In Spring ’24, IVC 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 IVC's French 2, 3, and 4 via Zoom.
IVC French Achievements in 2023-2024
Hy-Flex Classes
The IVC 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 IVC student and professional ice-skater Layla Karnes who took French at IVC while training and competing in Canada, Florida and Europe.
IVC 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 IVC in 2023-24
On September 28, 2023, a group of IVC French students and instructors attended the Broadway musical Les Misérables, an adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel, at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.
During the 2023-2024 academic year, the IVC Theater Department staged two French plays: Jean-Paul Sartre’s 1944 existentialist play No Exit and Pierre Corneille’s 1636 The Illusion. The former deals with one’s identity through the gaze of other people, hence the famous line “Hell is the other.” The latter is a self-reflexive analysis of life as theater, a tour de force of comedy, romance and drama. Thank you IVC Theater Department for showcasing the depth and continued relevance of these plays!
For International Day on November 15, 2023, IVC featured Djembe Fusion, 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’s purpose: "Anke djé, anke bé." (Everyone, gather together in peace.)
For St. Valentine’s 2024, the IVC French Program hosted a crêpe cooking demonstration and tasting. Au rendez-vous, 140 hazelnut-chocolate spread, strawberries, whipped cream, and berry jelly crêpes! In France, crêpes 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 crêpe reminiscent of the sun. Crêpes can be sweet (wheat flour) or savory (buckwheat flour with a plus for being gluten free). The recipe contains no sugar: 1 cup flour, 1¼ 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 IVC French Classes
IVC French Program
The IVC 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 IVC.
The American Revolution
A very short spontaneous account by Spring ’24 French 2 students modeling the use of the past tense and the imperfect in French:
C’était 1781. C’était la révolution américaine. Le général George Washington commandait l’armée américaine. Il était grand et mince. Il était très bon commandant. En septembre et octobre, les Américains et les Anglais se sont battus à Yorktown. Les Français ont aidé les Américains. Les Américains ont gagné. Vive la révolution!
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 ’24 semester, French 1 second 8-weeks students cooked and enjoyed crêpes. 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.
IVC Lasers in the French Speaking World
IVC Chorale Peforms at Paris Choral Festival
IVC Spring ’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 IVC as a refresher prior to his trip to France. Watch video of John speaking in French with his wine tasting teacher in Bordeaux, France.
IVC American Sign Language professor, Keith Gamache, standing in front of the French Institute for the Deaf in Paris (254 Rue St. Jacques) in summer ‘24. Founded in 1756 and located close to Sorbonne University, it is where Deaf education began. The founder, l'Abbé de l'Epée, went against the thinking of his time and fought for the education of the deaf by legitimizing the sign language. The Institute’s Museum collection contains a 17,000+ books library on sign language and deaf people.
IVC French Resources
French library available on campus during the French Club meetings and by mail. Contact French Professor, Anca Popescu.
Oscar Gott, the IVC French Club mascot, is the creation of IVC 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 Cirque du Soleil tent. The largest contemporary circus (nouveau cirque) company in the world, based out of Québec performed its show Kooza this June-August. The company was founded in 1984 in Montréal, 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 Habib Koité, Lamine Cissokho, and Aly Keïta will perform at The Irvine Barclay on November 3, 2024.
The 2024 Menu-Plaisirs — Les Troisgros documentary centers on a French family who runs three Michelin star restaurants in France.
The awarded 2023 French movie The Taste of Things with Juliette Binoche is a gastronomic journey and a reminder of the intentionally slow and meaningful French life-style.