Facilities Available to Students in French and Spanish
The Department of French and Spanish makes available to its students a number of facilities to assist them while they complete their course work in the department. These are of different kinds, and not all students will take advantage of all of them every semester, but chances are you will come into contact with all of them if you do even a couple of courses in our department.
The Departmental Office (SN4023)
Located on the fourth floor of the Science Building near the
north-west corner, the departmental office is often the best place
to start for students seeking information or guidance on programmes
in French and Spanish. Not only is Patricia
Churchill, our departmental secretary, extremely
well-informed about such matters as the whereabouts of faculty and
staff, course content, programme structure and so forth, but she
can also help you take best advantage of the printed information
and other material housed in the office. This includes copies of
departmental and university information and application forms (for
deferred examinations, prerequisite waivers, etc.).
The department's clerk-stenographer Geoff Wright
is able to answer queries in French, and students are encouraged to
use French when addressing him.
Administrative Staff Specialist Peggy Nixon (SN
4026) is able to assist students who are employed part-time in the
department with such programmes as MUCEP.
The bulletin boards outside the departmental office are frequently updated, and are the best place to look for job announcements, exam schedules, and posters from other universities with programmes in languages or translation. Important announcements are always posted on or near the door of the office, as is a complete schedule of course sections for the semester and a timetable showing faculty office hours. You can call the office by dialing 737-7636 or 737-7637.
The Multimedia Language Centre (MLC)
The MLC is operated by the Language Labs and is located directly
across from the departmental office in SN4022. It houses about 40
Macintosh computers of various types and a wide variety of
language-related software for our department and other departments
teaching modern and classical languages. You must have registered
for a language course in the current semester in order to be able
to use the computers in the Multimedia Language Centre for your
individual work. Accounts are generated from Banner Self-Service
feeds and those held in previous semesters have expired. If you
registered late for your course, your account will not be ready
until your registration information is uploaded into the Banner
system. In this case, you should apply for an MLC account by
filling out an application form (available from student staff on
duty in the MLC, SN-4022. For more information, you should visit
the appropriate
section of the Language Lab web pages.
Students with advanced knowledge of one of the modern languages supported by the MLC, including French and Spanish, may be interested in applying for a position as a student monitor. To apply, you will need to complete an application form, available from the office of Dr. Karin Thomeier, Director of the Language Labs.
The Audio Lab
The audio lab houses a number of Tandberg cassette recorders as well as tapes for a wide variety of courses in French and Spanish, and in other languages. Like the MLC, it is always staffed by one or more student monitors, who will be more than happy to help you use the equipment. To apply for a position as a monitor, you will need to complete the same application form as for the MLC, available from the office of Dr. Karin Thomeier, Director of the Language Labs.
Conversation classes
Conversation classes are a normal part of many language courses. The scheduling and teaching of the classes depends to large extent on the preferences of individual instructors and on the type and level of courses. Advanced students in French can expect to participate in a weekly conversation class with either the assistante or the lectrice, while students in first-year French may take part in classes conducted by advanced students or by their instructors.
The Help Centre
The Department operates a Help Centre in French staffed by advanced students employed on MUCEP grants. For exact hours of operation each semester, you should consult the departmental office in order to find the time that best suits you. The Help Centre staff are available to help first- and second-year students with specific difficulties you may be encountering in your study of French: they are not there to do your homework for you! The Help Centre normally operates in the departmental seminar room located in SN4035. You can find the hours of operation for the help center for the current term here.
The Francoforum
The Francoforum, located in Saint-Pierre, houses the department's Frecker Programme. It is owned and operated by the Conseil général of Saint-Pierre, and houses several classrooms, a language lab, offices and other facilities. During the winter and spring semesters, the Francoforum is home to visiting groups of adult and school-age students who come to study French in Saint-Pierre.
The Seminar Room (SN4035)
The departmental seminar room houses the department's collection of books in French and Spanish as well as the newspapers and periodicals to which the department subscribes. It is normally open from early morning until late evening, and is available for the use of students in French and Spanish courses except when occasionally needed for use by advanced classes or for meetings. If the seminar room is locked for any reason, please ask for the key the departmental office. The seminar room is also used by the Cercle Français and the Sociedad Hispánica for their mixers and other social activities.
French and Spanish student societies
Memorial's French and Spanish student societies, the Cercle
Français and the Sociedad Hispanica, welcome the
participation of all students registered in French and Spanish
courses or simply interested in activities of which the French or
Spanish language is a part. They are run by elected executives
whose term corresponds to the academic year, and who are assisted
by a faculty member of the department.
For recent news on the French student society, see the
Cercle Français Facebook page.
The members of the Cercle Francais normally organize a visit
to Saint-Pierre once or twice a year during the mid-term break or
after April exams, and conduct a number of other activities each
year. In recent years, these have included not only the usual
mixers, which are well attended by students, faculty and staff and
are a great way to meet other people in the department, but
activities that include both a social and a cultural element. For
example, students have organized wine- and cheese-tasting sessions
and a French banquet. If you are registered in a French or Spanish
course, you will hear about the activities of the student
societies; if not, by all means just leave your name at the
departmental office!