Placement is determined by an examination given on arrival in Paris regardless of previous French study. Due to the number of courses available, students should realize some timetable conflicts may be unavoidable. All students must take a cours pratique (French 101, 151, 201, 301 or 401). Attendance is mandatory.
Morning French Language Classes
| French Language | |
| Course Code and Credits: | French 101 (3) (5) |
| Course Title: | Beginner French: Cours Pratique |
| Course Description: | |
| A cours pratique concentrates on acquisition of vocabulary, grammar, oral comprehension and written and spoken expression. Instruction is in groups according to ability. Suitable for absolute beginners or for students with some high school French. Class is held 2 hours a day, 5 days a week. Additional hours of phonetics: 4-week session, 10 hours; 6-week session, 15 hours are required. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | French 101 (6) (10) |
| Course Title: | Intensive Beginner French: Cours Pratique |
| Course Description: | |
| Intensive beginner course. Meets 5 hours a day, Monday through Friday, with daily homework assignments. Instruction is under the supervision of specialist professors, consisting of a combination of language lab work, drills, grammar, vocabulary, conversation and dictation. A supplementary fee for this course of approximately $600 (4-week program) or $800 (6-week program) is payable to the Resident Director in Paris once enrollment is confirmed. The workload is such that students electing it should try not to take other courses for credit. Although designed for beginners, it is intensive and demanding. Students with some prior knowledge of French may enroll. Due to class times, students electing to take this intensive course forfeit the majority of afternoon cultural activities. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | French 151 (3) (5) |
| Course Title: | Elementary French: Cours Pratique |
| Course Description: | |
| Suitable for beginners or for students with some high school French. Class is held 2 hours a day, 5 days a week. Additional hours of phonetics: 4-week session, 10 hours; 6-week session, 15 hours are required. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | French 151 (6) (10) |
| Course Title: | Intensive Elementary French: Cours Pratique |
| Course Description: | |
| This class meets for 5 hours every day, Monday through Friday, and is designed for students with some prior knowledge of French. Students work on describing their daily lives and discussing familiar topics both in written and spoken formats. The course encourages students to use a variety of tenses and grammatical constructions, through a combination of grammar drills, lab work, dictation and conversation. A supplementary fee for this course of approximately $600 (4-week program) or $800 (6-week program) is payable to the Resident Director in Paris once enrollment is confirmed. The workload is such that students electing it should try not to take other courses for credit. Due to class times, students electing to take this intensive course forfeit the majority of cultural activities. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | French 201 (3) (5) |
| Course Title: | Intermediate French: Cours pratique |
| Course Description: | |
| Suitable for students who have mastered the elementary level. Stress on formal grammar. Examples of varying French styles used to improve awareness of idiom. Held 2 hours a day, 5 days a week. Additional hours of phonetics: 4-week session, 10 hours; 6-week session, 15 hours are required. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | French 201 (6) (10) |
| Course Title: | Intensive Intermediate French: Cours pratique |
| Course Description: | |
| This class meets for 5 hours every day, Monday through Friday, and is designed for students with a sound grounding in French who wish to achieve a higher level of expression and understanding. Through grammar drills, lab work, dictation and conversation students learn to understand and express ideas about French society and culture as well as describing events from their personal experience. They are encouraged to debate, advise and give opinions. A supplementary fee of approximately $600 (4-week program) or $800 (6-week program) is payable to the Resident Director in Paris once enrollment is confirmed. The workload is such that students electing it should try not to take other courses for credit. Due to class times, students electing to take this intensive course forfeit the majority of cultural activities. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | French 301 (3) (5) |
| Course Title: | Advanced French: Cours pratique |
| Course Description: | |
| Aspects of language and style, text analysis and dissertation. Language laboratory study is required. Classes are given at both 301 and 401 levels. Held 2 hours a day, 5 days a week. Additional hours of phonetics: 4-week session, 10 hours; 6-week session, 15 hours are required. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | French 401 (3) (5) |
| Course Title: | Superior French: Cours pratique |
| Course Description: | |
| Aspects of language and style, text analysis and dissertation. Language laboratory study is required. Classes are given at both 301 and 401 levels. Held 2 hours a day, 5 days a week. Additional hours of phonetics: 4-week session, 10 hours; 6-week session, 15 hours are required. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | French 152/202/302/402 (1) (1) |
| Course Title: | Conversation |
| Course Description: | |
| Designed to improve fluency in speaking. Classes begin after placement in a cours pratique. Meets 10 hours total. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | French 507 (2) |
| Course Title: | Teaching French as a Second Language: Orientations actuelles de la didactique du Français, langue étrangère (in July) |
| Course Description: | |
| The linguistic aspect of teaching French as a foreign language. Taught in French for professors of French at the University level. Please contact the Admissions Officer for further details. Fee of approximately $400 for 4 weeks is applicable. | |
Afternoon Classes (taught in French)
Students enrolled in a cours pratique on the AIFS program may enroll in one of two special seminars conducted by the Cours de Civilisation Française de la Sorbonne for AIFS students. Since they are taught in French, students need to place at the high intermediate level or above to enroll. Once enrolled, attendance is required. Minimum enrollment of 15 students required. These seminars meet for a total of 20 hours during the month of July only.
