FREN 2020

Professor Geer is absolutely amazing. I have taken 3 classes in the French department here, and she was my fa vortex professor. That is saying a lot because I find the French faculty here to be amazing. If you've taken any 1000 or 2000 level French class at UVA, you know what her class will be structured like. Most of your work revolves around assignments for ePortfolio (journals, written assignments, oral assignments, etc.) or HW assignments on VHLCentral. Like all French classes here, most of it feels like tedious busy work, but it does end up being useful in improving your French skills. The tests in this class aren't that bad. I actually thought that they were a lot easier than those in 2010. Also - there's no final in this class! Instead, you do a semester-long group project and presentation that is fairly reasonable.

Prof. Geer is such a sweetheart and very approachable. She genuinely cares about her students and wants the best for all of them. She makes the class pretty fun and really facilitates a fun learning environment. She is DEFINITELY the professor to take 2020 with.

At the beginning of the semester I was optimistic about the class with professor Geer because I had heard that many people really like her and she is good a teaching. While she does want all of her students to learn, and she does seem to really enjoy teaching, I could not get the grades that I was able to get in 1010-2020 no matter how hard I worked. I found that many of the students who studied abroad or had taken years of French in high school had the advantage because they have been speaking and writing French for much longer. I found quickly that no matter how hard I worked, I could not get the grades because I was being compared to these students. I think that because I was slower to learn, professor Geer thought I was not a good student and, therefor, proceeded to grade all of my assignments harshly. Its a shame that by the time you get to 2020 if you have not studied abroad or have years of experience, you can't do well in the class. If you are going to take this class I would recommend telling professor Geer at the beginning of the semester that even though you may have not had the time or money to study abroad yet, you really want to learn. Maybe that would help your grade.

I love Professor Geer! This was my third French class at UVA and while I'm definitely impressed by the department as a whole Geer really stood out as a passionate, enthusiastic professor who's very willing to help students learn the material. The work is absolutely manageable (pretty much structured exactly the same as earlier French courses) and is graded very generously. Plus, not having a final exam is so incredible!

The good: Professor Geer is amazing. In my time at UVA, I have yet to have any other instructor match her enthusiasm. Whether in office hours or the course itself, Geer shows genuine compassion for students and wants to make sure they are successful. The not as good: classes (particularly on Fridays) had a tendency to get off-track and not be incredibly productive. All things considered though, Geer is your best option for 2020. She's a fair grader, reasonable with workloads, and wants to help you succeed.

Rachel Geer is the only professor that I have had in the French department but she is an incredible representative of the department itself. She is permanently cheery, always interested in what is going on in her student's lives, and always enthusiastic about the material being covered. If you are going to take this class, take it with Rachel Geer. Her quizzes and tests, while frequent, are not normally too challenging, and she provides you with "study guides" that actually end up being the majority of the test. Her grading is very fair. Although there are many small homework requirements every day, the class dynamic makes up for theses annoyances. If you have to take this class for the language requirement, take it with Geer.

Geer absolutely ROCKED. This was my favorite course last semester, and is one of the best classes I have ever taken in my entire life. I genuinely looked forward to going to class! I enjoy French and learning a new language, but she is really a passionate teacher and a great resource for getting to delve into French culture. Homework rarely took longer than a half hour, and I would say that each week has about an hour or so of online homework to do. The ébauches (papers) are fairly graded and you're able to fix your mistakes on your rough draft for a higher grade. I had so much fun in this class and it helped me finish my language prerec. It inspired me to go further and take another French class, which didn't end up working out, but this one is definitely a 5/5, would definitely recommend!

Mme Geer is one of the nicest french teachers in the department. The course is not stressful and she outlines the materials very clearly. Overall a great class to take if you need to finish a language requirement

Professor Geer is the best of all the great French teachers! She created a fantastic class environment so everyone felt comfortable speaking up and having conversations in class. The textbook is good and the work is easy, and Professor Geer is so nice and understanding. She is so kind and I cannot imagine a better experience or a better teacher.