Program Info
Study Abroad in Paris (Catholic University of Paris, ILCF): Courses
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Session 1 (Intensive French Language) students take one language course for a total of 84 contact hours and a recommended 5 credits. Session 2 (French Language and Culture) students take a language course for 60 contact hours and a recommended 4 credits and can also choose a 2-credit elective course taught in English for a total of 6 credits. Session 1 and 2 Combined students can earn up to 11 recommended credits by taking both the sessions outlined above.
Placement is determined by a test taken prior or upon arrival in Paris and an oral test taken upon arrival regardless of previous French study. All students must take a French language course.
A minimum enrollment of 10 students is needed to confirm an elective course.
French Language Classes (Mandatory)
Session 1 courses carry 5 credits and Session 2 courses carry 4 credits.French 131 (5) (4) | French Language - Beginner
The Beginner classes introduce students to the rudiments of the
French language. They learn to introduce themselves, to give and
respond to simple greetings, to express their nationality and age.
Vocabulary work focuses on color, clothes, the family, the calendar
and items encountered in the home. Working in the present
tense, students learn to buy, order and pay for things as well as to
express their likes and dislikes.
French 132 (5) (4) | French Language - Elementary
The Elementary French classes aim to teach students to understand
simple phrases that they will encounter in daily life. They
learn to answer basic questions and to ask for information on
familiar subjects. Students discuss their habits, daily activities
and personal experience and learn to give opinions. They are able
to make comparisons and use both the simple future and simple
past tenses.
French 232 (5) (4) | French Language - Intermediate
At this level students learn to grasp the meaning of more detailed
information through discussion of topics such as their studies,
family ties, the work environment and social relationships. They
are able to use the conditional as well as more complex future
and past tenses, including the subjunctive. They can give orders,
express doubts and feelings, relate what someone else has told
them and discuss hypothetical situations.
French 332 (5) (4) / French 432 (5) (4) | French Language - Advanced/French Language - Superior
Advanced students learn to interact naturally and with spontaneity
when conversing with native speakers, being able to express the
subtleties of their feelings and thoughts. They work at associating
facts and ideas, moving with fluency between tenses and
learning to alter their register to suit a given situation. In debates
and discussions students aim to make convincing and structured
arguments backed up by concrete examples. They discuss politics,
the economy and history, comparing different written and spoken
styles. Superior French furthers and develops upon the material
covered in Advanced French.
Session 2 Electives (taught in English)
Electives are held in the afternoon. Students have the option of taking one elective taught in English. Each elective course meets for a total of 27 contact hours (2 credits). All electives are subject to a minimum of 10 students.
Economics/Political Science 309 (2) | Politics and the Economy in France and Europe today
The French Republic is a complex web of institutions and administrative
bodies that can seem quite impregnable to the outsider.
Through examination of the French Revolution and analysis of the
values it upheld, students are able to untangle the French political
system and achieve a better understanding of the workings of
the State. Through study of the trade unions, the media, and the
educational system and in comparing these apparatus to those of
other European countries, students learn to place France as a distinct
socio/political entity on the European and indeed global map.
Fine Arts 301 (2) | Modern and Contemporary Art in France in the 20th Century
Taking a chronological look at 20th century art, from Impressionism
to the emergence of Installation Art, this course identifies the
main artistic trends that marked the century and examines their
significance to the history of art as a whole. During visits to important
museums (the Musée d’Orsay, the Centre Pompidou and the
Musée d’art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, for example), students
will be able to appreciate for themselves the stylistic features discussed
and learn to place them in a historical and social context.
Fine Arts 307 (2) | Fashion in France from the 18th to 20th Century
Links between fashion and artistic, cultural, social and political
contexts across French history are explored. The lasting dominance
of Paris in the world of fashion is examined. The course will
enable students to appreciate how fashion and accessories have
been used to express all types of identities. Students visit different
exhibitions, museums and the Yves Saint-Laurent Foundation.
Students may be required to pay some entrance fees.
