Heidi Holst-Knudsen

absolutely amazing professor. that's it.

She is a great professor who is very lenient about grading and always has really interesting points. I just want to say, for a 3 credit advanced French class (I've taken some other ones), the workload for this class seems a little heavier, get ready to be watching 2 whole movies per week and writing responses. Also, every class is discussion based for pretty much the entire 1h15, so if that's something you don't like then this class is probably not for you. But, workload was light as there was no final/final project, just one class-long presentation at some point during the semester.

Heidi maybe a good prof of grammar, but she is by no means a decent pronouncer of french. One must understand that to speak a language perfectly, pronunciation is an immensely crucial part. I would even go so far as to say that one's pronunciation is the final line between native speakers and experienced second-language french speakers. In a class such as Intermediate I, students are making or trying to make such a leap and her below-par pronunciation is stopping us from learning the correct ways of pronouncing french, or even for some, preserving their own ways of pronouncing french. Heidi, as I elaborated, does not seem to possess at all the gift of pronouncing french correctly, let alone perfectly. She struggles to enunciate from the very first class. Some of the classmates in my class spoke "better" french than she did. She also enjoys asking us to translate from English directly, which prevents from acquiring "thinking in the French mindset" which is detrimental to mastering a foreign language. I can tell that she is a nice lady, but she is also somewhat hard to approach, as she puts on this big smile tous les jours and it is hard to tell if she actually likes you or not. Do not venture to take this class just because she has a silver nugget. I have been there.

I agree with the other comments, including the one about her american accent, but I'd add a few points. First, the class itself is about learning grammar/usage to improve your reading and writing. It can seem tedious when you're wading through the details, and there's basically no reason to take this class unless you want to speak French at a high level one day. After the semester ended though, I realized most of what we learned was actually pretty basic and my french had improved tremendously. As for Heidi, she's a virtuoso in the classroom, unfailingly poised and engaging. She's also cool and aloof, I don't remember a spontaneous emotion all semester. I was annoyed by the performative aspect of her teaching, but I guess that's just her style. As others have said, Heidi is great at explaining grammar rules and gives some of the most detailed corrections to papers I've seen. She also posts loads of extra reading material and worksheets online, in case you want extra practice. You read a lot of literature in this class and Heidi goes even deeper by encouraging close readings and giving time to large scale themes. This made the essays more bearable and helped class discussion along, but as the semester wore on I started to feel we were spending too much time and attention on unnecessary abstractions. I love French literature but I don't think anyone benefited from the tortuous i…

I went into this course thinking that it could be a painfully dull review of the grammar that i have struggled with ever since i started learning french. however, it turned out to be more of a lit class and was very enjoyable. professor knudsen stresses learning more than grades and is very approachable as well as intelligent.

Best French teacher I ever had. Encyclopedic knowledge of the language's rules, instant recall of grammatical rules, current events, is connected to the french culture, and I hear she even does translations of french books. Very, very fair, allows corrections and amends grades w/ them. Very attentive, makes sure each student understands the who, what and whys. To top it all off, one of the most infectious and energizingly positive attitudes I've ever encountered.

heidi is eye candy. but has a brain, too. she knows her stuff, teaches it well, and conducts the class enjoyably. a nice woman, i definitely recommend her.

Being a bit snobbish I was at first turned-off by her American accent. However, it was impossible not to transcend this minor qualm. Each week we would have a discussion about a particular film watched in class. Discussions forced participants to compose in French abstract conceptions about camera work and cinematic symbolism. This is quite an exceptional challenge for an intermediate conversation course. Heidi is extremely well-read and our conversations became sufficiently complex to merit this a great class. Many people take this course to get an easy 2 points, and Heidi's only flaw was allowing these people to remain in the class for the full term; their lack of interest debased a fine course with a wonderfully brilliant teacher.

This course has an immense amount of grammatical practice problems which quickly enhance your comprehension of the french language. 1 Columbia University: Arts & Sciences Spring 2024 Course: FRENUN2102_003_2024_1-INTERMEDIATEFRENCHII : FRENUN2102_003_2024_1 - INTERMEDIATE FRENCH II Instructor: Heidi Holst-Knudsen

Heidi is hands down one of the best French professors that I have had at Columbia. As someone who has struggled with the language but has to finish the program for the language requirement, I've found it very difficult to find a professor willing to go the extra mile to make sure that I understand concepts and the myriad of grammar rules that the language demands. Heidi has been so accommodating and has always offered extra assistance. Her attitude is very sincere and approachable and I appreciate her patience where other professors have displayed frustration. While I agree that her accent is quite American, I don't believe it takes away from the course at all. Her intense knowledge of the language more than makes up for it. I found her to be an incredibly engaging professor who is always prepared for class. Class sessions are very well structured and thought out, so if that is an environment that you prefer, she is a great choice. In addition to her language knowledge, she also knows a ton about French culture and makes an effort to integrate cultural topics in every lesson whether it be discussing current events or connecting grammar concepts to films and literature beyond just the scope of a typical Intermediate II syllabus. I am so happy that I got to have her a as a professor for Intermediate I and II and would whole heartedly recommend her to anyone looking for a profess…