Pierre Jean Capretz (30 January 1925 – 2 April 2014) was a French educator and writer, noted for his audio-visual methods for teaching French. A graduate of the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

, he began teaching French in 1949 at the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

and joined the faculty of

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

in 1956, eventually becoming Director of the Language Laboratory and then Director of the Language Development Studio. He is best known as the creator and host of the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

television series ''

French in Action ''French in Action'' is a French language course, developed by Professor Pierre Capretz of Yale University. The course includes workbooks, textbooks, and a 52-episode television series. The television series — the best-known aspect of the cours ...

''. He received an honorary Doctor of Letters from Middlebury College in August 1993. He died in 2014 at the age of 89.French in Action creator Pierre Capretz dies
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List of degrees received

*Doctorate, University of Paris, 1950 *Law Degree, University of Paris, 1947 *Doctor of Letters, Honoris Causa, Middlebury College, 1993

References

*Hodge, Deborah (Autumn 1993). ''Introduction'', "A Banner Year for the Language Schools", Middlebury Magazine.

External links

University of Florida Language Learning Center
Yale University faculty University of Florida faculty 1925 births 2014 deaths French male writers {{France-writer-stub