RELEASED: Jan. 29, 2004

DANVILLE, KY—Greeted by enticing smells, sizzling skillets and French conversation, you might think you've just entered the kitchen of a French restaurant. A closer look reveals more than a dozen college students bustling around a kitchen completing a classroom project.

These students aren't in a culinary class, but part of Marie Manheim's "French Creations" course. The CentreTerm course is designed to teach students the French language through artistic, literary and culinary projects.

Manheim teaches the students how to make several authentic French dishes, including boeuf bourguignon (burgundy beef), pommes de terre à l'ail (garlic potatoes), salade verte (green salad), fromage (cheese), quiche lorraine, tarte à l'oignon (onion tart), and bûche moka (a log cake with mocha butter cream).

The students served the meal to guests including Manheim and her family, the pastor of Danville's Trinity Episcopal Church, several Centre professors and visitors from Danville.

"It's harder than you think to cook an entire meal with only French directions to follow," says Hillary Monroe, a junior with a double major in French and government from Madison, Ind.

Out of the kitchen, the students take their creativity to the small screen. The students tape their own TV show, writing and filming scripts based on the literary pieces they study in class. Manheim edits the films and then shows them to the class.

Students also exercise their artistic abilities on paper, creating French advertisements on posters that promote French cities, beverages and other products. These posters are on exhibit in the library.

"I really like creating the posters," says Ricky Ross, a sophomore chemistry major and French minor from Fort Wayne, Ind. "It allows us a chance to be creative and have fun, but at the same time work on our French skills."

Manheim describes how one of her students—who had only worked with more traditional media such as oil paint and charcoal—used computer programs for the first time to create art projects.

"It was wonderful to see her so happy and excited to have found a new medium to work with," Manheim says.

"This course gives me a wonderful chance to exercise my writing and speaking abilities, but not in the normal fashion," Monroe says. "Instead we learn through creative processes such as cooking and writing poetry, which gives our normal use of French a break."

Keeta Martin, instructor of education and coordinator of instructional technology, and Anaïs Chauvet, French assistant, assist Manheim in this course.

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