Columbia College Core · Columbia University
I'm guessing that a French class with Professor Jullien would probably be a lot more interesting than her Lit Hum class. The students seem to moderate the class by themselves, and often I'm not sure if she understands what we are asking when we have questions. Never really went in-depth on any specific readings. Got kind of boring after a while, as only Lit Hum can do. However, I'd recommend her section because it looks like she gave a LOT less work than the other professors. Genuinely nice person, too.
I disagree with the other reviews. Prof. Jullien is one of the better professors in the department in my opinion. All 5 films were well-chosen and had English subtitles. She does have a tendency to go into long, rambling lectures, but only if the students have nothing to say. Participate and she'll love you.
One great thing about French classes at Columbia is that they are small and you are guaranteed personal attention. This course is mainly a discussion of the reading guided by Professor Jullien. She is quiet and nice but a bit of an academic snob. It sometimes feels as though she is frustrated with having to teach such unenlightened undergraduates.
Classes were long and boring and led mostly by the students. She loves participation (because it keeps her from having to say something), but how she decides your grade is beyond me. She says she "never understood how percentages work", so she can't tell you how much each part counts for.
Nice and smart and well educated but her resentment for her students' level of french, her lack of interest in teaching the material, and her erudition makes class dealthy boring, even for someone who was ready to love all the material and prize the class. Skip her if possible
Consistent workload and sometimes quite heavy. There are 3 "devoirs" (short papers), a presentation and a final exam. Watch out for the final as she wants you to remember the specific titles of the hundreds of poems you read! However, her grading is very fair.
The usual huge Lit Hum load, two papers (about 5 pages each), reasonable midterm, final.