Educational expertise

Proven Educational Expertise

The Cours de civilisation de la Sorbonne offer a variety of training programs, from simple to intensive, depending on individual goals – up to 25 hours of classes per week – and over varying durations: sessions can take place over one, two, or three months (especially in the summer), or extend over a 12-week semester, or even a full academic year. These can be daytime or evening courses, systematic instruction or specialized modules (in “business French,” for example). Tailor-made courses can be offered on request.

The teaching system is based on three specific features:

• A particular emphasis on grammar, in order to quickly acquire a very good written practice of the language;
• A significant component of phonetics, with specific work on pronunciation difficulties specific to each native language, work carried out in equipped laboratories and in small groups;
• Instruction oriented, in the form of lectures, towards French civilization (literature, art history, political life, social issues, etc.), and which is based on the philological presupposition of the close link between language and culture. The lecturers can be professors of the institution or speakers from universities, with the CCFS also welcoming political figures and writers.

 
Comprehensive courses combining French language and civilization

The courses offered at the Cours de civilisation de la Sorbonne meet the requirements of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and offer international students a guarantee of quality thanks to the FLE label.

Under the direction of qualified and experienced professors, language courses take place in small groups to facilitate learning for everyone. The CCFS give international students the opportunity to gradually acquire mastery of French both in writing and orally, with courses including an approach to major literary texts.

The phonetics courses in the laboratory aim to improve the pronunciation, comprehension, and oral expression of international students, taking into account the difficulties inherent in their native languages. In addition to the courses given in class, individual sessions are offered to students by professors specializing in linguistics.

Finally, the course sessions are accompanied by lectures on French society and culture prepared by leading specialists, to allow students to deepen their knowledge of French civilization while perfecting their oral comprehension of the French language.