Placement
Not sure where to start? Check out the Language Advising Flowchart for help.
If you would like to continue a language that you have previously studied or have some previous knowledge in that language (formal study, family or community exposure, or significant travel or immersion experience), consult the Placement Information by Language section to determine which level is most appropriate. If the language is not listed, please contact the Language Learning Center to discuss your options.
Placement Deadlines
Fall and Spring Registration
Please complete the required placement steps a minimum of 5 business days before your advising appointment or registration ticket. See the Placement Information by Language section below for the required steps.
Placement Information by Language
Refer to language specific instructions below. For general questions regarding language placement, contact the LLC.
American Sign Language
- If you have never previously studied and have no previous knowledge, register for ASLS 1010.
- If you have previous study or knowledge of ASL, please complete the Language Placement Form. Log in with your Tulane email and student ID number. Honors Students who do not yet have a Tulane email address, please contact the faculty advisor listed below to discuss your language placement.
- For questions about the program or curriculum, contact Professor Denise Crochet for advising.
Arabic
- If you have never previously studied and have no previous knowledge, register for Arabic 1010.
- If you have previous study or knowledge of Arabic, please complete the Language Placement Form. Log in with your Tulane email and student ID number. Honors Students who do not yet have a Tulane email address, please contact the faculty advisor listed below to discuss your language placement.
- For questions about the program or curriculum, contact Professor Bouchaib Gadir.
Chinese
- If you have never previously studied and have no previous knowledge, register for Chinese 1010.
- If you have taken or plan to take an AP, IB, or Cambridge A-Levels Chinese test, complete this form, and your Academic Advisor will assist you with placement and registration.
- Honors Students who do not yet have a Tulane email address, please contact the faculty advisor listed below to discuss your language placement.
- All other students, please follow these steps to access the Chinese Placement test:
- Go to the Chinese Placement Test.
- Click on the “Enroll in Course” button located on the right-hand side of the page.
- Click on the “Go to your Dashboard” button located on the right-hand side of the page.
- Read the information closely and follow the instructions to obtain your Chinese placement.
- For questions about the program or curriculum, please contact Professor Lin Zhu.
French
To simplify the registration process for French language classes, students do not need to take a placement test and can simply place themselves based on the following guidelines.
Please note that failure to follow these guidelines will be considered a breach of the Academic Code of Conduct.
Where you are offered to choose between two courses, feel free to refer to the course contents and select the course based on how well you know the content and/or how confident you feel about your communicative skills.
- you never took French before: enroll in FREN1010
- you studied French for
- 1 year: enroll in FREN1010
- 2 years: enroll in FREN1010 or FREN1020
- 3 years: enroll in FREN1020 or FREN2030
- 4 years: enroll in FREN2030 or FREN3150
- 5 years or more: enroll in FREN3150 or FREN3060 (Business French) or contact Prof. Mignot cmignot@tulane.edu for placement advising or to test out of French.
- you earned credits with AP/IB/A-Levels/SAT II: contact Prof. Mignot cmignot@tulane.edu for placement advising.
- you are a native speaker or were raised in a French-speaking environment: contact Prof. Mignot cmignot@tulane.edu for placement advising.
FREN1010 Course Content
| Vocabulary | Structures |
|---|---|
| Greetings & Introductions Classroom Description | Nouns and articles Numbers 0-60 The verb être Adjective agreement |
| Classes Describing student’s basic daily routine | Present tense of regular –er verbs Forming questions and expressing negation Present tense of avoir Telling time |
| Family and relationships Basic occupations Describing people’s personality | Descriptive adjectives Possessive adjectives Numbers 61-100 Prepositions of location and disjunctive pronouns |
| Cities Describing one’s food habits | The verb aller Interrogative words The verbs prendre and boire Partitive Regular –ir verbs |
| Sports and hobbies Weather expressions Seasons, months, and dates | The verb faire Irregular -ir verbs Numbers 101 and higher Spelling change –er verbs |
FREN1020 Course Content
| Vocabulary | Structures |
|---|---|
| Clothes Parties Life stages Colors | Demonstrative adjectives Passé composé with avoir Indirect object pronouns Regular and irregular -re verbs |
| Travel Vacations Countries | Passé composé with être Direct object pronouns Adverbs The impératif |
| Describing a house Household appliances Domestic chores | The imparfait The passé composé vs the imparfait The verbs savoir vs connaître |
| Tableware Food Meals Grocery shopping | The verb venir and the passé récent Comparatives and superlatives Double object pronouns |
| Morning routine Health Body parts | Reflexive verbs The passé composé of reflexive verbs The pronouns y and en |
FREN2030 Course Content
| Vocabulary | Structures |
|---|---|
| Cooperation between countries Languages World citizens Cultural heritage | Spelling changes Être, avoir, faire, aller Forming questions |
| Food Cuisine Meals | Reflexive and reciprocal verbs Adjectives Adverbs |
| Cultural activities Sports Outdoor activities Pastimes | Passé composé with avoir Passé composé with être Passé composé vs imparfait |
| Studies Student life Looking for a job The professional world | Plus-que-parfait Negation and indefinite adjectives and pronouns Irregular –ir verbs |
| Family Romantic relationships Friendship Behavior and emotions | Partitive Pronouns y and en Order of pronouns |
Sample Reading Comprehension FREN2030
This is an example of the type of reading comprehension exercise done in FREN2030:
TEXTE
Il s'appelle Scott Tilton, il a un accent américain et les "you know" ("vous savez") ponctuent son français. C'est pourtant à ce descendant de colons français que la Louisiane doit son entrée au sein de l'Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF).
