Pitt Offers Historic Lectures, French Language Weekend, As Part of Québec Festival

PITTSBURGH—Parlez-vous français? The University of Pittsburgh's Learning Solutions is providing three educational programs in conjunction with the Québec Festival, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's first international festival which runs

Feb. 19 through April 17. Preregistration for these programs is required at www.solutions.pitt.edu or by calling 412-624-6600.

Feb. 19

A Lecture: Where the River Narrows

Author Aimée Laberge will deliver the lecture "Where the River Narrows," from

7 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 19 at 528 Alumni Hall, 4227 Fifth Ave., Oakland. Using a stimulating combination of historical facts and literary readings, Laberge explores the role of women, hats, books, and writers in the evolution of New France. Laberge, who is a direct descendant of the first settlers in New France, is the author of the novel "Where the River Narrows" (Harper Collins Canada, 2004), which is what the word Québec means in the Algonquin language. The fee for the lecture is $15.

Other programs offered in conjunction with the festival include:

March 26 and 27

French Language Immersion Weekend

This course, offered from 6 to 8 p.m. March 26 and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 27 at an on-campus location, is for beginners who want to spend a weekend learning the French language in a fun and pressure free environment. Basic vocabulary and conversation will be taught by a professional from a language immersion program in Québec. The fee is $250 for the weekend. Participants will learn the course location in their confirmation letter.

April 17

Contemporary Québec: A Unique Society

This lecture, to be presented from 10 a.m. to noon April 17, will offer an economic, political, social, cultural, and historical overview. Participants will learn how Québec, with its European roots, has evolved to become a modern North American society. The fee for the lecture is $15. Participants will learn the course location in their confirmation letter.

These programs are presented in cooperation with Québec Government House in New York and the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

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