Language and culture discovery pack in Paris (M5C)
Period
Autumn 2026
Duration
Monthly (4 weeks)
Required levels
A1, A2 or B1
VISA
No
One month in Paris, with French culture as a bonus, every evening from your room. The Language and culture discovery pack in Paris combines the CCFS monthly general French course, taken on campus, with open access to 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. The M5 monthly course provides the foundations of the language; the online lectures provide the context, references and images that give a language its meaning. Brought together in the same month, the two turn a language stay into genuine immersion.
The language component is based on the M5 course: 40 hours of general French over four weeks, at a rate of 10 hours per week, Monday to Friday, on the CCFS campus in Paris. Grammar, conjugation, spelling and vocabulary, in level groups formed after a placement test.
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, without committing to a whole programme.
Program Information:
A monthly course does not allow you to validate the completion of a full CEFR level. Students aiming for a full level should choose the semester formats.
Discover the semester courses (start in September or January):
> General French Course S10 (150 hours)
> General French Course and French Civilization Conferences S20 (240 hours)
> Intensive French Course S40 (300 hours)
> General French Course and French Civilization Conferences S30 (242 hours, start in October only)
Program Objectives
- Acquire or consolidate a solid foundation in grammar, vocabulary and conjugation.
- Spend a month of genuine immersion in French at a leading Paris institution.
- Discover French culture through university lectures, in French, accessible from anywhere.
- Sample several cultural worlds and identify those you will want to explore further.
- Confirm a longer study plan at the CCFS (semester or year) on the basis of real experience rather than a brochure.
Detailed Program
Monthly general French course M5 + open access to online civilisation lectures
Part 1. Language: the M5 monthly course (40 hours)
- 40 hours of general French over 4 weeks, i.e. 10 hours per week.
- Classes held Monday to Friday on the CCFS campus, 7-11 avenue des Chasseurs, 75017 Paris.
- Grammar, conjugation, spelling and vocabulary, worked on in level groups.
- The exact timetable is provided after the placement test, according to the level group assigned.
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.
Online lectures only. Even though you study on campus, access covers only the lectures broadcast by videoconference. Lectures given in person on campus are not part of this programme. You therefore follow them from your accommodation, in Paris or elsewhere, on a computer or tablet.
Evening lectures, compatible with all timetables
Five series are broadcast from 6.30 pm to 8 pm, after classes. These are the easiest slots to attend for a student on the monthly course.
| Day | Time (Paris time) | Lecture series | Lecturer | Level |
| Monday | 6.30 pm to 8 pm | “Paris féministe” | Marie Lecocq | From A2 |
| Tuesday | 6.30 pm to 8 pm | “Le fantasme de l’Orient : comment la France a imaginé l’ailleurs” | Ma-Juster | Not specified |
| Wednesday | 6.30 pm to 8 pm | “Histoire décolonisée du Vietnam” | Ma-Juster | Not specified |
| Thursday | 6.30 pm to 8 pm | “Panorama de la BD francophone” | Valérie Guyen-Croquez | From A2 |
| Friday | 6.30 pm to 8 pm | “L’art en France : XVIIe-XXe siècle” | Philippe Pantet | All levels |
Daytime lectures, depending on your timetable
Five additional slots are broadcast during the day. Whether you can attend them depends on the timetable assigned to your level group, which is provided after the placement test.
| Day | Time (Paris time) | Lecture series | Lecturer | Level |
| Monday | 9.30 am to 11 am | “La France en Europe et dans le monde” | Mme Passavant-Morimoto | All levels |
| Monday | 1 pm to 2.30 pm | “La France en Europe et dans le monde” | Mme Passavant-Morimoto | From B1 |
| Tuesday | 1 pm to 2.30 pm | “Histoire de l’art : le Moyen Âge roman et gothique” | Philippe Pantet | All levels |
| Wednesday | 1 pm to 2.30 pm | “L’art en France : XVIIe-XXe siècle” | Philippe Pantet | All levels |
| Friday | 11.15 am to 12.45 pm | “Histoire de l’art : le Moyen Âge roman et gothique” | Philippe Pantet | All levels |
Please note: three series are scheduled in two different slots during the week, and the “L’art en France” series is offered both during the day and in the evening.
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 language stay that goes beyond the classroom. The monthly course alone includes no lectures; the Pack opens up seven lecture series.
- Access to all the online lectures. Access is not limited to one series: all seven series broadcast online are open access throughout the session.
- Slots that do not clash with your classes. Five series broadcast in the evening, after the day’s classes, to follow from your accommodation.
- Accessible from A1 level. The course is designed for beginners and elementary levels; several lecture series are open to all levels.
- One month to decide. Try out the institution, Paris and the pace of study before committing to a semester or a year.
Assessment & Certification
- End-of-month assessment for the language component.
- A language certificate attesting to the number of course hours attended is issued upon successful completion.
- Lectures attended on an open-access basis are neither assessed nor credited.
Target Audience
This course is aimed at adults wishing to acquire and develop their skills in the French language during a one-month stay in Paris, while discovering French culture beyond language learning alone.
The student must have a beginner, elementary or intermediate level, i.e. A1, A2 or B1.
Prerequisites
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Have an A1, A2 or B1 level. A mandatory online placement test assigns a level before classes start.
- To follow the lectures: a good-quality internet connection suitable for videoconferencing and computer equipment with a camera, microphone and earphones.
- The level of French required is specified for each lecture series.
Course Materials
Course textbooks, audio and visual materials, exercise books, reading books, access to online resources, communication materials and cultural materials. The lectures draw on a variety of materials: slideshows, reproductions, film and video extracts.
Visa
Depending on their nationality, students may need a short-stay (Schengen) visa. This programme does not meet the criteria for obtaining a student visa. Students who need a student visa must choose a semester format, for example the general French and French civilization course S20 (240 hours).
Tuition Fees and Registration Procedures
Launch price: €870 instead of €1,170 for the four weeks, classes and lectures included.
Launch offer valid for all registrations recorded up to 31 December 2026.
Why choose the discovery pack?
- The M5 monthly course alone, 40 hours on campus: €770.
- 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: €1,170.
- Launch price of the Pack: €870, a saving of €300 and only €100 more than the language course alone.
This single price includes:
- The 40 hours of general French classes on the CCFS campus in Paris.
- 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.
- Registration is done online on the CCFS website. Admission is only final once payment is complete, at least one month before the start of the course, and the registration file has been validated.
- A certificate of registration is issued within two weeks of payment of a deposit and presentation of the administrative documents: copy of identity document, translation of secondary school leaving certificate, identity photo.
- 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.
