Samuel Skippon

I have mixed opinions on this class, but overall it was an okay experience (it definitely helps that he actually has a good French accent because he is French, which honestly cannot be said for all the teachers in the department). He is a good teacher, and I would still recommend the class. His presentations are clear and organized, and he gives students lots of opportunities to practise speaking with partners during class, which definitely helps with confidence and participation. At times, he could come across as a bit condescending, and I personally felt like most of the feedback I received in class was negative, which could sometimes feel discouraging. However, underneath that, he genuinely wants his students to improve and do well. He is actually a very sweet man, and by the end of the semester it was clear that he cared about the class and about helping students learn French properly. Definitely improved my French.

Just go for him, he is so nice and chill. You'll also learn a lot.

Love him! Super easy and chill. Only grades first test and composition tho. He claimed that his canvas broke in the middle. Easy A love this guy

One of the best! He's funny, competent, charming, and super approchable if you ever need help. I know he had some health issues this semester so classes were canceled pretty often (like, more than 4 times) which was fine with me, but we still managed to finish the entire course book without any stress or cramming at the end of the semester. The course was accelerated, but unlike Accelerated Elementary it was a lot less grammar, and we spent many days in between just talking about French movies or watching French news or something. Samuel is a stickler about pronunciation (especially gender agreement) and overall I think my pronunciation improved a LOT in his class. In-class worksheets are very helpful and I always felt like review was pretty thorough even though the course moved very fast. We had short homework assignments on a nearly-nightly basis, which I did pretty rarely, so I got really good at answering on the spot in class. It never seemed to be a problem, which is great! Because of the nature of Intermediate French I, the first part of the semester was just review of Elementary French II so that was a really nice time. Even though the second half of the semester was harder, Samuel is a more than capable teacher who makes class a joy. After having taken French since September and feeling really nervous for my second intensive semester, I was so impressed by my own abili…

Samuel is very committed to the French language and teaching it to his students. The problem is, this is only a two-point class, and he took it pretty seriously. There were regular readings, including an entire French novel, and movies to watch outside of class. Classes were pleasant, as Samuel knew how to keep conversation going on interesting topics. He knows the language in a lot of precise detail, and will correct mistakes and introduce you to native phrases. By the end of the term you'll definitely be speaking better and have gained some knowledge of French politics/culture, but know that the class comes with some work.

In this course we re-enforced previously learned grammar rules but it moved fast! I'm still not sure how I feel about flipped classroom approach and wish we were able to slow down slightly to make certain we do the tedious work to master grammar before going on to more advanced classes.

Beware that you may have no idea what your grade is going into the final exam. Like other reviews have said, Skippon canceled class frequently during the semester, which I do not blame him for in the slightest, but he did not plan well accordingly, leaving us far behind in the planned schedule and pretty confused. He ended up trying to squash the last test, online assignments, and composition into reading week and finals week, which was a bit unpleasant to say the least. However, he seems to be an incredibly generous grader. I learned quite a bit in this class and ended with an A, but the uncertainty about grades added a ton of unnecessary stress to this course. If you're the kind of person that can trust the process, go ahead and take French with Skippon. He's quite good and funny in class. If you'd like to have any idea what grade you have, try another professor.

So light, he cancelled the exams last year. Happy class.

I really liked Prof. Skippon. He's pretty easy-going in class, speaks French beautifully, and is a fair grader. He speaks French 90% of the time, but he will break into English if the class is totally lost during a lesson--which is great. He stuck to the syllabus, it was always clear what was expected and when. He rarely assigned additional work and when he did, he didn't spring it on us last minute (no BS late night emails asking us to prepare something extra). That made life easy for those of us with lives outside school. I learned a lot and I felt like I was graded fairly. You can't ask for much more.

This was a great class! Samuel is a great professor who always made class interesting and lively. Very talkative, funny, and honestly just adorable. He always provided creative and fun topics of discussion or exercises to do in class as a way of practicing whatever it is you're learning -- which forces you to learn it because you're using it in conversation but also helps students understand how to practically use the grammar rules in real conversation. My only vice is that we didn't get back graded work in a timely manner at all -- it's the end of the semester and I only know my grade for one test and two compositions. But Samuel has made it clear that we're all doing very well, and if you need to work on something specific he will let you know. Take this class if you have the chance! Take Accelerated Int. in general; all the profs are good and the class is really a great way to finish up the language requirement if you still need to.