Recommended Semester Credits |
|||
| (to be determined by student's home institution) | |||
| Intermediate French language | 10 hours/week | 8 credits | |
| Two French seminars (taught for all Centre Universitaire students) | 2 hours/seminar/week | 4 credits | |
| One English seminar (taught by the Centre Universitaire for AIFS students) | 3 hours/seminar/week | 3 credits | |
| Total | 15 credits | ||
| Advanced French students usually take: | |||
| French 301 | 6 hours/week | 4 credits | |
| French 304 | 2 hours/week | 2 credits | |
| Translation 303 | 2 hours/week | 2 credits | |
| Four seminars in English or French | 2 or 3 hours/seminar/week | 8 credits | |
| Total | 16 credits | ||
The minimum course load for semester students is 12 credits. Once the semester begins, students have two weeks to drop or change seminars without penalty, given a valid reason. After this, if students wish to withdraw from a course, they must sign a declaration to this effect and obtain the Director’s signature so the transcript will show “withdrawn.” Students may not withdraw from a course under any circumstances in the final eight weeks of the semester; if they do, an F is registered on their transcript.
Language courses
Both the French language courses and seminars in French are open to all students at the CUEF. With this course the CUEF offers 3 levels of language learning in accordance with the Council of Europe* definitions.
CUEF French Language Course
| French 201 | Intermediate | (B1)* |
| French 301 | Advanced | (B2 – C1)* |
| French 401 | Superior | (C1)* |
English seminars are exclusively for AIFS students. A minimum of 10 students is required for all courses other than language.
Students enrolled in French 201 may take only 200 level seminars in French, except for Fine Arts 303, Fine Arts 311 and History 311. Students in French 301 may not take 200 and 400 level courses; 400 level students may not take 200 and 300 level courses. Recommended semester credits are in parentheses.
| Language courses | |
| Course Code and Credits: | French 201 (8) |
| Course Title: | Travaux Pratiques: Intermédiaire (French Language: Intermediate) |
| Course Description: | |
| For students with at least one year of recent college French.Vocabulary, grammar, composition, phonetics and techniques of written expression. Meets 10 hours per week. Admission is by placement test. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | French 203 (2) |
| Course Title: | Traduction d’Anglais en Français (Translation from English to French) |
| Course Description: | |
| This course complements French 201. It concentrates on English to French translation and meets 2 hours a week. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | French 210 (2) |
| Course Title: | Vocabulaire et Langue Française (French Vocabulary Enrichment) |
| Course Description: | |
| This course is designed to expand and enrich students’ understanding of the French language through the study of vocabulary: origins of words, metaphors, synonyms and homonyms. Specific themes may also be studied: travel, sounds, slang etc. Class meets 2 hours per week and complements French 201; offered at the same time as French 203. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | French 301 (4) |
| Course Title: | Travaux Pratiques: Avancé (French Language: Advanced) |
| Course Description: | |
| This cours pratique supérieur meets 6 hours weekly. Emphasis is on perfecting techniques already learned and acquiring more sophisticated written and spoken style. Phonetics work included. Admission is by placement test. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | French 303 (2) |
| Course Title: | Traduction d’Anglais en Français (Translation from English to French) |
| Course Description: | |
| An advanced translation course concentrating on translations from English to French, this class is designed to complement French 301 and meets 2 hours per week. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | French 304 (2) |
| Course Title: | Techniques d’Expression Orale et Ecrite (Written and Oral Expression) |
| Course Description: | |
| Techniques of written expression teach the skills needed to write a comprehensive essay in French, while techniques of oral expression allow students to improve their presentation skills in French. Organization of work, vocabulary, style and mastery of tenses. Complements French 301. Meets 2 hours a week. Separate grades are given for oral and written work on transcript. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | French 310 (2) |
| Course Title: | Vocabulaire et Langue Française (French Vocabulary Enrichment) |
| Course Description: | |
| This course is designed to expand and enrich students’ understanding of the French language through the study of vocabulary: origins of words, metaphors, synonyms and homonyms. Specific themes may also be studied: travel, sounds, slang etc. Class meets 2 hours per week and complements French 301 and 304. It is offered at the same time as French 303. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | French 401 (15) |
| Course Title: | Travaux Pratiques: Universitaire (French Language: University Level/Advanced) |
| Course Description: | |
| For advanced French majors who have completed at least three years of college French. Admission is by placement test only. French language meets 6 hours/week and includes phonetics, linguistics and advanced grammar. Students are also required to take a minimum of two CUEF seminars (3 hours/week – see choices at 300 level) and 8 hours/week of French courses at Université Stendhal Langues et Lettres (LEA) or Science du Langage. During university courses AIFS students are in class with regular French students. All students are required to write a research paper in French. | |
Courses in French
Courses open to all Centre Universitaire students meet one and a half hours a week. A research paper is required (in French); it is graded by the course instructor. Work for the research paper is equivalent to 10 academic hours of class, making regular Centre Universitaire courses recommended for 2 credits and phonetics, 1 credit.
