Daria Mizza, Coordinator The SAIS French Program provides students with a unique opportunity engage in learning experiences that reflect authentic and purposeful uses of the French language. Students are encouraged to develop their communication skills through a wide range of activities including simulations, role-plays, group discussions, presentations, and projects. To polish their grammar and pronunciation skills, students are also provided with regular feed-back from their instructor. The teaching techniques used by French Program instructors are mostly student-centered, with the ultimate goal to make the students independent and proficient users of French. The Basic Program consists of four courses and is open to: - Proficiency-Track Students (those preparing for the SAIS Language Proficiency Exam)
- Non Proficiency-Track Students (those who do not need to pass the French proficiency exam to graduate).
During the first two semesters of the Basic Program, students acquire the linguistic tools to communicate in everyday situations and are gradually exposed to socio-cultural topics by reading and listening to semi-authentic material. In the third semester students focus on socio-cultural issues and SAIS related topics (ie: energy, immigration, human rights, conflicts…) and the learning materials (mainly reading excerpts and videos) are authentic. In the fourth semester, students prepare for the proficiency exam by continuing to expand their vocabulary while working on speaking and writing in paragraphs using cohesive devices to connect ideas. Besides the Basic Program, the SAIS French Program offers courses for students who have already passed the French Proficiency Exam, or for Non Proficiency-Track students who are placed at a higher level at the placement exam. The SAIS French Program is equipped with a library and technological aides for guided independent study. Click here for more information on books, multimedia equipment, and software available. The program uses ACTFL (American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages) to assess students' performance, both for activities in the classroom and in preparation for the proficiency exam. For more information assessment criteria, please click here. Proficiency Requirement French can be used to meet the M.A. language graduation requirements of the Functional Studies Programs as well as African Studies, European Studies, Western Hemisphere Studies. To pass the exams, students need to obtain the following proficiency levels per language skill*: Listening | Speaking | Reading | Writing | Intermediate High | Intermediate High | Intermediate High | Intermediate Mid |
Ph.D. students only need to pass the reading proficiency exam to meet their second foreign language graduation requirement. | 
