Advanced(B2)
1.5 hours per week for 5 weeks
2 sessions: Starting September 15, 2025, and October 27, 2025
At French Library
Tony Simonneau
Time Slots
About this Class
Enter the Enigmatic World of Urban Legends—En Français !
This dynamic conversation course invites students to delve into the mysterious realm of urban legends and conspiracy theories—all while sharpening their French. From cryptic tales to controversial narratives that have shaped modern culture and collective imagination, students will engage in lively discussions, explore multimedia content, and build thematic vocabulary. It’s a unique opportunity to practice speaking skills while navigating the fascinating space where fact and fiction collide.
In the first five weeks, we’ll investigate the origins, cultural impact, and linguistic nuances of the following topics:
Week 1: Flat Earth. Far from being a relic of the past, the flat Earth theory continues to spark debate and curiosity. This session invites learners to explore why such ideas persist and whether they might reflect alternative ways of interpreting reality.
Week 2: The Beast of Gévaudan & Cryptozoology. Was it a wolf, a hyena, or something else entirely? This session delves into the legend of the Gévaudan Beast and the broader world of cryptozoology, where folklore, eyewitness accounts, and scientific skepticism collide.
Week 3: The New World Order. The idea of a hidden global elite orchestrating world events raises questions about power, secrecy, and control. This session explores how such narratives emerge and whether they might contain elements worth deeper investigation.
Week 4: MK Ultra. Once dismissed as fantasy, MK Ultra turned out to be real. This session examines what we know, what remains hidden, and how the line between conspiracy and reality can sometimes blur in unexpected ways.
Week 5: 9/11. The tragic events of 9/11 gave rise to a multitude of alternative explanations. This session opens a respectful space to explore why these narratives persist and what they reveal about truth, trauma, and the search for meaning.
Over the next 5 weeks (Part II), we’ll focus on the following themes:
Week 1: Lady Di’s Death. The tragic death of Princess Diana in 1997 shocked the world — but for many, the official explanation left too many questions unanswered. This session explores the enduring suspicions surrounding the crash, the role of the media, and the fascination with royal secrecy.
Week 2: The Notre-Dame fire. When Notre-Dame Cathedral caught fire in 2019, the world watched in disbelief—but not everyone accepted the official explanation. Was it a tragic accident, a symbolic reckoning, or something more calculated? This session delves into the competing narratives that emerged, inviting students to question what we know—and why we believe it.
Week 3: L’Affaire Dreyfus. More than a century before the internet, France was torn apart by a political scandal rooted in secrecy, injustice, and antisemitism. This session revisits the Dreyfus Affair as both a historical conspiracy and a mirror of how truth can be manipulated.
Week 4: Chemtrails. Are the white trails in the sky just airplane exhaust — or something more? This session examines the chemtrail theory, environmental fears, and the tension between scientific explanation and public suspicion.
Week 5: UFOs. From Roswell to recent military footage, unidentified flying objects have long captured the imagination. This session opens the floor to discuss what we know, what we don’t, and why the question “Are we alone?” continues to haunt and inspire.
Course goals:
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
· Expand their vocabulary related to secrecy, belief systems, manipulation, and the unknown, including terms from media, politics, and folklore.
· Use complex sentence structures to express doubt, probability, and hypothesis (e.g., conditionnel, subjonctif, tournures impersonnelles).
· Master argumentative and speculative discourse through:
· Nuanced connectors (cause, consequence, opposition, concession)
· Modal verbs and expressions of uncertainty or possibility
· Reported speech and distancing techniques
· Analyze and interpret diverse materials (testimonies, articles, videos, legends) with a critical and open-ended perspective.
· Develop oral fluency in debates and discussions involving controversial or ambiguous topics, while respecting diverse viewpoints.