Fr 139 Fall 2004
Final Project:  Oral Presentation on French Speaking Country

Each student in French 139 will participate in the research and presentation of a French Speaking Country other than France.  Just as we are studying France in depth, you will get a chance to explore on your own another country's culture and society.

Details:
• 10 minute presentation to be scheduled during the last two weeks of class (Nov. 30-Dec. 9).  
• You may work by yourself or with 1-2 partners.  Each student will be given an individual grade.  Groups of more than 2 may have a few extra minutes for their presentation.
• You will submit a short progress report and an annotated bibliography on Nov. 23.  
• The presentation will be evaluated on content as well as form and style.  Each student in a group must participate equally in the presentation.  Specific criteria will be posted on the website and discussed in class.

Guidelines
1.  Your presentation should include the following:
--an introduction to the country:  location, geography, climate, population
--brief history of the country, including why French is spoken there
--highlight interesting points about the culture(s), society, political structure, economy, etc.
--talk about at least one current event relevant to your country.  I.e. if you were presenting France, you could talk about the hostage crisis in Iraq, the response to the headscarf ban, recent outbreak of vandalism in Catholic cemeteries, etc.   
--at the end you should provide a brief conclusion and cite your sources.

2.  Sources:  
--you must use at least TWO different sources for your presentation, ideally more.  

3.  Format:  
--you may use audiovisual support for your presentation, handouts, video, music, etc.  Presentations may be as creative as you like, as long as you meet the above criteria.  Please let me know in advance if you would like to use powerpoint or display a website.  

4.  You should be prepared to answer questions after your presentation.  

Please note the following dates:
November 11:  deadline to email me of your country preference and partner(s):  cmf17@psu.edu
November 23:  Short (1 page or less) project progress report due & annotated bibliography
November 30-December 9:  in-class presentations.

I will set the schedule for presentations.  You may switch times with other groups, but you must notify me.  Any student or group who fails to show up for their presentation will receive a zero for the assignment, unless extreme, unforeseen circumstances arrise.  



Possible countries:  Please email me your top 3 choices by Nov. 11

• Haiti • Guadeloupe • Martinique • French Guiana • Senegal • Morocco • Tunisia • Ivory Coast
• Cameroun • Mali • Togo • Democratic Republic of the Congo • Guinea • Burkina Faso
• Quebec • New Caledonia • Reunion Island • Madagascar • Mauritius • Belgium • Switzerland
• Luxembourg

Sources:
Two good online sources to get you started are:
The CIA Fact Book: www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
Wikipedia online:  en.wikipedia.org

Also check out these PSU gateways:
International Relations: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/socialsciences/forgate2.htm
News Sources: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/socialsciences/News/news_sources.htm

You should also check for articles on your country in the New York Times and Washington Post

How to cite a web page:
If authored by an individual
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Document or File."
Title of Complete Work or Site. Date of document.
Protocol and address (date of access).
    example:
    Burka, Lauren P. "A Hypertext History of Multi-User Dimensions."
    MUD History. 1993. http://www.utopia.com/talent/lpd/muddex/essay (2 Aug. 1996).

If authored by an organization or a company
Organization or company name. "Title of Document or File."
Date of document. Protocol and address (date of access).
    example:
    Penn State Library. "Penn State Library Information Access System." 2004.
    http://www.libraries.psu.edu/ (3 November 2004).

To cite a document or file with no author or organization listed
 "Title of Document or File." Date of document. Protocol and address
 (date of access).
    example:
    "Web Gateway Page." Diversity University Main Campus.
    http://128.18.101:8888/ (7 Sep. 1996).

To cite a newspaper article:
Dalin, Damon. "A $7 Greeting Card? Yes, But Listen To The Melody It Will Play For You." Wall Street Journal 10 May 1983, eastern ed.: D37.
To cite an article in a reference book:
"France." The Encyclopedia Americana. 1994 ed.

To cite a book:
Gopnik, Adam.  Paris to the Moon.  New York: Random House, 2000.  

Sample annotated bibliography:
Gopnik, Adam.  Paris to the Moon.  New York: Random House, 2000.

Adam Gopnik is a journalist for the New Yorker who spent 5 years living and writing in Paris.  Paris to the Moon is a collection of essays that describe his experience.  In addition to his observations about everyday French life, Gopnik writes about what it is like to raise an American child in Paris.