French 5: La France : le pays des revolutions
This course is designed for both advanced French learners as well as native speakers of French.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
- Course Code: LFW66
- Dates: 02/05/24 - 06/06/24
- Time: 14:00 - 16:00
- Taught: Thu, Daytime
- Duration: 6 sessions (over 6 weeks)
- Location: Online
- Tutor: Frédéric Fournier
Course Code: LFW66
Duration: 6 sessions (over 6 weeks)
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
In these 6 sessions we will look at some of the most well-known events of "La France révolutionnaire". From King Louis the XVI, Marie Antoinette, Robespierre and Danton up to the sexual revolution of the sixties, via the storming of the Bastille, Gavroche, the third Republic and the birth of paid holidays we will discover through texts, pictures, buildings and songs how the notion of revolution is rooted in the French psyche.
This is a live online course. You will need:
- Internet connection. The classes work best with Chrome.
- A computer with microphone and camera is best (e.g. a PC/laptop/iMac/MacBook), or a tablet/iPad/smart phone/iPhone if you don't have a computer.
- Earphones/headphones/speakers.
We will contact you with joining instructions before your course starts.
What will we cover?
- 1789 and the fall of the Bastille
- The birth of the Republic and the king execution
- A busy nineteen century: 3 Revolutions, 2 Republics, 2 Empires ( Napoleon I and Napoleon III)
- “Les Trois Glorieuses” ou la Révolution des Misérables (1830 - 1848)
- La Commune de Paris (1871)
- Le Front Populaire (1936) et Mai 68.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
Understand and explain some of the symbols of France, La Marseillaise, Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité, Marianne
Have a simple but good overview of what happened in France from 1789 up to now.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This course is designed for both advanced French learners as well as native speakers of French. The course will focus on content knowledge instead of language skills, which means that your level of French should be advanced but not necessarily native-like. The course will offer advanced language learners both an opportunity to develop their knowledge about a topic and a chance to expand on their vocabulary related to it. For native language speakers, the course will allow them to delve into a topic of their interest and learn more about it.
You should have an advanced level of French (level 4 or 5), as the class will be delivered in French.
Some additional documents will be available in English. You do not need to be an accomplished historian to enjoy the course.
For further details of the specific foreign language skills required for this level, please see the languages self-assessment chart at the start of the languages section of our course guide or at http://www.citylit.ac.uk/self-assess-your-level.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
This is a lecture, and is therefore tutor-led. You will also learn by reading some bullet chronological key points, looking at pictures of buildings and characters, watching movies, listening to songs.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
No.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Any French 5 class. If in doubt, please contact Languages on languages@citylit.ac.uk.
Frederic was born in a small village in Provence and goes back there every summer to meet his family and friends. However, aged 20, he moved to Paris and feels a bit like a "parisien". In Paris he followed courses at the Sorbonne University studiying " les humanités " ( Philosophy, psychologie and linguistic) and worked for some years as a journalist. He didn't like that job having to compromise too often with editorial and corporate lines. Frederic went on delivering courses and teaching material in refugees camps in south east Asia. There he discovered in education the human touch he missed in journalism. Back in Europe he took several teaching positions first in France then in London involving French as a foreign language and French for business with Westmister, City and Birkbeck Universities. His teaching is focused around his students' needs. For the last ten years Frederic has been delivering lectures and workshops at citylit around historical and cultural subjects such as " Versailles, Le métro de Paris, la Révolution Francaise, Napoléon, la colonisation et la décolonisation, Ch. De Gaulle ( The stateman, not the airport ) and others.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
