The dedicated and creative teachers and scholars in the French department share a commitment to excellence of instruction. All courses are taught by a highly trained corps of instructors who have been trained extensively in the teaching of French as a second language. In the course of learning French, students are taught how to reflect on the meaning of linguistic and cultural similarities and differences, and they acquire new insights into the complexities of human communication and human culture. In addition to a review of all skills (speaking, listening, reading, writing, and culture), Berkeley's language program is unique in placing early emphasis on issues of rhetoric, organization, and style in students' spoken and written communication. Many of the communicative skills our students acquire in French transfer directly into other courses, helping them to succeed in those areas. Class size is kept small to allow for individual attention and maximum opportunity for practice.
Summer language study options include French 1, 2, 3, and 4, (each of the regular first four semesters of language study), and also French 15, an intensive first-year workshop.
Beginning language learners, including undergraduates and graduate students from Berkeley and elsewhere, are especially encouraged to consider French 15. This intensive course offers the closest thing to total immersion outside of a stay in a French-speaking country. The course provides the equivalent of the first two semesters of college French (French 1 and 2) and includes a rich variety of cultural activities such as films and lectures. Both oral and written skills are emphasized in daily grammar presentations and conversation, drill, and language laboratory sessions.
The goals of French 15 are (a) to teach you to speak, read, write, and understand the fundamental structures of French grammar and vocabulary, (b) to teach you to create with the French language and (c) to give you an awareness of French culture and an initial exposure to French literature. By the end of the summer, you can expect to be able to do the following in French:
- request or share facts about yourself and others; share or elicit opinions, feelings, and judgments
- express personal concerns
- remember or restate the contributions made by other class members
- request clarification and explanation
- discuss subjects of interest to you, past experiences, future hopes and plans
- cope well enough to provide for your own needs in a French-speaking environment
- express your thoughts simply but clearly in essentially correct French prose