Online language and culture discovery pack (CL9C)
Period
Autumn 2026
Duration
Monthly (4 weeks)
Required levels
A2 to C1
VISA
No
One month to discover the whole CCFS offering without leaving your country. The Online language and culture discovery pack combines, in a short and 100% online format, a complete French course by videoconference (including phonetics) and open access to all the French civilisation lectures broadcast online during your session.
Since 1919, French has been taught at the CCFS as a living language, inseparable from the culture that carries it. This distinctive teaching approach, with language and civilisation studied side by side, was until now reserved for semester and annual programmes. The Discovery Pack makes it accessible in four weeks, from anywhere in the world.
The language component is based on the CL9 course, the most complete option in the monthly online catalogue: 36 hours of videoconference classes in small groups, divided between French language, phonetics and oral expression, led by teachers specialising in French as a foreign language.
The culture component gives access to the French civilisation lectures broadcast online during the period: seven series led by lecturers who are specialists in their field, from art history to French-language comics, from feminist Paris to the memories of decolonisation. The principle is one of discovery: you drop in freely on the lectures that appeal to you and get a feel for several worlds, without committing to a whole programme.
Programme Objectives
- Discover the CCFS approach to teaching as a whole: language, phonetics, oral expression and French civilisation.
- Make measurable progress in the five skills in one month: speaking, understanding, reading, writing and interacting.
- Correct your pronunciation with specialists in applied linguistics.
- Sample several areas of French culture and identify those you will want to explore further.
- Confirm a longer study plan at the CCFS (semester, year or stay in Paris) on the basis of real experience rather than a brochure.
Detailed Programme
Monthly online course CL9 + open access to online civilisation lectures
Part 1. Language: the CL9 course (36 hours)
Over four weeks, by videoconference:
- 12 hours of French language classes: grammar, conjugation, spelling, vocabulary, approach to literary texts, written and oral expression.
- 12 hours of phonetics, taught by specialists in applied linguistics, to improve pronunciation, comprehension and expression.
- 12 hours of oral expression, to strengthen communication skills and cultural knowledge.
The weekly timetable depends on the student’s level. Times shown are Paris time.
| Level | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
| Intermediate (A2-B1) | 12.30 pm to 2 pm: language 2.30 pm to 4 pm: phonetics | 12.30 pm to 2 pm: language 2.30 pm to 4 pm: phonetics | No class | 12.30 pm to 2 pm: oral expression | 12.30 pm to 2 pm: oral expression |
| Advanced (B2-C1) | 12.30 pm to 2 pm: oral expression | 12.30 pm to 2 pm: oral expression | No class | 12.30 pm to 2 pm: language 2.30 pm to 4 pm: phonetics | 12.30 pm to 2 pm: language 2.30 pm to 4 pm: phonetics |
Part 2. Culture: the online lectures
How access to the lectures works
Open access, not a set path. Throughout your session, you are free to attend the online lectures of your choice, as often as you like and at no extra cost. No registration for a complete series is required: you try out whatever interests you, change subject from one week to the next and explore further what you enjoy.
You join series that are already under way. The lecture programme runs from late September to mid-December, independently of the monthly sessions. You will therefore join most series part-way through and attend three or four lectures of each rather than the whole series. Each lecture is designed to be followed on its own: this is what makes this discovery format possible.
What this format is not. This programme does not allow you to follow a lecture series in its entirety, nor to obtain credit for a civilisation course. Students looking for a complete civilisation programme should choose the semester or annual formats.
Each lecture lasts 1 hour 30 minutes and takes place once a week. Only lectures broadcast online are accessible as part of this programme; lectures given on the Paris campus are not included.
