PARIS, FRANCE - Semester Program in French Language & Culture

Placement Exam:

All students will take a French language placement exam after arrival in Paris. The exam will determine each student's language level placement, as well as the classes available to them, as course offerings vary by level. In the gray box above, you can estimate your French level based on the number of semesters of college French you have taken. (ASA cannot guarantee level or class placement, as this is based solely on your placement exam.)

Overview of Curriculum for All Students:

Beginner level students take a set curriculum of French language courses and may not take Culture courses.

Intermediate, Advanced and Superior level students during the FALL semester have two options, either of which earn students a total of 180 contact hours (12 semester credits):
Fall Option 1: Students take one 4-credit French Language class and 4, 2-credit Culture courses. 60 contact hours come from language classes; 120 contact hours come from elective classes.
Fall Option 2: Students take one 6-credit French Language class and 3, 2-credit Culture courses. 90 contact hours come from language classes; 90 contact hours come from elective classes.

Intermediate, Advanced and Superior level students during the SPRING semester will take one 6-credit French Language class and 3, 3-credit Culture courses for a total of 225 contact hours (15 semester credits). 90 contact hours come from language classes and 135 contact hours come from elective classes.

Contact Hours and Credits:
Each elective course meets 3 hours per week. See above for number of weekly hours of French language classes. Fall semester students attend 10 weeks of classes and therefore earn 30 contact hours (2 semester credits) for each elective taken during the Fall semester. Spring students attend 15 weeks of classes and therefore earn 45 contact hours (3 semester credit) for each elective taken during the Spring semester.

Beginner Level Curriculum - French Language:

Beginner level students during the FALL semester have a set curriculum of 18 hours of French Language classes per week, for a total of 180 contact hours (12 semester credits).

Beginner level students during the SPRING semester have a set curriculum of 15 hours of French Language classes per week, for a total of 225 contact hours (15 semester credits).

Beginner French language classes for both semesters will include oral and written comprehension, oral and written expression, grammar, vocabulary, phonetics, and culture/civilzation topics.

At the Institut Catholique de Paris, there are 2 Beginner levels: A1.1 (for complete beginners) and A1. These levels will take French Language, Oral French and Written French. (Levels A1.1 and A1 may not take electives.)

French Language - Beginner (A1.1) (PDF file) (for students who have no French experience)
French Language - Elementary 1 (A1) (PDF file)
Beginner Oral French (PDF file)
Beginner Written French (PDF file)

French Language Courses for Elementary Level and higher:

Students who pass into the following levels on the placement exam may take French Civilization and Culture electives along with their French language classes:

French Language - Elementary 2 (A2) (PDF file)
French Language - Elementary 3 (A2+) (PDF file)
French Language - Intermediate 1 (B1) (PDF file)
French Language - Intermediate 2 (B1+) (PDF file)
French Language - Intermediate 3 (B1++) (PDF file)
French Language - Advanced 1 (B2) (PDF file)
French Language - Advanced 2 (B2+) (PDF file)
For course descriptions of the Superior levels (C1 & C2), please email us.

Elective Courses for Elementary and Intermediate Levels:

In order to take the following elective courses, students must test into Elementary 2 (A2), Elementary 3 (A2+) or Intermediate 1 (B1).

Discovering Arts (PDF file)
Literature, Painting & Music from the 16th to the 20th Centuries (PDF file)
Paris Cinema (PDF file)
Current Events in France (PDF file)
Culture and Religion in France (PDF file)
France through Songs (PDF file)
Discovering Paris (PDF file)
Gastronomy
Introduction to the History of France (PDF file)
Main Questions in Philosophy
Business French (PDF file)
Written French (PDF file)
Oral French (PDF file)
Oral & Theater (PDF file)
Oral & Photo (PDF file)
French Phonetics (PDF file)

Elective Courses for Intermediate & Advanced Levels:

In order to take the following elective courses, students must test into Intermediate 2 (B1+), Intermediate 3 (B1++) or Advanced 1 (B2).

Art in France from the Renaissance to Impressionism (PDF file)
Art & Architecture in France from the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment (PDF file)
Art Adventures in the 20th Century (PDF file)
France through its Heritage (PDF file)
Paris, a Capital of Art & History (PDF file)
French Documentary Cinema (PDF file)
French Contemporary Cinema (PDF file) (requires 1 additional class hour per week for film showings)
The Nouvelle Vague: History and Subjects (PDF file) (requires 1 additional class hour per week for film showings)
The Media in France (PDF file)
France - How Does it Work? (PDF file)
French Politics (PDF file)
Fashion and Design (PDF file)
Europe, Past and Present (PDF file)
Main Periods of French History from the 13th to the 19th Centuries (PDF file)
History of France & French People in the 20th Century (PDF file)
Overview of Literature & Ideas in France - 16th-18th Centuries (PDF file)
Overview of Literature & Ideas in France - 19th-20th Centuries (PDF file)
History of Political Ideas in France
Business French - Intermediate 2 (B1+) (PDF file)
Business French - Intermediate 3(B1++) (PDF file)
Written French (PDF file)
Synthesis Writing and Argumentation (PDF file)
English-French Translation (PDF file)
Oral French (PDF file)
French Phonetics (PDF file)

Elective Courses for Advanced & Superior Levels:

In order to take the following elective courses, students must test into Advanced 1 (B2), Advanced 2 (B2+), Superior 1 (C1) or Superior 2 (C2).

Origins of 20th Century Art (PDF file)
Great Figures of 20th Century Art (PDF file)
Contemporary French Cinema (PDF file)
Cultural Route: Perspectives of France (PDF file)
Cultural Route: Convergences (PDF file)
Contemporary French Literature (PDF file)
History of Philosophical Ideas in France (PDF file)
Structure of Literary Texts (PDF file)
Business French - Advanced 2 (B2+) (PDF file)
Business French - Superior 1 (C1) (PDF file)
The following electives are also open to students in level Intermediate 3 (B1++):
Written French (PDF file)
Synthesis Writing and Argumentation (PDF file)
Oral French (PDF file)
Oral French of Today (PDF file)
Oral French through Cinema (PDF file)
Synthesis Speaking and Argumentation (PDF file)
French Phonetics (PDF file)