Summer Intensive Elementary French
Course Code
FREN 10123 10
Course Description
Summer Intensive Elementary French is an eight-week course for students with no prior French (or those seeking a comprehensive refresher). Through sustained, supported practice, students build practical proficiency in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. All course materials are included (no textbook purchase required).
By the end of the course, students can communicate in common everyday contexts: introduce themselves, exchange key information, ask and answer questions, navigate routine interactions, understand the main ideas of brief spoken and written texts, and write clear, organized messages and short paragraphs.
Class meetings are highly interactive, with substantial daily speaking practice, guided communicative activities, and regular feedback. The daily schedule includes a break between morning and afternoon sessions. To reinforce oral proficiency, students also complete several short, guided online conversation sessions outside of class time. Optional online cultural activities may be offered; details will be provided once class begins.
This course is equivalent to the FREN 101–102–103 sequence offered during the academic year. Successful completion fulfills the College language competency requirement for University of Chicago students. The final exam is an online four-skills proficiency assessment (speaking, listening, reading, writing); students receive a University of Chicago certification describing proficiency across the four skills based on the assessment results.
Course Criteria
This course is intended for beginners and for students who need an in-depth review of foundational French. Students with prior French knowledge should take the online placement exam at least 4 weeks before the course begins. For placement questions, contact Isabelle Faton (isabellefaton@uchicago.edu), French placement coordinator. All required instructional materials are provided at no cost through open educational resources and other curated course materials; no textbook purchase is required.
For course or content-related questions, please feel free to contact Prof. Nicolas Portugal at nportugal@uchicago.edu
This course is primarily comprised of undergraduate students. A select number of places are reserved for advanced high school students.
The cost of this course for pre-college students is $8,550
Instructor(s)
Nicolas Portugal
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