French
French is an easy and fun language to learn! Because more than 300 million people in the world choose to speak French as a foreign language, knowing French can improve your chances of communicating with others internationally. French is the second most studied world language after English, and the fifth largest spoken language in the world. Consequently, if you can speak French and English, you will have an edge in the global job market. Finally, French is the international language of culture: literature, music, fashion, theater, the visual arts, cooking, dance, architecture, cooking, and more!
Course Types and Course Levels Offered
We offer elementary- to advanced-level grammar-based courses, conversation-based courses, as well as literature and culture/civilization courses.
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Contact |
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Chairperson Phone: (818) 947-2822 Email: @email |
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French Division Coordinator June Miyasaki Phone: (818) 947-8780 Email: @email |
| Office Location Foreign Language Building, Room 105 |
| Department Student Drop-In Hours Mondays-Thursdays, 11am-1pm |
| Individual Instructor Student Drop-In Hours email for availability |
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Department |
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Pathway |
Programs
French Degrees and Certificates
The French AA degree at Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC) provides a solid foundation in the study of French for those wishing to continue their education in world languages. Students will be able to demonstrate effective skills in the four major areas of language study (reading, writing, speaking, listening comprehension) and knowledge of the global society, the role of French-speaking nations, and of the French language and Francophone cultures in the contemporary world.
This degree is an alternative to the individual language majors of French, German, Italian, and Spanish, and is especially suitable for those students with prior instruction in a foreign language. The student must complete Semester 4 or higher in a primary language (French, German, Italian, or Spanish), demonstrating effective skills in the four major areas of language study (reading, writing, speaking, listening comprehension) in that language, as well as cultural proficiency. The student must also complete two sequential courses in a secondary language (German, Italian, Spanish, or French), demonstrating a minimum of advanced elementary language and cultural knowledge in that language.
Study Away in Paris
Los Angeles Valley College, East Los Angeles College and the European Studies Association [ESA] invite you to participate in an exceptional educational experience: Summer Study in Paris 2025.
Since the Middle Ages, Paris has drawn students from around the world for university studies, its culture and the experience of its cosmopolitan lifestyle. Celebrating our forty-third annual program, we have the faculty, the background and the knowledge to make your month in Paris worthy of one of the world’s great capital cities. In addition to language classes, you will improve your knowledge of French culture through our rich civilization course—visits, lectures and walking tours. We include the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, the newly renovated Carnavalet Museum and Parisian neighborhoods, as well as an introduction to French history.
On weekends we will also visit Normandy spending two nights in charming Honfleur, Monet’s home and gardens at Giverny, the chateau of Vaux-le-Vicomte, and Auvers-sur-Oise where Van Gogh painted. We won’t neglect daily life in Paris either. Additional activities include Versailles, gourmet meals, ballet and opera and more. The quality of our program is shown in the number of participants who repeat it!
We invite you to register for our next Summer Study in Paris trip in Summer 2025! Please click on the button below for more information:
Resources
To enhance your study of world languages and cultures, check out the following World Languages Film Forum events and ASU French Club!
Every semester the Department of World Languages and Cultures screens and discusses movies in French, German, Italian, and Spanish as part of that semester's curriculum for our enrolled students. Please contact your instructor for more information about the dates/times, the list of movies being shown, and the movie theme for the semester!
Join the LAVC French Club to make new friends and to build your social support network. We meet weekly to practice our French and to talk about the French language and French and Francophone cultures. Please email the French Club Advisor, Prof. Jaklin Yermian, for more information: @email.
Start Learning A World Language
First Steps
Want to begin learning French at Valley? Take these easy steps to enroll as a Valley College student:
If you’re already a Valley Student and want to study French, take these easy steps:
1. If you’ve already previously studied French, make an appointment to take the French Prerequisite Challenge.
2. Register for your classes! If you’re a complete beginner, enroll in French 1. That’s it!
If you’re a high school student, and want to study French at Valley College, take these easy steps to sign up:
1. You will need to enroll as BOTH a “(i) New Student” AND a “(ii) High School Student (9-12) or a “Elementary/Middle School Student (K-8). You can find the enrollment information here: LAVC Admissions: K-12
2. If you’ve taken French before, you’ll need to take the French Prerequisite Challenge. Please see below for information on how to take the LAVC French Prerequisite Challenge.
3. Register for your classes! If you’re a complete beginner, enroll in French 1. That’s it!
You’ll need to be a currently enrolled Valley College student to take our language classes. To sign up for classes, you’ll need to apply and enroll:
at Valley College. After you’ve finished enrolling, you can then sign up for your language class!
Prerequisite Challenge
If you’d like to take French at Valley and you have previous experience with the language, you can enroll in a higher-level course by first taking the Prerequisite Challenge in your target language. This process will make sure that you’re enrolled in the appropriate level to begin your language study at Valley.
You’ll have to take the Prerequisite Challenge if you already have some experience with French, for example, you’ve previously studied it or you are a native or heritage French speaker.
If you don’t have any experience with French, you don’t have to take the Prerequisite Challenge, and you can enroll in French 1.
One of our full-time faculty members. Please email the following instructor to make an appointment for the French Prerequisite Challenge:
French: Dr. June Miyasaki: @email
1. The Prerequisite Challenge will assess your speaking, listening, reading, and writing proficiency in the language and usually takes at least 30 minutes.
2. There are different levels of the Prerequisite Challenge, depending on the level that you are planning to enroll in. For example, if you’d like to enroll in Level 4, you will be taking the Prerequisite Challenge to enroll in Level 4 of your chosen language. If you are unsure which level you are at, the faculty member will gladly advise you of your current approximately level and administer the appropriate level Prerequisite Challenge.
3. The Prerequisite Challenge cannot be taken to receive credit for a course.
Faculty Profiles
Faculty Profiles
- Pronouns: she/her
- Degrees: B.A. French & History, University of California-Berkeley; M.A. French, Middlebury College-Paris; Ph.D. French & Theatre, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Teaches: Elementary French I and II; Intermediate French I and II; Advanced French I and II; French 10 (French Civilization); French 25 (French & Francophone Short Story in Translation, Intermediate French Conversation I, Intermediate French Conversation II, Advanced French Conversation I
- Roles: French Division Coordinator
- Fun Facts: Founding member of Le Théâtre de la Chandelle verte, a French-language theater company. Cats and dogs, love them both. Love the outdoors (hiking, camping, kayaking). Go, Pack, go!
- Pronouns: she/her
- Degrees: A.A. Business Administration, Glendale Community College; B.A. French, University of California, Los Angeles; M.A. French and Francophone Studies, University of California, Los Angeles
- Teaches: Elementary French I, Elementary French II, Intermediate French I, Intermediate French II, Advanced French I, Advanced French II, French Civilization, Intermediate French Conversation I, Intermediate French Conversation II, Advanced French Conversation I
- Roles: Member, LAVC Planning Facilities Committee; Humanities CAP Committee; Coordinator, Study Away Program in Paris; Advisor, French Club
- Fun Facts: I love to watch K-dramas and Hindi movies, and I also love to make jigsaw puzzles.
- Teaches: Elementary French I, Elementary French II, Intermediate French I, Intermediate French II