Dr. Cropper hits the airwaves

Professor Corry Cropper, our beloved Department Chair, will be on the radio this Thursday discussing the opera Carmen by Georges Bizet. Since the 1880s it has been one of the world's most performed operas and a staple of the operatic repertoire. The discussion will be concentrated particularly on the story (by Mérimée) on which the opera is based and how Bizet's work is different from the original.

Catch it on Classical 89 at 11:00am, and again at 8:00pm.

If you miss the airing, you'll be able to listen to it at any time online (http://www.classical89.org/thinkingaloud/) after it airs.

-david

Radio France Internationale: Teaching French through Radio

Radio France Internationale is a radio station that is accesible through antenna radio and through internet radio. RFI is the first francophone international radio station which pays particular attention to the promotion of the French language. It has 46 million listeners in 20 languages over 170 FM stations in 74 countries. On the internet there are 200,000 visitors per month and on the website there are 250 exercises to help learn french. RFI is a great resource to help students learn French and is also a great tool for instructors. This past week Mathilde LANDIER came and spoke to the professors about using these resources in their teaching methodology.

Radio is often an overlooked pedagogical resources, but Landier helped to demonstrate how it can be a vital tool in the learning process. Students are able to go online to www.rfi.fr and listen to extracts of interviews and then complete exercises on reading comprehension. This can be a great tool for students of all levels. We encourage you to check out this site and continue to improve your French skills.