Armentières, France (moments before embarking on a summer-long bike trip through France, which ended badly in Menton: gangrenous retrocecal appendix--thank you to the Centre Hospitalier La Palmosa for saving my life!)
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(How) might I help you excel in your studies at Cal Poly (whether in French or in other fields)?
(How) might I help you best leverage your degree and/or French minor (grad school, job/s, volunteering, life goals, etc.)? Would you like to participate in the TAPIF program, for example?
If you hope to get admitted to Cal Poly, (how) might I help you get admitted--especially if you would like to study French?
While at Cal Poly, don't waste the privileged years you will have at this highly selective university. I pledge to help all hardworking, serious and dedicated students in my class/es.
How, for example, to understand the current political volatility in France? Are concepts like "trust," "optimism," and "fidelity" overrated? What is "liberty"? What is the role of the "past" in the "present"? How to make progress in one's personal and/or professional life without "lying"? And how does studying French help one better understand phenomena and events in one's own country and/or other countries? All nine interdisciplinary courses I will offer during 2025-26 will provide students tools to posit answer/s to these and other key questions:
FALL 2025
FR 201: Intermediate French I (taught in French)
FR 233: Critical Reading in French Literature (taught in French)
WLC 310: Culture/s of France (asynchronous and taught in English)
An example of a student project submitted during Fall 2025 (good job, Zoe & James!)
WINTER 2026
FR 202: Intermediate French II (taught in French, Tue/Thu: 2:10 - 4:00 p.m.)
FR 305: Significant Writers in French, The Novel (taught in French, Tue/Thu: 12:10 - 2:00 p.m.)
WLC 310: Cultures of France (asynchronous and taught in English)
SPRING 2026
FR 203: Intermediate French III (taught in French, Tue/Thu: 2:10 - 4:00 p.m.)
FR 302: Advanced French Conversation and Grammar (taught in French, (Tue/Thu: 4:10 - 6:00 p.m.)
FR 350: French Literature in English Translation (taught in English, Tue/Thu: 12:10 - 2:00 p.m.)
THE MOVE FROM QUARTERS TO SEMESTERS
Should you be taking French with me, I urge you to consider what you want to do with the language and would be happy to meet with you to discuss your options. A good starting point is this poster ("Oral Proficiency Levels in the Workplace"), prepared by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). I also recommend that all my students consider the following:
Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life.
Ninety Ways to Thrive in College
The Perverse Consequences of the Easy A
My AI policy for students taking my courses (draft copy created on 1 June 2025)
Please don't reach out to me for extra-credit opportunities or to change your grade
My past Cal Poly Syllabi
Updated 21 November 2025
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