Architecture as a Portal to the Teaching of French Language and Literature

The author proposes the use of architecture as another means—in addition to cultural products like songs and poems—of organically integrating the teaching of culture into the study of language and literature. The author suggests that using the tool of the virtual tour, available on many Web sites, helps instructors to bring France closer to students by providing more visual referents in three dimensions. With three sample lesson plans, the article demonstrates the integration of architecture into beginning and intermediate language courses, as well as into an upper-level literature course.