Mi-octobre, l'OIF a admis la Louisiane, petit Etat américain de 4,6 millions d'habitants. Elle rejoignait ainsi le concert des Nations francophones, qui représente près de 300 millions de locuteurs. Cette victoire, l'ancienne colonie française la doit en grande partie au combat de Scott, un Américain de 26 ans fraîchement diplômé au visage poupon.
Sa grand-mère, Louise Dupuy, descendait de Français de Louisiane. L'Etat est tout ce qu'il reste du gigantesque territoire français, baptisé ainsi en l'honneur du roi Louis XIV, qui s'étendait des Grands Lacs au Golfe du Mexique avant d'être cédé aux Etats-Unis en 1803 par Napoléon Bonaparte.
"Même quand on parlait anglais, on l'appelait +My Grand-Mère+", se souvient son petit-fils. Son oncle, Homère Dupuy, avait servi d'interprète au général De Gaulle lors de sa visite à La Nouvelle-Orléans en 1960.
Mais la langue s'est perdue au fil des générations, comme souvent en Louisiane, où le français avait été interdit dans les écoles en 1921.
"Il y avait encore un million de francophones en 1970", rappelle Scott, en particulier dans les bayous du Sud, peuplés de Cadiens, descendants des Acadiens qui avaient été chassés du Canada en 1755 par les Anglais lors du "Grand Dérangement". Les francophones seraient 200.000 aujourd'hui, selon le dernier recensement de l'an 2000.
Alors que son grand-père était allé à l'université pour apprendre l'anglais, son père, lui, y est allé pour réapprendre le français.
Dans la maison familiale, pourtant située dans le Vieux Carré, l'ancien quartier français de la Nouvelle-Orléans, on parle essentiellement anglais. Scott est ainsi le seul
aujourd'hui de sa fratrie (deux sœurs et un frère) à parler couramment la langue de Molière, en l'émaillant de "like" et de "yeah".
"Mais même si la langue n'a pas été transmise, la passion pour la culture française et créole est restée", assure Scott, citant notamment le "Mardi Gras", qui fait tourner la tête de La Nouvelle-Orléans depuis sa fondation il y a exactement trois siècles par le Français Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne.
La Louisiane est "une culture marquée par la francophonie mais où tout le monde ne parle pas forcément français", résume Scott.
Son intérêt pour la francophonie, Scott le développe dès le lycée, et c'est tout naturellement qu'il choisit Paris pour poursuivre ses études. Il y assiste à une conférence sur l'OIF et découvre cet ONU de poche dont, curieusement, la Louisiane ne fait pas partie.
L'étudiant contacte en avril 2016 le Conseil pour le développement du français en Louisiane (Codofil, agence publique) et le sénateur louisianais Eric Lafleur, grande figure de la francophonie, qui lui souhaitent "bon courage!".
La Louisiane bénéficiait déjà du statut d'"invité spécial" de la Francophonie depuis 2006 mais une intégration plus poussée achoppait sur la nécessaire autorisation de l'Etat fédéral. Un obstacle qu'ont déjà dû surmonter d'autres territoires non indépendants comme le Québec ou la Wallonie.
"Ca a été un combat de deux ans", raconte Scott. En plus de l'emploi de consultant qu'il a décroché à Paris, le Louisianais travaille tous les jours "jusqu'à une heure du matin" sur la candidature. "J'ai écrit plus de 800 mails, des textes, des lettres, en français et en anglais. Il y avait huit agences impliquées, deux sénateurs, le Codofil, le gouverneur de la Louisiane, le département d'Etat... "
Mais "on y est arrivé", se réjouit Scott. "Maintenant, nous ne sommes plus isolés. On est parmi des centaines de millions de francophones", se réjouit-il, conscient malgré tout que "ce n'est qu'un début".
"Le défi est maintenant de montrer en Louisiane que le français n'est pas le passé mais notre avenir. Il ne faut pas simplement préserver la langue, en multipliant les échanges entre universités par exemple, mais également permettre de vivre en français, en créant des emplois dans cette langue".
Questions
- Qui est Scott Tilton et qu’est-ce qu’il fait pour la Louisiane ?
- D’où vient le nom de la Louisiane et depuis quand cet État fait partie des États-Unis ?
- Comment la population francophone a-t-elle évolué en Louisiane au fil des générations ?
- Qu’est-ce que Scott Tilton a fait à partir de 2016 et qui a-t-il contacté pour l’aider dans son combat ?
