Fall 2026

Intermediate Language and Culture

FRENCH 228 is an intermediate language and culture course that enhances writing and speaking proficiency through cultural readings on France and the francophone world.

offering recorded3–4 credits
Recorded instructors · Fall 2026 Ritt Deitz4.4/5Heather Allen3.9/5Leah Sandner

Summary

1 / 6

The course requires significant pre-class reading and memorized presentations, though the class is generally considered easy if students apply themselves to the readings.

Grade history

↗
average GPA
letter grades
A
AB
B
BC
C
D
F

All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

FRENCH 204 or placement into FRENCH 228

FRENCH 228 used by

“Used by” includes alternatives; linked courses may have other requirements. This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.

Prerequisite text tree

Professors

Fall 2026

Ritt Deitz

/5Adjusted rating
/5RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 4.87/5 from 30 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

For this course: 4.7/5 raw quality · 2.1/5 difficulty · 13 reviews

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

Ritt Deitz delivers engaging, funny lectures that foster open conversations and improve speaking skills. Reviewers appreciate his passion and approachability, though some note minimal new language acquisition. Others highlight the hidden Canvas grade book and mandatory memorized presentations as notable concerns.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.77 GPA, 90.0% A/AB (n=60 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.66 GPA, 90.0% A/AB (n=50 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.65 GPA, 84.6% A/AB (n=26 letter grades).

/5Adjusted rating
/5RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 4.50/5 from 8 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2016: 3.68 GPA, 90.9% A/AB (n=22 letter grades); Fall 2018: 3.60 GPA, 84.6% A/AB (n=26 letter grades); Spring 2023: 3.92 GPA, 95.8% A/AB (n=24 letter grades).

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

Historical reviews for instructors like Hilary Heffley, Jennifer Misran, and Jennifer Gipson highlight varied experiences, with some praising engagement while others cite long lectures and strict enforcement. Ewa Miernowska and Nelly Halzen are noted for high expectations and heavy workloads, whereas Nevine El-Nossery offers a chill, interesting environment. Joshua Armstrong is described as an easy grader who requires participation.

EWA MIERNOWSKA is recorded teaching in Spring 2007, Spring 2014, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2018, Spring 2020, Spring 2024. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

HEATHER ALLEN is recorded teaching in Spring 2012, Spring 2014, Spring 2016, Fall 2018, Spring 2023. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

HILARY ANN HEFFLEY is recorded teaching in Fall 2012, Fall 2013. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

JENNIFER GIPSON is recorded teaching in Fall 2014. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

JENNIFER MISRAN is recorded teaching in Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

JOSHUA ARMSTRONG is recorded teaching in Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2021. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

NELLY HALZEN is recorded teaching in Spring 2014, Fall 2015, Spring 2016. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

NEVINE EL-NOSSERY is recorded teaching in Fall 2011, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2017, Fall 2018, Fall 2019, Fall 2021, Spring 2025, Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

RITT DEITZ is recorded teaching in Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Fall 2024, Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

VLAD DIMA is recorded teaching in Fall 2013, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Spring 2020. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Calendar & sections

Fall 2026

Schedule loads here as you scroll.

SectionModeEnrolled / capacityWaitlist
LEC 001Classroom Instruction13 / 260
LEC 002Classroom Instruction18 / 260
LEC 003Classroom Instruction25 / 260

Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections. Enrollment reflects scan time.

Meeting source records
Download part 1

Student experience

the class

Ritt Deitz is a highly rated, engaging lecturer who fosters an open, conversational classroom environment focused on culture and attitudes.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.78 GPA, 93.3% A/AB (n=45 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.74 GPA, 86.8% A/AB (n=68 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.80 GPA, 91.8% A/AB (n=49 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

The course requires significant pre-class reading and memorized presentations, though the class is generally considered easy if students apply themselves to the readings.

Students appreciate Deitz's approachability and humor but find the hidden grade book frustrating, requiring manual tracking of grades.

Topics

  • France and the francophone world culture
  • Complex grammatical structures

Skills

  • Writing and speaking proficiency
  • Complex grammatical structures

Grades

Historical instructor

Fall 2026 · Projected

Before grades are released

– average GPA

Approximate 80% prediction interval

About this estimate

The course’s semester-average GPA, not an individual student’s grade. The center uses 5 same-season terms, weighted toward recent results.

The range uses the finite-sample 80th-percentile rank of absolute errors from earlier same-season forecasts. Each forecast uses only records from earlier terms. At least four forecasts are required; bounds are rounded outward and limited to 0–4. This is an empirical estimate: changing instructors or grading policies can reduce its coverage.

8 earlier forecasts · 0.10 GPA average error.

Grades over time

Through Fall 2026

More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data

Where this course fits relative to

Latest available grades · Spring 2026 · all course levels

GPA

Higher than % of other courses in this group.

Course GPAs · red marks this course’s range

letter grades

More recorded grades than % of other courses in this group.

Typical course in this group: letter grades.

About this comparison

1283 courses over the same term, each with at least 30 recorded letter grades. Cross-listed courses count once. GPA is not a measure of difficulty or teaching quality. The typical course is the median by recorded grade count; tied values are not counted as lower. Grade counts describe course scale, not unique students or typical section size.

Descriptions compare GPA with this group’s average: at least 0.20 higher or lower; otherwise close to average. Section size uses median recorded enrollment: small up to 30, mid-sized 31–99, large 100+. Lectures and discussion/lab sections are described separately.

Sources & history

UW–Madison

Catalog & offerings

Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.

Catalog observation history

Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.

Download part 1
Selected offering source records
FRENCH 228 · Fall 2026

Intermediate Language and Culture

Recorded 2026-09-07
Raw records
[
  {
    "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
    "semester": "1272",
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1272:400:007751",
    "course_id": "FRENCH 228",
    "course_uid": "course_c9ea7f229f197dc5f8eb22c9",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "007751",
    "source_subject_id": "400",
    "title": "Intermediate Language and Culture",
    "credits_min": 3,
    "credits_max": 4,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring"
  }
]
Rate My Professors

Student reviews

Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.

Read original reviews
Download part 1
Madgrades

Grade history

Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.

Explore recorded grades
Dataset & model

Recorded 2026-09-07

Download the original dataset
Model outputs & technical records
nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4
LLM outputs across runs
Download part 1
Full model traces

Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.

Download part 1
Model & dataset provenance
{
  "model": "nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4",
  "model_revision": "1355db6a052410cfd62085d94b58866fd0f2c3c5",
  "task_version": "14",
  "output_id": "92081d8e1f5a71464e98bd3cee6bc004a04395b57590e16c9608ac89d47806a7",
  "requirements_status": "needs_review",
  "dataset_revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
  "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00"
}