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Courses offered by the ILCF-Institut de Langue et de Culture Française 2010

French Courses, Oral

French 101     Beginner French (2 credits)
French 102     Elementary French I (2 credits)

The Elementary Oral French classes aim to teach students to understand simple phrases that they will encounter in daily life. They learn to answer basic questions and to ask for information on familiar subjects, learning simple polite phrases useful in everyday life. At the higher levels, they will discuss their habits, daily activities and personal experience and be able to give, with justification, an opinion of it.

Classes use a mix of role play, listening exercises and pronunciation work with particular focus on intonation. Students are regularly required to give regular short presentations in French. The Elementary classes focus on themes such as the family, work and leisure environments.

French 201     Intermediate French I (2 credits)

At this level students learn to grasp the meaning of detailed information communicated via news reports, interviews or dispatches. They are able to follow conversations and understand short presentations. Students aim to be able to communicate with ease about familiar subjects even those not frequently encountered and to relate events to others using the correct temporal context. They learn to express feelings and opinions and to justify them to others in discussion. They are able to say how they feel about abstract or cultural subjects such as films, books and music.

Study is based on video and audio recordings, press articles and group discussion. Students will research social themes such as travel, cinema and family life.

French 301     Advanced French (3 credits)
French 401     Superior French I (3 credits)

Students at this level work at following conferences, speeches and reports of complex content and structure. They will understand recordings relating to professional, social and university life. They will be able to interact naturally and with spontaneity when conversing with native speakers, being able to express the subtleties of their feelings and thoughts. In debates and discussions students aim to make convincing and structured arguments.

Students prepare 15 minute presentations (without notes), participate in classroom debates and make short oral summaries of radio bulletins and/or newspaper articles.

French Courses, Written

French 111     Beginner French (2 credits)
French 112     Elementary French (2 credits)

This course introduces students to simple written French. Students examine short, authentic texts (postcards, e-mails, articles) and learn to write similar texts of their own. Through study of the present and simple past tenses, as well as adjectives, adverbs and prepositions, students aim to master the key elements of the written language.

French 212     Intermediate French (2 credits)

At this level students read and analyze a variety of texts from the press and/or literature and work on particular linguistic features. Classes focus on syntax, vocabulary enrichment and more complex structures such as the subjunctive.

French 312     Advanced French (3 credits)
French 412     Mastery French (3 credits)

Students learn to give detailed descriptions, to recount events that occurred in the past and to express opinions, composing texts that respond to material they have studied. Complex sentences are analyzed, written exercises "in the manner of" are re-written.

French Courses, Phonetics

French 121     Beginner French (2 credits)
French 122     Elementary French (2 credits)

The phonetics classes aim to help students with pronunciation and intonation. At this level classes work on the acquisition of sounds, relating the heard sound to its written equivalent and correcting individual mispronunciations. Students learn the phonetic alphabet.

French 222     Intermediate French (2 credits)

At this level, phonetics classes develop the student’s awareness of his/her pronunciation and increase the fluency of speech. Students work on transcribing phonetically-written texts.

French 322     Advanced French (3 credits)

Students read aloud to perfect their intonation and fluency. Review of all exercises in a more detailed and complex way.

Courses taught by other colleges and institutions in Paris

The University of London Institute in Paris

Académie de Port Royal

Schola Cantorum

Students may take one or two courses at these institutions. Except in special circumstances, a minimum of 10 is needed for a course. Students receive transcripts or certificates authenticating work completed.

These institutions vary in accreditation status. The University of London Institute in Paris is a joint institute of both the University of London and the Université de Paris and, therefore, enjoys university status. The Académie de Port Royal is an art school not of university status in France. Students wishing to transfer credit for Port Royal courses should check with their home institutions. The Schola Cantorum is a private music school in Paris. Students wishing to transfer credit for Port Royal courses should check with home institutions whether transfer credit is allowed from private educational institutions.

Special Courses