French Language Program Organisation du Programme
Organizational Meeting (mandatory in the Fall semester only)
Level 5 : Friday Sept. 4th 12 p.m. (Rome 102) |
We hope that the following information on procedures and policies in the French Program will assist you in your academic studies at SAIS.
Language classes, including French Levels 1, Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4 take place Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10.45 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and Wednesdays and Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 12.15 p.m.. All non-language courses are taught outside of these hours. In other words, students can select any course they are interested in at SAIS prior to obtaining the schedule for the language course they will take.
Level 5 classes are sometimes offered outside language hours. Class schedules are determined upon agreement between professor and students during the organizational meeting.
Class schedules sometimes need to be changed up until the end of the first week of class, always within the language block. It is therefore important for students not to commit themselves to outside, part-time jobs and internships until the class schedules are finalized.
Learning a language is a cumulative process that requires class interaction and participation. Regular attendance and timely arrival are extremely important. The SAIS Language Program allows five absences.
Students who choose to drop a class after the end of the drop-add period will automatically receive a C.
Students who have passed ALL the requirements for Proficiency in another language are considered non-proficiency track students. They may attend French classes but priority for registration is given to proficiency track students. Non-proficiency students will be admitted into the program on a space available, first come, first-served basis. They are required to take both parts of the Placement Exam.
For information on the placement exam, see: Examen de Placement.
The French Program offers five levels: Level 1 Basic; Level 2 Low Intermediate; Level 3 Intermediate; Level 4 High Intermediate, Level 5 Advanced. Levels 1, 2, 3 and 4 are 5-hour courses. Students may take the Proficiency Exam after completing Level 4. Level 5 is a 2-hour course. The class meets once a week. The French Program makes use of various pedagogical tools such as articles, editorials, cartoons taken from newspapers, magazines or the Internet, audio documents from radio broadcasts, video documents from TV news bulletins or tapes produced by NGOs and research institutes. It relies heavily on an extensive web site that supports various resources ranging from links to the French-speaking press, radio and TV stations, to grammar rules and exercises.
For further information on the material studied at each level, see below.
Level 1
At Level 1, students acquire the basic vocabulary and grammatical structures necessary to operate on a minimum communicative level. The skills acquired include conjugating basic high-frequency verbs in the present, past and near future tenses; asking questions; using a variety of pronouns; comparing qualities and quantities; expressing possession. Vocabulary is related to the following themes, among others: Daily environment, housing, university, personal life and family, weather and time, countries of the world, leisure activities.
A textbook designed by SAIS professors is provided.
Level 2
At Level 2, students are exposed to authentic materials with relevant vocabulary and more complex grammatical constructions. The following grammatical points are covered, among others: indirect discourse, interrogative sentences with correctly-placed indirect and direct object pronouns, simple and compound tenses in the past, future and conditional, present participles, and an introduction to the subjunctive. Students develop aural skills in and out of class by listening to reports via the Internet and videotaped news programs on a variety of international topics. They begin to orally summarize articles relating to current international events and social issues using specialized vocabulary.
A textbook designed by SAIS professors is provided.
Level 3
At Level 3, students review grammatical structures and acquire various strategies for dealing with new vocabulary items in context. By the end of the class, they are able to read selected authentic materials from current newspapers and magazines pertaining to International Relations. They are able both to understand and express opinions and to interact verbally in discussions pertaining to current issues with a reasonable degree of grammatical control and appropriate vocabulary. Students completing level 3 are eligible to take the proficiency examination only under the following conditions: (a) upon recommendation of their professor; (b) by virtue of graduating at the end of their Level 3 semester; (c) by re-taking the placement examination and scoring at least 95% on all sections.
All exercises, activities, grammar review rules and exercises designed by SAIS professors.
Level 4
At Level 4, fluency, appropriateness of structures and grammatical control are stressed. Students read and listen to authentic material as a basis for extensive discussion of current events in International Relations. They gain an increased understanding of the French-speaking world and analyze further in depth some social, economic and political issues pertaining to International Affairs.
All exercises, activities, grammar review rules and exercises designed by SAIS professors.
Level 5 : Post-Proficiency
Post-proficiency courses are open to students who have passed the French proficiency and wish to further their expertise in French. The focus of the class is more on social and cultural international issues. Students are able to select some topics of their own interest which they wish to study and discuss in class.
All exercises, activities, grammar review rules and exercises designed by SAIS professors.
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