In the FIAF C&G class, one of my classmates keeps complaining that there is too much grammar and not enough conversation. It's true that in the most recent 90-minute session, we ended up with only 15 minutes for conversation, but I don't really see this as a problem. Our professor is a polyglot from Morocco, and she has memorable ways of explaining why French grammar is the way it is (they tend to be philosophical/cultural explanations). Whether or not her explanations are in any way accurate or historically correct, I find them interesting and helpful. She is funny and clever, and has a very pure and precise accent. So I love the grammar part of the course much more than the conversation part -- in the grammar section, we get to hear the professor speak and explain things in French, which is good for the ears as well as for the acquisition of knowledge. But in the conversation part, I don't necessarily have anything in particular to say on the chosen topics. So instead, I get to hear my classmates struggle to express thoughts in French, on topics which do not fascinate, expressing views with which I do not particularly agree.
By contrast, in the acting class, even though it is billed as an "intermediate" level, the grammar is really very basic. A little too basic for my taste, and it is mostly explained in English. What I love there is the acting/speaking portion of the class. We work from contemporary French plays, so the phrasing and vocabulary are helpful for getting a better sense of the rhythm and fluidity of the language. We can all work on improving our accents, and I feel like I am getting a lot out of the program just from memorizing and practicing my lines. For me, there's also much to be gained in training myself to think and move even a little bit like an actor - I can feel this starting to shape the way I look at interacting with others.
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