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Higher Learning: Cours de Civilisation de la Sorbonne

The Sorbonne name and the marbled corridors of the institution itself evoke intensely academic images of devotion to the pursuit of higher knowledge. So it´s entirely appropriate that the Cours de Civilisation Française, which is located at the University of Paris-Sorbonne-but not formally connected to the university-has acquired a reputation for rigorous study that includes French culture, literature and civilization as well as grammar, phonetics and writing.

"Our specialty is written texts and the history of literature more than conversation," explains Jean-Louis de Boissieu, the assistant director. However, he adds, "We are adding some conversational courses because the students ask for this."

The academic style here is reflected in the enrollment requirements: students must be at least 18, they must have the equivalent of a French baccalauréat (a high school diploma), and they usually have to sign up for four-month semesters. The teaching methods are resolutely traditional. Students sit in rows in front of a teacher who writes on the blackboard, there´s lots of homework, and grammar and vocabulary tests take place frequently. Many people, especially those with a university education, thrive in this environment. "The program is very good. It´s very thorough, very comprehensive," says Lisa Waldo, a 23-year-old American who studied French in college and is spending a year in Paris perfecting her language skills and working as an au pair. But for those who prefer conversational French, this is not the place to be. As Petra Wunderle, a 20-year-old German student, adds, "The teachers give us excellent explanations but we don´t speak much in class-I don´t like that."

Although it´s not huge like the Alliance Française, the Cours de Civilisation Française is still large. There are about 120 teachers, about 8,500 students annually and class sizes vary between 15 and 25. The average student is university age, 22, and the greatest numbers of students come from the United States, Japan and Sweden. As noted earlier, the Cours de Civilisation Française de la Sorbonne is a private, non-profit program that is located within the famous university but operates independently. However, its sister program, the Centre ƒxperimental d´Etude de la Civilisation Française, which is for graduate-level students, does have a formal connection with the Sorbonne and uses some of their professors. Besides the regular courses during the university year at the Cours de Civilisation Française, there are also a variety of special summer and winter French courses. Of special interest is the three-month, five-hours-a-day crash course that takes place through July, August and September. Many foreigners who live in France and now work in French swear by this as a swift, sure ticket to fluency. One final note: the course calendars for the Cours de Civilisation Française are incomprehensible if you don´t have any French skills and confusing even if you do. What´s more, some of the secretaries who answer information inquiries over the phone have that haughty, harried Parisian attitude that can make someone with beginner´s French feel like hiding under a stone. But if you want first rate French, don´t let these barriers hold you back.