Beginning French I

Designed for the student having had no prior contact with the French language, Beginning French I introduces the basic structure of the French language with you, the immersion student, in mind. Learning French in France, you have a considerable advantage as far as active, language acquisition is concerned: the reality of continual contact with the French and all their linguistic and cultural idiosyncrasies. As part of active language acquisition, and in order to help you engage in diverse, cultural experiences, the instructor will lead a limited number of discovery excursions into the city of Paris including, but not limited to libraries, museums, theatres, or local bakeries.

More concretely, at the beginning level of French, you will continue refining your proficiency in the four areas of language competency in order to communicate effectively in the target language. The varied class activities and exercises focus, therefore, upon the following four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing.

Conducted entirely in French, this class requires daily preparation as well as a high level of engagement on your part during class meetings. And while the instructor does not expect you to understand every word said in class, you should look/listen for patterns and contextual clues in order to gain a global understanding of the situation and sense behind it. Learning to derive global meanings from speech and text that you may not entirely understand is a powerful tool that will hone your ability to understand your environment as you navigate your way through French-speaking cultures, both literally and figuratively.

Your constant attention and dynamic participation are indispensable ingredients for making real and observable improvements in your cross-cultural competency. As an active student you will be expected not only to come prepared to class, but also to discuss there the new cultural facts or discoveries you have encountered outside of class.