Quatre-Heures

Join French faculty for conversations in English and French about Francophone cultures around the world. Each event has a different theme.

With this series of events, we aim to give students and speakers of French another means to practice speaking, engage with the language, and build community across French courses and across the campus. We emphasize ACTFL's World Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (the "Five C's" of Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities) in a fun and relaxed environment. In an in-person context, we offer some light snacks and drinks at these gatherings as well as a topic for discussion to both help people enjoy themselves and keep the conversation flowing. The series has been successfully adapted for a virtual setting. 

Questions? Email Noëlle Brown.

Spring 2024

Previous themes and topics

Fall 2023

  • “Languages and Variances in France” (led by Noëlle Brown, September 13)
  • “Exploring Paris Je T’aime” (led by Abby Alexander, October 5, online)

Spring 2023

  • Let's make Crêpes ! (led by Noëlle Brown, February 3)
  • “Algeria & France: Colonialism, War, and Contemporary Clashes” (led by Abby Alexander, March 20, online)

Fall 2022

  • “1848: When A French Revolution Failed” (led by Abby Alexander, September 9, online)
    “The French and Food” (led by Noëlle Brown, October 4)

Spring 2022

  • Cinema (February 3)
  • Feminism (March 1)
  • Poisson d'Avril ! (April 6)

Fall 2021 (virtual via Zoom)

  • Yé-Yé Music (Abby Alexander led Sept. 15 2021)
  • French Resistance in World War II (Noëlle Brown led Oct. 7, 2021)
  • 19th Century French Art (Noëlle Brown led Nov. 2, 2021)

Spring 2021 (virtual via Zoom)

  • La Bretagne and Le Chandeleur (Noëlle Brown led Feb 2, 2021)
  • La Francophonie (Noëlle Brown led March 25, 2021)
  • Vietnam and Paris (Abby Alexander led April 7, 2021)

Fall 2020 (virtual via Teams)

  • La Normandie (Noëlle Brown led Oct. 15, 2020)
  • Quasimodo (Abby Alexander led Nov. 13, 2020)

Spring 2020 (3 planned in-person, but one was cancelled due to Covid-19)

  • Jacques Brel (Abby Alexander led Jan. 15, 2020)
  • Crêpes de Chandeleur (Noëlle Brown led Feb 7, 2020) : this event was held in House 51, where we had practical experiential training in making crêpes

Fall 2019

  • Stromae (Abby Alexander led Sept. 11)
  • La Diversité Linguistique Régionale de la France (Noëlle Brown led Oct. 8)
  • Paris, je t'aime (Abby Alexander led Nov. 13)
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