Language study in France?

[ImagoPietatis]

I'm a first-year PhD in Art History at Yale and need to pass a French reading proficiency exam. I need to find a summer language program FAST, especially in time to apply for funding. However, all these programs in France seem designed for undergrads and involve a lot of extra English-language "France in context" classes, housing rules, etc. They are also super expensive.

 

I will have completed two semesters of Elementary French and am searching for basic intermediate level. Has anybody done a French summer program they could recommend, either university-affiliated or otherwise? 

 

Thanks!

[iphi]

The Sorbonne has an excellent one. Most universities have one, but La Sorbonne is the best program and university, plus Paris is the most fun city (IMO). Other places will be cheaper, and can most likely be found in any big city. Lyon, Rouen, Grenoble, Annecy, Pau, etc. Lyon is the second biggest city in France, so prices should be about comparable to Paris.

 

Just a note: you should be aware that most of these programs are COMBINED language + culture. The French take pride in both and they like to teach it to foreigners. It will be difficult to find a program that separates the two. This is not a bad thing, and does not mean that the quality of the course will be poorer.

 

Also, I suppose you could look at programs in Quebec, if all/most of what you're looking for is reading + writing proficiency. You'll come back with an atrocious accent, though.

[nugget]

Quebec will offer you a more affordable experience than France, but the accent you will hear is quite different from european French. Here is a list of summer programs you can attend: http://www.myexplore.ca/en/where/  It's nearly free for Canadians to attend as it is subsidized by the government but you should be able to attend if you pay the full cost. It should be about $2000 for 5 weeks including full room, board and university tuition fees. Unfortunately, the classes will be full of undergrads. You could spend less time with them and learn a lot more French though if you attend a program that offers a homestay with a family. During free time and breaks, most of these schools have a French only policy (if you get caught speaking another language 3 times then you get kicked out of the program - no exceptions) so everyone comes back speaking the language to a certain degree, even complete beginners.

Edited February 13, 2014 by jenste

[EngineerGrad]

In 2010, I spent my summer in Paris, studying at Eurocentres. In my class I had a range of people, from undegraduate students (me) to people in their 40s. I learned a lot and really recommend this school. Is in the heart of Paris, and my french was from 0 to 10 in those 3 months.

 

http://www.eurocentres.com/en/language-school-paris

 

An interesting fact: both of my french instructors didn't know a word of english, so that helped a lot my learning process: I had to speak in french or speak french, no option

Edited February 13, 2014 by EngineerGrad

[BuddingScholar]

If you are not trying to earn university credits, but simply learn the language, then "Campus Langue" in Paris is by far the cheapest place to go.

The reason why not many people know about them is because most of their students are people who are permanently living in France and need to learn the language.

They are accredited by the French Ministry of Education and use the exact same system and materials that Alliance Francaise and Eurocentre do. But they are LITERALLY a fraction of the cost. For example, a month long course there costs almost the same as a one week at Alliance Francaise or Eurocentre.

I have studied in all of these places so I speak from experience.