| Courses in French | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Econ 201-202/Pol Sci 201-202 (2) |
| Course Title: | Vie Politique et Economique de la France Contemporaine (Economic and Social Problems in Modern France) |
| Course Description: | |
| After surveying the evolution of the French Republic, concentration is on issues pertinent to a sound understanding of contemporary French society. Subjects include institutions of the Fifth Republic, May 1968, the Socialist years and the economy (regional development, state aid and employment). | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Econ 301-302/Pol Sci 301-302 (2) |
| Course Title: | Le Monde des Affaires et Environnement Economique (France: Domestic and International Economic Environment) |
| Course Description: | |
| The course draws on, and is supported by, current events, economic data, case studies and the press to show how French companies operate in an evolving global market. Subjects covered include political influence (local, national and international), working practices and conditions, legal requirements, the power of private enterprise etc. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Fine Arts 303-304 (3) |
| Course Title: | Histoire du Cinéma Français (History of French Cinema) |
| Course Description: | |
| Introduction to French cinema by concentrating on a chosen theme, director, actor or actress. Students view films showing the range of work of a particular director, actor or actress. It meets approximately 3 hours a week and requires a research paper. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Fine Arts 311-312 (2) |
| Course Title: | Initiation à l’Art Français (History of Art in France) |
| Course Description: | |
| Movements and individual artists tracing the development of painting, French architecture and sculpture. Fall semester covers prehistoric art, the Romans and the Middle Ages; Spring semester covers the academics to cubism. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | French 205-206 (2) |
| Course Title: | Littérature Française et Francophone (French and Francophone Literature) |
| Course Description: | |
| For students in French 201. Students read and discuss three novels per semester. Students are introduced, via extracts, to the work of writers in other French-speaking countries. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | French 215-216 (2) |
| Course Title: | Culture et Société (French Culture and Society) |
| Course Description: | |
| Educational experience, the media, culinary habits, beliefs and superstitions, immigration and its social ramifications, leisure, women’s issues, professional training and differences between Paris and the provinces are discussed. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | French 305-306 (2) |
| Course Title: | Littérature Française Contemporaine (20th Century French Literature) |
| Course Description: | |
| For students enrolled in French 301, this course covers major developments in contemporary French literature (four novels per semester). Poetry and drama are also discussed. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | French 307-308 (2) |
| Course Title: | Culture et Littérature Francophones (Culture and Literature of the French-Speaking World) |
| Course Description: | |
| For students enrolled in French 301, this course creates awareness of the richness and continuing vitality of the French language throughout the world. Students read works by Tahar Ben Jelloun (Morocco), Ramuz (Switzerland), Anne Hébert (Quebec) and Ahmadou Kourouma (Equatorial Africa). There will also be a selection of poetic texts. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | History 311 fall only (2) |
| Course Title: | Histoire de la France de 1789 à 1914 (French History from 1789-1914) |
| Course Description: | |
| Major social, political and economic developments in France from the French Revolution to the outbreak of World War I. Intermediate students may ask permission to take the course. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | History 312 spring only (2) |
| Course Title: | Histoire de la France de 1914 à nos jours (French History from 1914 to the Present) |
| Course Description: | |
| Major historical events from 1914 to the present. Analysis of political, economic, social forces and institutions and their development. Intermediate students may ask permission to take the course. | |
Courses in English
Courses taught by the Centre Universitaire exclusively for AIFS students meet 2 hours a week and require a research paper. Courses are recommended for 3 credits.
