French

Menton i Frankrike
On this page you can find information about studies in French Business Communication at Hanken.

Welcome to the French department!

By studying French, you will discover the language, often depicted as the “language of love”, to be beautiful, melodious and rich.

French is also a language of culture; it is the international language for cuisine, fashion, theatre, visual arts, dance and architecture. To know French is to have access to the original versions of the great texts of French literature and also to cinema and song.

The language is spoken all over the world; French is a major language of international communication. It is the fifth most spoken language in the world, with 321 million francophones on five continents. The Francophone community brings together 70 states and governments. French is also the second most widely learned foreign language after English.

French is both a working language and one of the two official languages in most of the international organizations: UN, UNESCO, NATO, the European Union, the International Olympic Committee and the International Committee of the Red Cross. It is also the language of several international legal bodies.

Learning French is an asset for a professional career. France, the world’s fifth largest trading power, is a major economic and diplomatic partner. Speaking French is thus an asset to find a job with the many French multinationals in various sectors (distribution, automotive, luxury, aeronautics...).

> It is a language to open up the world: after English and German, French is the third most used language on the Internet.

French is a language for thinking and debating. It is an analytical language that structures thinking and develops critical thinking. It is the language of the great philosophers (Descartes, Sartre and Derrida) and renowned scientists (Pierre and Marie Curie, Pasteur and Charpak).

Learning French also teaches students how to argue and present different points of view. These are skills that you will benefit from directly in discussions and business negotiations.

French is a language that facilitates the learning of other languages: learning French will help you discover other Latin languages such as Spanish, Catalan, Italian, Portuguese, Brazilian and Roman, but also English since French has contributed to the English vocabulary.

Ikon grupp

Integration and relevance was awesome. The topic material was useful and was actually applicable in a business context, unique for a business course.

Studerande från Självstudiemodulen 5215-B-2 våren 2022

Studies in French

All the French courses focus on Business Communication topics. However, cultural and professional topics are also discussed for a better understanding of the French culture in daily life as well as in business.

The courses are open to Hanken’s Bachelor and Master students, both in Helsinki and Vaasa campus. The courses are also open to non-degree students.

The 15 courses offered cover the CEFR level A1 (beginner) to B2 (intermediate level). If you have studied French as a B2 language in high school and passed the French matriculation examination, start at level French III (5215-A). If you have studied French in high school (B3 language), start at level French II (5214-A). If you are beginner, start at French I level (5213-A).

French as a minor 

Bachelor and Master students can study French Business Communication as a minor, with various options for courses. The minor requires 25 ECTS, completed in 2 or 3 years among the list of courses proposed at Hanken, and at Aalto University if extra courses are needed. Read more about studying French as a minor here.

Courses offered in French

The French department offers 3 types of courses:

1) 6 Contact hour courses of 3 ECTS

2) 7 Self-study modules of 2 ECTS (3 ECTS for 5226 – French IV-A-2)

3) 2 Each one teach one of 2 ECTS

The contact hour courses are given in hybrid form: teaching and learning in class and/or online twice a week, 1 hour 30 minutes per lecture.

The online Self-study modules can be taken to complement the Contact hour courses (3 + 2 ECTS) or independently (2 ECTS). In the Self-study courses the same material is used as in the Contact hour courses, but these courses do not include contact hours with teachers. Students study at their own pace during the week and must complete specific assignments on a weekly basis.

Each one teach one course means that two native speakers of different languages (English, Finnish, French, German, Russian, Spanish or Swedish) meet informally to learn each other's language. The responsible teacher provides the students with a work scheme that they follow during the course.

The courses offered within the French department open up under the drop-down menu below. You can also see whether the courses are available in Helsinki, Vaasa or at both locations. According to Hanken's Teaching Awards system, courses that have received top evaluations from students are noted annually. These are courses that have at least 4 in average on all three questions included in the evaluation form, and at least 35% response rate on the evaluation. These courses are mentioned in Sisu. By entering the course code in the search field in Sisu, you can read more about the course and see whether it has received top evaluations.

Autumn courses P1 – P2:

5213-A French I A - Working in French in a Company 1 A (Helsinki – Vaasa) (3 ECTS) – CEFR A.1.1 – Hybrid course – Rector Awarded – Top evaluated

5213-A-2 French I A 2 - Working in French in a Company 1 A 2 – Self-study module (Helsinki – Vaasa) (2 ECTS) – CEFR A.1.1 – Rector Awarded – Top evaluated

5214-A French II A - Working in French in a Company 2 A (Helsinki – Vaasa) (3 ECTS) – CEFR A.2.1 – Hybrid course – Top evaluated

5214-A-2 French II A 2 - Working in French in a Company 2 A 2 – Self-study module (Helsinki – Vaasa) (2 ECTS) – CEFR A.2.1– Hybrid course – Rector Awarded – Top evaluated

5215-A French III A - Working in French in a Company 3 A (Helsinki – Vaasa) (3 ECTS) – CEFR B.1.1 – Hybrid course