| Afternoon classes (taught in French) | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Art History 304 (2) |
| Course Title: | De l’Histoire de Paris à celle de l’État Nation (From the History of Paris to that of Nation State) - NEW! |
| Course Description: | |
| This course takes you on a tour through the history of Paris from the Church of the Middle Ages to the Paris of today. You will explore the different facets of Paris during the 17th-18th centuries (from Gallo-Roman to Classic); the political and social history of the 19th century (from Paris of the Misérables to Haussmann’s bourgeois Paris); Paris during the First and Second World Wars, and finally the cultural projects of the State during the second half of the 20 century. About one-third of the class is devoted to visits illustrating points raised in the seminar. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Conférences |
| Course Title: | French Civilization Lectures: Conférences |
| Course Description: | |
| Students enrolled in Intermediate, Advanced or Superior French (French 201, 301 or 401) may attend a number of lectures given in French by eminent lecturers. Topics covered include literature, art, economic and social problems, geography and history. The lectures consider the nature of French civilization and the contribution of the French to the Western cultural heritage. Students may attend any or all of the 9 hours of lectures. given each week. Homework is not required and there are no examinations. Students requiring credit for these courses are advised to make prior arrangements with their home institutions. | |
Afternoon Classes (taught in English)
An additional, optional course is offered at the Institut de Langue et de Culture Françaises (ILCF). ILCF, part of the Institut Catholique de Paris, is a private University recognized by the French Ministry of Higher Education. Students should confirm with their home institutions whether transfer credit is allowed from private educational institutions.
| Afternoon classes | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Fine Arts 307 (2) |
| Course Title: | Fashion in France |
| Course Description: | |
| Links between fashion and artistic, cultural, social, political contexts across French history are explored. The lasting dominance of Paris in the world of fashion is examined. Students will be able to appreciate how fashion and accessories have been used to express all types of identities. Students visit different exhibitions, museums and the Yves saint-Laurent Foundation. Students pay entrance fees. | |
Other courses (taught in English)
In addition to courses for formal academic credit, AIFS offers these non-credit options in the afternoon or evening.
| Non-credit enrichment courses | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Non-credit |
| Course Title: | French Cuisine |
| Course Description: | |
| This course gives students the chance to get first hand experience of French cooking, both in the kitchen and around the table, enjoying the fruits of their labors together at the end of each session. Taught in French by an experienced chef and passionate cook, students will learn how to blend the sauces and select the fresh produce that have made French cuisine an art of worldwide acclaim. Students can choose to take 3 classes. Fee of approximately 50 euros per class is payable on arrival. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Non-credit |
| Course Title: | Wine Appreciation |
| Course Description: | |
| This course introduces students to the art of wine-making, covering its history and the development of France’s extensive wine laws and teaching some of the key techniques used in the appreciation and analysis of fine wines. Students are provided with a bilingual manual to accompany them in their studies and will consider how regional foods and wines have become an integral part of French culture. The course is taught in English. Fee of approximately 120 euros is payable on arrival. A minimum enrollment of 12 students is required to run the course. | |