- Les démarches de Scott Tilton ont-elles abouti ? Expliquez.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Prof. Mignot: cmignot@tulane.edu.
German
- If you have never previously studied and have no previous knowledge, register for German 1010.
- If you have taken or plan to take an AP, IB, or Cambridge A-Levels German test, complete this form, and your Academic Advisor will assist you with placement and registration.
- If you have previous study or knowledge of German, please complete the Language Placement Form. Log in with your Tulane email and student ID number. Honors Students who do not yet have a Tulane email address, please contact the faculty advisor listed below to discuss your language placement.
- For questions about the program or curriculum, contact Professor Pia Köstner.
Greek
- If you have never previously studied and have no previous knowledge, register for Greek 1010.
- If you have previous study or knowledge of Greek, please complete the Language Placement Form. Log in with your Tulane email and student ID number. Honors Students who do not yet have a Tulane email address, please contact the faculty advisor listed below to discuss your language placement.
- For questions about the program or curriculum, contact Professor Thomas Frazel.
Haitian Creole
- If you have never previously studied Haitian Creole and have no previous knowledge, register for HACR 1010.
- If you have previous study or knowledge of Haitian Creole, or if you have questions about the program or curriculum, please contact Professor Fayçal Falaky.
Hebrew
- If you have never previously studied and have no previous knowledge, register for Hebrew 1010.
- If you have previous study or knowledge of Hebrew, please complete the Language Placement Form. Log in with your Tulane email and student ID number. Honors Students who do not yet have a Tulane email address, please contact the faculty advisor listed below to discuss your language placement.
- For questions about the program or curriculum, contact Professor Ari Ofengenden.
Italian
- If you have never previously studied and have no previous knowledge, register for Italian 1010.
- If you have taken or plan to take an AP, IB, or Cambridge A-Levels Italian test, complete this form, and your Academic Advisor will assist you with placement and registration.
- If you have previous study or knowledge of Italian, please complete the Language Placement Form. Log in with your Tulane email and student ID number. Honors Students who do not yet have a Tulane email address, please contact the faculty advisor listed below to discuss your language placement.
- For questions about the program or curriculum, contact Professor Elena Daniele.
Japanese
- If you have never previously studied and have no previous knowledge, register for ASTJ 1010.
- If you have taken or plan to take an AP, IB, or Cambridge A-Levels Japanese test, complete this form, and your Academic Advisor will assist you with placement and registration.
- If you have previous study or knowledge of Japanese, please complete the Language Placement Form. Log in with your Tulane email and student ID number. Honors Students who do not yet have a Tulane email address, please contact the faculty advisor listed below to discuss your language placement.
- For questions about the program or curriculum, contact Professor Saeko Yatsuka-Jensen.
Latin
- If you have never previously studied and have no previous knowledge, register for Latin 1010.
- If you have taken or plan to take an AP, IB, or Cambridge A-Levels Latin test, complete this form, and your Academic Advisor will assist you with placement and registration.
- If you have previous study or knowledge of Latin, please complete the Language Placement Form. Log in with your Tulane email and student ID number. Honors Students who do not yet have a Tulane email address, please contact the faculty advisor listed below to discuss your language placement.
- For questions about the program or curriculum, contact Professor Thomas Frazel.
Portuguese
- If you have never previously studied and have no previous knowledge, register for Portuguese 1120.
- If you have previous study or knowledge of Portuguese, please complete the Language Placement Form. Log in with your Tulane email and student ID number. Honors Students who do not yet have a Tulane email address, please contact the faculty advisor listed below to discuss your language placement.
- For questions about the program or curriculum, contact Professor Megwen Loveless.
Russian
- If you have never previously studied and have no previous knowledge, register for Russian 1010.
- If you have previous study or knowledge of Russian, please complete the Language Placement Form. Log in with your Tulane email and student ID number. Honors Students who do not yet have a Tulane email address, please contact the faculty advisor listed below to discuss your language placement.
- For questions about the program or curriculum, contact Professor Lidia Zhigunova.
Spanish
- If you have never previously studied and have no previous knowledge, register for Spanish 1010.
- If you have taken or plan to take an AP, IB, or Cambridge A-Levels Spanish test, complete this form, and your Academic Advisor will assist you with placement and registration.
- If you are a native speaker of Spanish, speak Spanish at home, grew up speaking Spanish, or have significant community or other exposure to Spanish, please contact Ángela Ramirez for advising.
- All other students, please follow these steps to access the Spanish Placement Test:
- Go to the Spanish Placement Test Taking Information page.
- The Spanish Placement Test is multiple-choice and covers self-evaluation, grammar, and reading. The test is designed to give you several opportunities to answer questions at different levels of skills. Plan on taking 15-45 minutes for the test.
- Set up your profile using your Tulane student ID number. Use your Tulane student ID number for the Test Taker ID on your profile.
- You can view your Avant score upon completion of the test. YOU WILL RECEIVE AN EMAIL REGARDING YOUR PLACEMENT. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, EMAIL language@tulane.edu.