5215-A-2 French III A 2 - Working in French in a Company 3 A 2 – Self-study module (Helsinki – Vaasa) (2 ECTS) – CEFR B.1.1 – Rector Awarded

5226 French IV A 2 - Working in French in a Company 4 A 2 – Self-study module (Helsinki – Vaasa) (3 ECTS) (new module)

5225 Each one teach one - French (Helsinki – Vaasa) (2 ECTS)

Spring courses P3 - P4:

5213-B French I B - Working in French in a Company 1 B (Helsinki – Vaasa) (3 ECTS) – CEFR A.1.2 – Hybrid course – Top evaluated

5213-B-2 French I B 2 - Working in French in a Company 1 B 2 – Self-study module (Helsinki – Vaasa) (2 ECTS) – CEFR A.1.2 – Top evaluated

5214-B French II B - Working in French in a Company 2 B (Helsinki – Vaasa) (3 ECTS) – CEFR A.2.2 – Hybrid course

5214-B-2 French II B 2 - Working in French in a Company 2 B 2 – Self-study module (Helsinki – Vaasa) (2 ECTS) –CEFR A.2.2 – Top evaluated

5215-B French III B - Working in French in a Company 3 B (Helsinki – Vaasa) (3 ECTS) – CEFR  B.1.1 – Hybrid course – Top evaluated

5215-B-2 French III B 2 - Working in French in a Company 3 B 2 – Self-study module (Helsinki – Vaasa) (2 ECTS)  – CEFR B.1.1 – Top evaluated

5225 Each one teach one - French (Helsinki – Vaasa) (2 ECTS)

Summer courses S2 & S1:

All the self-study modules upper listed are available again during the summer periods.

5213-A-2 French I A 2 - Working in French in a Company 1 A 2 – Self-study module (Helsinki – Vaasa) (2 ECTS) – CEFR A.1.1 – Rector Awarded – Students top evaluated

5213-B-2 French I B 2 - Working in French in a Company 1 B 2 – Self-study module (Helsinki – Vaasa) (2 ECTS) – CEFR A.1.2 – Students top evaluated

5214-A-2 French II A 2 - Working in French in a Company 2 A 2 – Self-study module (Helsinki – Vaasa) (2 ECTS) – CEFR A.2.1 – Rector Awarded – Students top evaluated

5214-B-2 French II B 2 - Working in French in a Company 2 B 2 – Self-study module (Helsinki – Vaasa) (2 ECTS) – CEFR A.2.2 – Students top evaluated

5215-A-2 French III A 2 - Working in French in a Company 3 A 2 – Self-study module (Helsinki – Vaasa) (2 ECTS) – CEFR B.1.1 – Rector Awarded

5215-B-2 French III B 2 - Working in French in a Company 3 B 2 – Self-study module (Helsinki – Vaasa) (2 ECTS) – CEFR B.1.1 – Students top evaluated

5226 French IV A 2 - Working in French in a Company 4 A 2 – Self-study module (Helsinki – Vaasa) (3 ECTS) (new module)

Courses offered for non-degree students 

All our courses are open to Arcada, Aalto, Open University and JOO agreement students as well as for Exchange students, since the courses are taught at beginners' level and the language of instruction is French and English. You can apply for the right to take individual courses here.

Search function in Sisu

This page presents the search function in Sisu and how it works. You can find the study sections in French by using the filter Organisation and then selecting "French, Helsinki". By using the search function in Sisu, you can independently read more about the French courses offered.

Language specific information

Below you will find information that is important to know when studying French.

It is important that everyone chooses courses according to their own level.

Choosing a course that is too easy (or too difficult) usually leads to a lack of motivation both for oneself and for the other participants, which affects each participant's success.

If you have enrolled in a course that does not correspond to your real level, the teacher may suggest, after a few lectures, that you change to a more appropriate course (at a higher or lower level) that better suits your own level and puts you in the best position to pass the course successfully.

You must choose the course with Contact hours and the corresponding Self-study module at the same time as you need 5 ECTS of language studies per term.

Contact information

For further information or in case questions arise, please contact the subject coordinator of French, Gauthier Duché. You can also find us on the fifth floor in Hanken's building in Helsinki, in room A509.

Gauthier Duché – Lecturer, subject coordinator of French

Laurence Prempain – Teacher (hourly-paid)

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Gauthier Duché
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Laurence Prempain

Projects and publications within the French department

Research is also carried out within the French department, and Laurence Prempain from the French department has given out publications. The link below will take you to her research profile. Read more about the research conducted at the Language Centre here.

Read more!

If you are interested in and want to read more about French, follow the links below for more in-depth information.

Online newspapers

Below you will find links to various newspapers in France and around the world.

Learn more about France

By following the links below, you can read more about the Francophonie, the French economy, political news and other interesting things about France.

Learn French

Language skills require active use. Through the links below, you can learn some French on your own and maintain the French you learn at Hanken!