail exchange with
you. I do prefer that you bring your questions to class. NB: You will
be expected to write down at least two questions or observations on the day’s
reading, and bring them to class. I will randomly call on students to read
out their questions.
If you consistently fail to do the assigned readings, and rely on other
students being prepared, your participation grade will be directly affected,
up to a maximum of 0.5.
Extra Credit:
Only under very exceptional circumstances will I negotiate the possibility
of giving extra credit for supplementary assignments. These circumstances
include:
A serious medical condition requiring that you be absent from class for
more than two meetings in a row. This must be certified by doctor’s letter.
A certified disability that prevents you from completing the written or
oral assignments, or from participating in the ways described above.
A death or terminal illness in your family necessitating your sustained
absence from class. I apologise in advance for the appearance of insensitivity,
but I do require documentation in these cases aswell.
What you will be expected to do:
Complete the reading assignments for each meeting and come prepared to discuss
or ask questions. Participate actively.
Write down at least two questions or comments on the day’s reading. I will
call on students randomly to read a question/comment out in class.
Give one group presentation, with five or six other students, of a section
of the day’s assigned reading.. The group will, for 10-15 minutes, be “teacher”
of that particular material, presenting it to the class either as a lecture
or by enabling and guiding a discussion (be careful with this latter option
– it can very easily become too free-form). You are welcome to take a more
creative approach – e.g. a dramatisation inspired by the material, a staged
debate between group members, etc.
Two short papers (4 pages). The second of these will be submitted to some
of your peers. You will in turn receive papers from them (about 4). You will
all critique each others’ work and give it back after a week.
One midterm, Wednesday February 6. Very simple questions, to check that
you have been doing the reading.
A final exam.
You will be graded according to the following percentages:
Participation, reading etc: 25%
Group presentation: 5%
Two papers: 15%
Peer review: 5%
Midterm: 15%
Final:
35%
Dates to note:
variable:
Your group presentation
23 January:
First 4-page paper, on Cyrano de Bergerac, Voyage dans la lune
6 February
Midterm
20 February
Second 4-page paper, bring 5 copies to class for peer review and instructor
27 February
Give back your reviewed papers to your peers
18 March
Final exam, 2.30 pm.