Author: obrienatrix

resources for French

This is a slightly more up-to-date version of the old outils utiles (2010). It was a version of my original 2003 curated collection of resources, and revised in turn through 2012-23: FREN 101 (ARCHIVE, 2013-18), FREN 102 (ARCHIVE, 2013-18), FREN 101 & 102 (2018-19, up to the March-April 2020 COVID-19 onlinising “pivot”), and UBC Canvas course sites (2020-24, access restricted to UBC Vancouver students taking these courses). These reference resources are primarily intended for university French language classes from CEFR levels A1 to B2; there’s some overlap with resources at the C1 level, for writing in French about literature (2017 version here). Thanks to JB, a student from summer 2023’s FREN 202 (CEFR A2) who asked for a version that’s available and accessible in the longer term: long live free open knowledge, mutual aid, and sustainability!

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31 August is Ken Campbell Day: diddling and doodling, the radical education of seekers

It is time for the annual pilgrimage.

(Our Ken is not to be confused with the homonymous Canadian politician, Canadian fundamentalist Baptist evangelist, Canadian swimmer, assorted other sportsmen, a plastic doll, etc.)

This post is a collage accumulating in annual accretion: Campbellian education in action, learning-centred learning, every year another Station continues the post’s rambling Way of Sorrows.

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30 September: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Here is something that I wrote last year for its 30th of September, in what might superficially seem unconnected: a course called “Introduction to the Literatures and Cultures of the Romance World I: Medieval to Early Modern.” But all things are connected, even if you have to do some thinking work to get there. And that work is always worth doing and a good thing. Especially today.

This post is about poetry and listening.

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