French · Columbia University
I could not recommend Professor Hubert-Leibler enough. Coming into this class, I was initially nervous about the pace and workload, especially since I not taken French before, but Professor Hubert-Leibler was exceptional. Her passion for the subject and genuine care for her students are clear, and she makes an effort to make each class enjoyable and engaging. She is extremely accommodating and is a very generous grader, while still making sure students actually learn the material. If you are considering taking French, she is hands down one of the best teachers I have ever had.
Pascale is one of the best professors I have had so far. She always comes to class in a good mood and has an infectious energy. She bounces around the room while explaining most questions or structures and tries to use as much french as possible to explain something if someone does not understand. Though I have not needed extra time on anything, she was extremely nice to people when they forgot or couldn't get something in on time. The quizzes are easy-ish if you study and the homework is quick each night. It's just a normal language class so you will have to expect to put in the effort to get anything out of it. Absolutely worthy of her nugget; Pascale made a 4 a week class be enjoyable.
The best professor I have had at Columbia. She speaks only French in class and it is overwhelming at the first class because you don't know a word. However, you end up learning to speak very very quickly with her teaching methods. Pascale is extremely nice, very lively and energetic. With an 8 credit class that meets for two hours every day, I cannot imagine the class being pleasurable if it was not for her. You end up learning a lot, and after just a few month find that the language that made no sense at all at the beginning of the semester does make sense and you can actually speak/read it. I don't think I have ever learned this much over the course of a semester. She makes a lot of cultural comments, so you end up learning about French culture, too. Also uses a lot of outside material in class- videos, games, poetry etc.. Everybody loved Pascale, we got her a cake for her birthday. I was sad when the semester was over. Overall, amazing class for somebody who wants to learn French.
Solidification of Beginning French, plus the subjonctif.
Professor Pascale is AMAZING! At the beginning of class, I struggled quite a bit. Having never taken a language course, I struggled to find a way to study. She was very patient and took the time outside of class to review material with me. Went as far as personally making me charts to memorize conjugation, and I KNOW I wasn't the only one she did this for. The class is hard, but if you're willing to put in the work, Professor Pascale is incredibly accommodating at helping you achieve success.
Wow. Professor Pascale is exactly what makes it worthwhile to come to a place like Columbia. She is absolutely amazing, pleasant, and knows her stuff. To make it even better she's fair and understanding. Do whatever you can to get into her class and learn French from her, especially in the earlier stages. I am so glad I was able to be her student!
What an incredible prof. She has the enthusiasm and energy of a first time teacher with all the knowledge and experience of a seasoned pro. She has beautifully tailored answers to any question you could ask and has put a lot of thought into her teaching materials. I found the course to be a fair bit of work - cramming two semesters of French into one is no small feat. And while her exams are hard, they're very fair and my grades directly reflected how hard I studied. I adore how she wouldn't let us slide on pronunciation. A handful of us in the class had backgrounds in Spanish, and were prone to certain errors because of similarities between the languages. I was maybe the worst about this, and she was patient but insistent that I make strides to improve. My spoken French still leaves much to be desired, but I'm amazed at how solid my listening comprehension is after this one course. I catch bits of French conversation on the train and get a lot of dialogue in French language movies. In short: overwhelming positive experience. H-L is charming and dedicated and exactly the person you want to introduce you to French.
If you’re going to do the work, then you’ll get a lot out of this class. If you’re not going to put in the effort of learning another language, then you’ll fall behind.
Hubert-Leibler is a really awesome professor! Even though the class occurs every day, I never felt like we were going over the same material unnecessarily. Each class, she would cover basic new concepts, allow time for a couple one-on-one speaking exercises that reviewed the concepts learned, and go over the homework. She could answer every question--and when the question was directed at something we hadn't studied yet (often), she would point that out then continue to answer the question or to see the person after class to answer it. She was always patient even though the pace of a beginner's class must seem pretty tedious and the material very basic for a long-time teacher. I highly recommend this class.
First, this professor is one of the nicest people you will ever meet at Columbia. She is warm, funny, sincere. She really cares if you learn the French language. Professor Hubert-Leibler is the head of the French language department so you wonder how she ever finds the time for her undergraduate classes. She is absolutely organized when it comes to each class. She has every minute planned out so it's paced well with no dead zones of time. This professor is very fair with grades and you are really lucky to have her as your professor. I wish the pace of the class was slower so we spent more time on different items but that's how all the classes are at Columbia...no time to take a breath. I would definitely and highly recommend Professor Hubert-Leibler. Our class just adored her!