| Courses in English | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Business Administration 301 spring only (3) |
| Course Title: | European Business Environment |
| Course Description: | |
| The impact of the single market on the economic, social, political and legal environment of European business. The role of the European economic community, multinational companies, banking and finance, foreign exchange regulations, European marketing and the European consumer. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Literature 305-306 (3) |
| Course Title: | French Literature in Translation |
| Course Description: | |
| The class consists of an in-depth analysis of major works of French 19th and 20th century literature: selected poems (Hugo, Baudelaire, Apollinaire), a play, short stories by Mérimée and Maupassant, and a 20th century novel. Lectures are given on the political and cultural history of the period. Class discussion is emphasized. Students take a final exam, a mid-term and write a research paper. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Political Science 209 fall only (3) |
| Course Title: | Comparative European Government |
| Course Description: | |
| Introduction to modern political systems. Cultural/structural development, characteristics and problems. Three case studies are examined: Great Britain, France and Germany. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Political Science 325 fall only (3) |
| Course Title: | The European Union |
| Course Description: | |
| The development of unity within western Europe from 1945 to the present. Topics are: the historical context of union, the organization and functioning of existing institutions, the policy-making process with reference to key areas of commercial and economic cooperation and implications of the 1991 Maastricht Treaty. Questions about the type of unity Europeans want and possibility for further enlargement. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Political Science 330 spring only (3) |
| Course Title: | International Institutions |
| Course Description: | |
| Dynamics of leading international organizations—origins, politics, structures and impact—focusing on the United Nations, OPEC, the International Atomic Energy Agency, international human rights and the European communities. Critical analysis of principal problems of public international institutions, reform movements and future directions of international institutions. | |
Special Courses
A special program organized jointly by CUEF and the Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie de Paris is available for students who wish to do advanced studies in French as part of their major. Admission is contingent on a written placement test.
Especially valuable for students specializing in international commerce or economics and who already have a strong background in French, courses lead to the Diplôme de Français des Affaires, 1er degré. Students with particularly strong French can earn the Diplôme de Français des Affaires 2ème degré.
The program combines French language with additional study of business French. Examinations for the Diplômes are given in late December and May by both the CUEF and the Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie de Paris. Both sets of exams must be taken to receive the qualification from both institutions. The Chambre de Commerce charges an exam fee of approximately $180 (at the student’s expense) and issues its certificate. The exam grade is added to the University transcript.
Full-year students taking one of these options in the spring semester may apply for an unpaid internship with a local company upon completion of the program.
| Special courses | |
| Course Code and Credits: | French 317 (4) |
| Course Title: | Diplôme de Français des Affaires, 1er degré |
| Course Description: | |
| Practical French language 10 hours a week, French business terminology 4 hours a week. Includes two or more CUEF seminars. Students must be in advanced French. Meets an average of 18 hours a week. Please note that specific course work, not including language and translation, is worth 4 credits. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | French 418 spring only (4) |
| Course Title: | Diplôme de Français des Affaires, 2ème degré |
| Course Description: | |
| Students must be in university level French and pass the written placement exam to take this course. Theory of French economics, commerce and practical applications in the French business world. Study of practical French, phonetics, current economic developments and French business terminology. Meets an average 18 hours a week. Please note that specific course work, not including language and translation, is worth 4 credits. | |
Non-credit courses
| Non-credit courses | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Non-credit course |
| Course Title: | French Cuisine |
| Course Description: | |
| Taught in French for small groups of AIFS students in the home of a local host family. Learn to prepare traditional French dishes as well as local delicacies such as gratin dauphinois or fondue in a relaxed and friendly environment. Each class session costs approximately 25 euros and concludes with a meal with wine. AIFS pays for the first session and the student pays for the remaining sessions. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Non-credit course |
| Course Title: | Wine Appreciation Class |
| Course Description: | |
| Evening wine appreciation classes taught in French. Students learn specific wine vocabulary, wine making methods and how to taste. Classes, in a local wine shop, last a total of three hours with general, regional and practical information before tasting the wines. Regions covered include Bordeaux, Champagne and the Rhone Valley. From approximately 35 euros for one class, with reductions available for 3 or more classes | |
