ATS1061: FRENCH INTRODUCTORY

Weekly written and aural language homework (800 words): 17%
Class tests: oral, aural and written (1500 words ): 33% - the written tests weren't hard since you have the internet/dictionary to look the words up but there was one assignment which was unclear why one part of the table had 'x' and because of my misinterpretation, I lost marks. So definitely double check your understanding of writing assessment!
Written language exam (1200 words): 25%
2 Written assignments (1000 words): 25%

The workload isn't that heavy but if you're not used to learning a language it could definitely be a hurdle for you. However, in saying that, this is introductory French so it's not that hard compared to learning French in high school - here you start at the very basic but the pace is fast.

I can't really say much about this unit because there isn't much to say other than the fact that I liked this unit and that the lecturers and tutors were always ready to answer my questions. But I do have one criticism regarding the culture assessments that were a little harder than normal compared to the language tests. The culture assessments sometimes relied on extra reading that was given or other material said in the lecture that could have easily been missed and there were also details that we didn't go through in the lecture but did appear in the quiz; I can't remember exactly what the question was but there were at least one and two.

For the third culture assessment which was a series of four short answer questions focusing on a French comic strip but (be warned there is no word 'comic' in French so it should always be referred to as bande dessinée or BD) it was kind of difficult to answer even with the slides with all the information on them. I think with this kind of assessment or with any culture component, you do need to do a bit of additional reading because you need to be able to explain the reason why things happen and how, and not just use information from the powerpoint because the information presented can be the bare minimum. Overall, it's a good unit and if you're looking for a language to learn, this could be the one.

Jessica Chakowa, (also the coordinator) for Grammar, Benjamin Andréo & Chris Watkin for Culture. Chris speaks really fast and is quite soft-spoken but he has a lot of knowledge about culture so make sure you go rewatch his videos and take notes down because chances are it's going to be in the Culture Quiz. Ben is awesome too but he speaks slightly slower and is obsessed about Tour de France and cycling. The lecturers are amazing and while you don't see the culture lecturers for workshops or tutes, they know their stuff and are really good to chat with. (The tutors are also native French speakers so you get to hear how you should sound and things like that because you can observe how they pronounce words)

No, and you don't need to, really. You just gotta practise conjugation but you can use the Alter Ego exercise book for revision.

4 out of 5

Yes

The Alter Ego textbook is a must because you WILL be using it every class and the accompanying workbook is optional if you want to practice your grammar so I suggest that you should probably get it if you have no background in French whatsoever (I did Year 9 and dropped out so I covered most of the basics) and intend to do well, you should get it. However, there are other online activities that you could print and check but most of the online ones don't really have answers to them.

I didn't buy any other verbs list or dictionary. I used Google Translate and Collins French Dictionary to help with translating some of the words that weren't covered in the lectures for the written assignments.

Language and Culture component:
One 1-hour grammar lecture
One 2 hour writing/grammar workshop
One 1 hour oral/aural tutorial
Specialized Culture component:
One 1-hour lecture

2014, Semester 1

83 HD