Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

French Diction and Literature for Singers (Face-to-Face)

MUSC 2680-01

Course: MUSC 2680-01
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: MUSC
CRN: 11632

Course Description

This course is designed to teach students the correct standardized singing pronunciation of French by utilizing the International Phonetic Alphabet. Students will learn pronunciation rules as well as study French art song literature. (Spring - Even Years) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Prerequisite(s): MUSC 1170 - Prerequisite Min. Grade: C Registration Restriction(s): None

Required Texts

Required texts and other Materials:


Textbooks:
  • Diction for Singers 2nd edition by Joan Wall and Robert Caldwell

  • Song: A Guide to Art Song Style and Literature by Carol Kimball

Other Materials:
  • A three ring binder in which to keep handouts other materials.

  • Canvas access is required as many course materials will be provided there.

It is expected that you will have these things at each class.

Optional Resources:
  • http://www.wordreference.com/fren/ 
  • Christine Ammer, The A to Z of foreign musical terms
  • The New Cassell's French dictionary
  • Thomas Grubb, Singing in French: A manual of French diction and French vocal repertoire

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes


Diction
  • We will develop a working knowledge of the International Phonetic Alphabet. Through both oral and written drills, we will practice and refine the production of the sounds.  
  • We will listen to artists singing selections from the standard French repertoire to check for diction accuracy. 
  • We will study the pronunciation rules of standard French diction.  
  • We will memorize a list of core words commonly used in French vocal literature.
  • We will practice singing aloud both orthographic French song texts and IPA song transliterations.   
  • We will use dictionaries and other reference tools to understand and translate French texts.  
  • We will study specific songs through assigned song texts, which will be sung one-on-one with the instructor for a grade.  
  • Regular participation in class, and completion of assignments are essential in order to reach the goals of this course.  

Literature
  • The student will become familiar with some French composers and representative literature by completing two small literature projects due at midterm and at the end of the semester.

These outcomes will be assessed through diction worksheets, both written and oral examinations, and a repertoire database project.

Course Requirements

Course Requirements


Examinations (60% combined)
  • French Diction Written Examination 1 (15%) - This written examination, which will occur around midterm, will test your knowledge of IPA and French diction. It will include questions about rules regarding IPA transcription. It will also include a section for you to transcribe orthographic spellings into IPA.

  • French Diction Oral Examination 1 (15%) - This oral examination, which will also occur around midterm, will test your ability to sing a French piece with proper singing diction. In a one-on-one setting with the instructor, you will sing a prepared French piece with the sheet music. You will be graded on your diction and not on your technique. I will hand out the sheet music for the piece and we will go over it together in class.

  • French Diction Written Examination 2 (15%) - This written examination, which will occur during the Final Exam time for this course, will test your knowledge of French diction. It will include questions about rules regarding IPA transcription. It will also include a section for you to transcribe orthographic spellings into IPA.

  • French Diction Oral Examination 2 (15%) - This oral examination, which will occur on the last week of classes, will test your ability to sing a French piece with accurate singing diction. In a one-on-one setting with the instructor, you will sing a prepared French piece with the sheet music. You will be graded on your diction and not on your technique. The sheet music for the piece will be from your textbook and we will go over it together in class.

Diction Worksheets (20%) - These worksheets will be assigned as homework throughout the semester. They will each give you the opportunity to practice applying your knowledge of French pronunciation rules and they will normally be on topics which we have just covered together in class.

French Literature Projects (20%) - Throughout the course of the semester, and using the Carol Kimball textbook, you will be completing two literature projects:
  • Written Project (10%) - For this project, you will select 5 French composers and pick 2 pieces per composer. Then you will provide the following for each piece:
    • Title of the piece in French and in English 
    • Composer’s name and Birth/Death dates 
    • 1-2 paragraphs explaining why you chose this piece (why you like it) 
    • Difficulty of the song on a scale of: Easy – Moderately Easy – Moderately Difficult – Difficult 
    • Brief (one or two sentences) explanation of your answer to the above bullet point 
    • Summarize what the poem (the text of the piece) is saying 
    • Provide a brief Style Analysis of the major components listed in pages 3-19 of the Carol Kimball textbook.
  • Composer Presentation (10%) - For this project, you will be assigned a French art song composer from the Carol Kimball book. You will then prepare a 15 minute presentation focusing on the following:
    • Composer information (5 minutes)
      • Time period they lived in
      • Important events from their life
      • Interesting facts about them
    • Using the textbook and audio/video examples, give a summary of their compositional style using at least 3 of their songs. These songs must not be listed as examples in your composer's section in the textbook.
    • Please include an image of your reference page

Grading Policy
100–93 % | A
92–90 % | A-
89–87 % | B+
86–83 % | B
82–80 % | B-
79–77 % | C+
76–73 % | C
70–72 % | C-
69–67 % | D+
66–63 % | D
63–60 % | D-
59% and below | F

Course Outline

Course Schedule


February 25 - French Diction Written Exam 1
February 27 - French Diction Oral Exam 1

March 6 - Written Literature Project due

April 15 - French Diction Written Exam 2
April 17 - French Diction Oral Exam 2

April 23 @ 7:00am. (Final Exam Time) - Composer Presentations/Breakfast

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Late Assignment Policy


Late assignments will generally not be accepted. Exceptions include: accomodations from the Disability Resource Center, and prior communication from you to me which results in an extension.

Attendance Policy

Attendance Policy


Attendance is critical for this class!

This class has a skill component to it that can only be properly learned through monitored practice. Therefore, while attendance is not a graded category in this class, the following scale will be used to adjust your final grade at the end of the semester:

0 absences - add 4 percentage points
1 absence - add 2 percentage points
2 absences - no change
3 absences - subtract 2 points
4 absences - subtract 4 points
5 absences - subtract 8 points
6 absences - automatic failure

My hope is that we all remain healthy and well throughout the semester. However, the Disability Resource Center can help you negotiate the effect of an absence due to a health emergency if necessary.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.