Welcome to the Monterey Institute's Winter Intensive French Program! Over the course of 15 days, the program offers 60 hours of intensive elementary and intermediate level language and culture instruction giving you an opportunity to jump-start your French studies or advance to a high-intermediate level of study.
Instruction in the program is led by native or near-native French speakers with extensive experience in teaching, providing students with many opportunities to practice the language. If you have further questions about the program, please contact wilp@miis.edu or 831-647-4115. We hope to be able to welcome you to our Winter Intensive French Program!
Elementary French
The elementary class is designed for students with no or minimal knowledge of French. Whether one is a complete novice or has some previous linguistic experience, the program can accomodate a range of elementary levels. The focus of the class will be to develop or improve each student's overall ability to read, write, speak and understand spoken language. Instructors use an integrated, communicative approach to engage students in the learning process, and students will be exposed to basic grammar, vocabulary, and cultural information, and will have many opportunities to produce the language in speaking and writing. Students will use authentic French sources, including the Internet, television and film clips, and will become familiar with culture of French-speaking countries. The elementary class uses Paralleles as its major textbook. Students in the elementary French program should expect to spend an additional 2-3 hours per day outside class to complete homework assignments and prepare for the next day's class. During the winter session, classes are 4 hours and 15 minutes a day, from 9:00AM until 11:45AM, and resuming after lunch from 1:00PM to 2:30PM. The program comprises a total of 60 hours, equaling 4 semester units of undergraduate credit.
Intermediate French
While the intermediate course is generally designed for students with at least one year of recent college-level French, a placement exam will be given to test proficiency in both oral and written French at the start of the program. Placement will therefore be determined by language proficiency level, not by the length of previous studies. An appropriate proficiency level will include the ability to speak and write in simple paragraphs, using correct indicators of present, past and future time. This would assume a strong structural grasp of present, past and near future/future tenses. One should have exposure to the imperfect tense and its relationship to the passe compose, but not necessarily have reached mastery of its usage.
The focus of the class will be to develop or improve each student's overall ability to read, write, speak and understand spoken language. The intermediate class uses integrated, communicative approach to engage students in the learning process. After a brief review of pronunciation and elementary vocabulary and grammar, students will be exposed to authentic French sources such as the Internet, television and film clips used to explore a variety of French-speaking countries and cultures. Stuents will participate in dialogues and group presentations on these cross-cultural topics as well as topics of personal or professional interest.The intermediate class uses Chez nous: Branche sur la monde francophone 3e edition as its major textbook, supplemented by audio materials, Internet-based practice materials, and authentic materials for reading and listening practice. Students in the intermediate French program should expect to spend an additional 2-3 hours per day outside class to complete homework assignments and prepare for the next day's class. During the winter session, classes are 4 hours and 15 minutes a day, from 9:00AM until 11:45AM, and resuming after lunch from 1:00PM to 2:30PM.The program comprises a total of 60 hours, equaling 4 semester units of undergraduate credit.
We highly recommend that you order your texts online through the vendor of your choice before the WILP session begins. The session is very short, and if you wait to purchase your books until the session begins, they may not arrive in time. If you are unsure of your level, please use your score from the diagnostic test as a guide. Or, you may want to purchase both books and send one back after the session begins.
Elementary French
Required: Paralleles 3e edition. (2003). Author: Nicole Fouletier-Smith. Publisher: Prentice Hall ISBN: 13-183236-0
Optional: Collage: Revision de grammaire 5e edition (2004).
Authors: Baker, Bleuze, Border, Grace, Owen, Williams-Gascon. McGraw-Hill. ISBN: 13-978-07-234398-4
Intermediate French
Required: Chez Nous: Branche sur le monde francophone 3e edition (2006). Author: Valdman, Pons, Scullen. Publisher: Prentice Hall. ISBN: 0-13-192026-x
Optional: Collage: Revision de grammaire re edition (2004).
Authors: Baker, Bleuze, Border, Grace, Owen, Williams-Gascon. Publisher: McGraw-Hill. ISBN: 13- 978-07-234398-4
Donna Hertz
French Language Coordinator
donna.hertz@miis.edu
