In Spring 鈥24, 91探花视频 French student, Tatiana Tsyplikhina, won the gold medal in the 9th grade section at the Grand Concours, an American Association of Teachers of French national contest for grades 1-12. Tatiana lives in Palo Alto and took 91探花视频's French 2, 3, and 4 via Zoom.
91探花视频 French Achievements in 2023-2024
Hy-Flex Classes
The 91探花视频 French program offered two French 2 Hy-Flex classes. An innovative teaching medium, Hy-Flex allows students to attend synchronous class on campus OR in Zoom. Students who live far or cannot attend on campus for personal reasons can still take a language class and enjoy the essential live interaction. An example is 91探花视频 student and professional ice-skater Layla Karnes who took French at 91探花视频 while training and competing in Canada, Florida and Europe.
91探花视频 French alumnus, Sabrina Sadeghi, graduated UC Irvine with a B.A. in French and joined the French Immersion Program at the competitive Middlebury College in Vermont. Bonne chance, Sabrina!
French & Francophone Events at 91探花视频 in 2023-24
On September 28, 2023, a group of 91探花视频 French students and instructors attended the Broadway musical Les Mis茅rables, an adaptation of Victor Hugo鈥檚 novel, at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.
During the 2023-2024 academic year, the 91探花视频 Theater Department staged two French plays: Jean-Paul Sartre鈥檚 1944 existentialist play No Exit and Pierre Corneille鈥檚 1636 The Illusion. The former deals with one鈥檚 identity through the gaze of other people, hence the famous line 鈥淗ell is the other.鈥 The latter is a self-reflexive analysis of life as theater, a tour de force of comedy, romance and drama. Thank you 91探花视频 Theater Department for showcasing the depth and continued relevance of these plays!
For International Day on November 15, 2023, 91探花视频 featured , an Orange County based West African dance and drum performance group. The djembe is a rope tuned, goat skin-covered, goblet-shaped drum played with bare hands, originally from the Francophone country Mali, in West Africa. According to the Bambara people, the name of the djembe comes from a saying that defines the drum鈥檚 purpose: "Anke dj茅, anke b茅." (Everyone, gather together in peace.)
For St. Valentine鈥檚 2024, the 91探花视频 French Program hosted a and tasting. Au rendez-vous, 140 hazelnut-chocolate spread, strawberries, whipped cream, and berry jelly cr锚pes! In France, cr锚pes date back to at least the 13th century and are traditionally made and eaten on February 2, a holiday called Chandeleur (Candlemas) which also marks the change in seasons from winter to spring, with the round shape of the cr锚pe reminiscent of the sun. Cr锚pes can be sweet (wheat flour) or savory (buckwheat flour with a plus for being gluten free). The recipe contains no sugar: 1 cup flour, 1录 cups milk, 2 eggs, 2 tbs melted butter, a pinch of salt. Mix and fry the batter in a thin layer in a pan oiled with butter on medium-high temperature, 1-2 minutes per side. Add your favorite filling. Enjoy!
Windows into the 91探花视频 French Classes
91探花视频 French Program
The 91探花视频 French Program offers French 1, French 2, French 3, French 4, and French 10 Conversation in a variety of formats: in person, hybrid, asynchronous, Hy-Flex (attendance on campus or in Zoom), and accelerated 8-week classes. All classes are ZTC (zero cost textbook), interactive, and focus on communication in French. To earn an A.A. in French, students complete their General Education plus FR 1, 2, 3 and 4 at 91探花视频.
The American Revolution
A very short spontaneous account by Spring 鈥24 French 2 students modeling the use of the past tense and the imperfect in French:
C鈥櫭﹖ait 1781. C鈥櫭﹖ait la r茅volution am茅ricaine. Le g茅n茅ral George Washington commandait l鈥檃rm茅e am茅ricaine. Il 茅tait grand et mince. Il 茅tait tr猫s bon commandant. En septembre et octobre, les Am茅ricains et les Anglais se sont battus 脿 Yorktown. Les Fran莽ais ont aid茅 les Am茅ricains. Les Am茅ricains ont gagn茅. Vive la r茅volution!
It was 1781. It was the American revolution. The general George Washington led the American army. He was tall and slim. He was a very good commandant. In September and October, the American and the English fought at Yorktown. The French helped the Americans. The American won. Long live the revolution!
At the end of the Spring 鈥24 semester, French 1 second 8-weeks students cooked and enjoyed cr锚pes. They also sampled a vegetarian quiche. A quiche is a savory egg and cheese-based, open-faced pie. There are several types, notably the quiche Lorraine with bacon, and the quiche Florentine with spinach.
91探花视频 Lasers in the French Speaking World
91探花视频 Chorale Peforms at Paris Choral Festival
91探花视频 Spring 鈥24 French 2 student, John Monahan, at a wine cellar in Bordeaux, France. John studied French as a child in Canada and he took FR 2 at 91探花视频 as a refresher prior to his trip to France. of John speaking in French with his wine tasting teacher in Bordeaux, France.
91探花视频 American Sign Language professor, Keith Gamache, standing in front of the French Institute for the Deaf in Paris (254 Rue St. Jacques) in summer 鈥24. Founded in 1756 and located close to Sorbonne University, it is where Deaf education began. The founder, l'Abb茅 de l'Ep茅e, went against the thinking of his time and fought for the education of the deaf by legitimizing the sign language. The Institute鈥檚 Museum collection contains a 17,000+ books library on sign language and deaf people.
91探花视频 French Resources
French library available on campus during the French Club meetings and by mail. Contact French Professor, Anca Popescu.
Oscar Gott, the 91探花视频 French Club mascot, is the creation of 91探花视频 French alumnus Dondi Sison.
French in the Community & Recommendations
If you drove on I5 south of Irvine, by Laguna Hills this summer, you may have noticed the striking blue and white stripes of the tent. The largest contemporary circus (nouveau cirque) company in the world, based out of Qu茅bec performed its show Kooza this June-August. The company was founded in 1984 in Montr茅al, by two street performers and distinguishes itself through the performer-centered shows with a story line, live music, circus styles from around the world, and the absence of animals. Cirque du Soleil received numerous awards including a Hollywood Star. Cirque du Soleil has permanent shows in Las Vegas.
Worldwide renowned West African musicians will perform at The Irvine Barclay on November 3, 2024.
The 2024 documentary centers on a French family who runs three Michelin star restaurants in France.
The awarded 2023 French movie with Juliette Binoche is a gastronomic journey and a reminder of the intentionally slow and meaningful French life-style.