| Day | Time (Paris time) | Lecture series | Lecturer | Compatible with CL9 |
| Monday | 9.30 am to 11 am | “La France en Europe et dans le monde” (all levels) | Mme Passavant-Morimoto | Yes |
| Monday | 1 pm to 2.30 pm | “La France en Europe et dans le monde” (from B1) | Mme Passavant-Morimoto | No |
| Monday | 6.30 pm to 8 pm | “Paris féministe” (from A2) | Marie Lecocq | Yes |
| Tuesday | 1 pm to 2.30 pm | “Histoire de l’art : le Moyen Âge roman et gothique” (all levels) | Philippe Pantet | No |
| Tuesday | 6.30 pm to 8 pm | “Le fantasme de l’Orient : comment la France a imaginé l’ailleurs” | Ma-Juster | Yes |
| Wednesday | 1 pm to 2.30 pm | “L’art en France : XVIIe-XXe siècle” (all levels) | Philippe Pantet | Yes |
| Wednesday | 6.30 pm to 8 pm | “Histoire décolonisée du Vietnam” | Ma-Juster | Yes |
| Thursday | 6.30 pm to 8 pm | “Panorama de la BD francophone” (from A2) | Valérie Guyen-Croquez | Yes |
| Friday | 11.15 am to 12.45 pm | “Histoire de l’art : le Moyen Âge roman et gothique” (all levels) | Philippe Pantet | Partial |
| Friday | 6.30 pm to 8 pm | “L’art en France : XVIIe-XXe siècle” (all levels) | Philippe Pantet | Yes |
Please note: three series are scheduled in two different slots during the week. As a result, six of the seven series can be attended without any overlap with your class timetable, and the five evening lectures (6.30 pm to 8 pm, Paris time) are compatible with all timetables.
Autumn 2026 lecture calendar
- Lecture programme: from Monday 28 September to Monday 14 December 2026 inclusive.
- Both sessions of the Discovery Pack are fully covered by this programme.
- As Wednesday 11 November 2026 is a public holiday, there are no lectures on that day.
- All times shown are Paris time.
Highlights
- A short format combining language and civilisation. Elsewhere in the catalogue, this combination exists only in semester or annual courses, or in the Paris pack.
- Access to all the online lectures. Access is not limited to one series: all seven series broadcast online are open access throughout the session.
- No administrative constraints. 100% online, with no visa, travel or accommodation to arrange.
- Schedules designed for an international audience. Classes in the early afternoon and lectures in the evening, Paris time, compatible with most time zones.
- One month to decide. Try out the institution, the teachers and the pace before committing to a semester or a year.
Assessment & Certification
- Continuous assessment for the language component: regular evaluation of work and progress.
- A language certificate from the Cours de civilisation française de la Sorbonne is awarded upon successful completion.
- A certificate attesting to the number of course hours attended is issued at the end of the session.
- Lectures attended on an open-access basis are neither assessed nor credited.
Target Audience
This programme is intended for international students, professionals and lovers of French culture who wish to discover CCFS teaching before committing to a longer programme, maintain or revive the French they have already acquired, or follow a month of remote language and cultural immersion, for personal, academic or professional reasons.
Prerequisites
- Be at least 18 years old and hold a secondary school leaving diploma or certificate.
- Have an intermediate (A2-B1) or advanced (B2-C1) level. A mandatory online placement test assigns a level before classes start.
- Have a good-quality internet connection suitable for videoconferencing, as well as a camera, a microphone and earphones (headset recommended).
- The level of French required is specified for each lecture series.
Course Materials
Textbook and/or authentic documents (audio, visual and written) provided by the teacher.
Workbook and exercises created by the teacher.
The lectures draw on a variety of materials: slideshows, reproductions, film and video extracts.
Visa
This programme does not allow students from outside the European Union to obtain a student visa.
Tuition Fees and Registration Procedures
Launch price: €790 instead of €1,090 for the four weeks, classes and lectures included.
Launch offer valid for all registrations recorded up to 31 December 2026.
Why choose this course?
- The CL9 online course alone, 36 hours by videoconference: €690.
- Access to the lectures, at the current rate of €20 per lecture: €400 for the 20 evening lectures broadcast during the session.
- Value of the two services purchased separately: €1,090.
- Launch price of the Pack: €790, a saving of €300 and only €100 more than the language course alone.
This single price includes:
- The 36 hours of videoconference classes of the CL9 programme: French language, phonetics and oral expression.
- Open access, throughout the session, to the French civilisation lectures broadcast online.
- The placement test, teaching support and the certificate issued at the end of the session.
Taken separately, the language course and the lectures require two registrations and are charged at two different rates. The Pack brings them together in a single package, with no additional formalities.
Registration procedures
- Annual registration fees of €100 apply upon registration; a special discount of €40 is granted on online courses.
- Registration is done online on the CCFS website. The registration deadline is one week before the start of the session.
- Admission is only final once payment is complete and the registration file has been validated.
- A mandatory online placement test assigns a level to the student before the start of the course.
Detailed information on registration procedures can be found here.
