France is much more than just a beautiful holiday spot. Together with Germany, it determines, to a large extent, the trends in European politics. Even beyond the boundaries of Europe, in places such as Canada and Africa, French influence is felt. For a very long time, French was the language of the European and Russian elite. Although even France is becoming the victim of too much American influence, still French literature and cinema are thriving. The French Language and Culture programme offers a long and intensive language training with much attention paid to editorial skills and oral presentations. It also provides an extensive introduction to the literary genres and the history of French literature (from the Medieval Age to the present day) as well as insight into the structure and development of the language. In addition, students are introduced to “civilisation”, i.e., the French society. Right from the start, all courses are taught in French. In the first year of the programme, the focus lies on grammar, listening, speaking and writing. At the end of this year, students will have reached the level necessary to follow courses in France. In addition, the first year programme includes some literature courses, an introduction to French linguistics and a course in sociology. Later on in the programme, students learn to read Old French, and they are introduced to the French novel and French poetry.

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