The study of French opens the door to diverse cultures around the globe, from France itself to other French-speaking countries and regions in Europe, North and West Africa, Quebec, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific and Indian Oceans. French provides useful links to many parts of the world and to many areas of the liberal arts curriculum. Students interested in the arts, in government and business, in public health, environmental studies and international studies across the disciplines, benefit from the practical skills, the cultural knowledge and awareness and the intellectual connections that studying French can provide.
The Department of French and Francophone Studies offers language courses for beginners and for those who want to build on their knowledge of French. The introductory-level courses stress communicative competency and the acquisition of listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. The intermediate courses reinforce and extend those skills through an interactive exploration of contemporary French and Francophone culture using a variety of authentic print and electronic sources.
We offer a major with two tracks: French and French Studies, each consisting of a minimum of 10 courses.
The French track provides a cohesive, integrated experience which allows students to achieve an advanced level of French language proficiency as well as a solid background in literature and culture. Starting with the intermediate course sequence of 201 and 202, the major continues with two courses that engage with the French-speaking world and provide students with the tools to describe, debate, analyze and critique French literary and cultural texts, films, documents, current events, and other cultural phenomena, both orally and in writing. Students will then choose from advanced elective courses that examine an author, genre, era or theme in depth. In the final year of the major, students will complete a capstone experience at the 400-level comprising a portfolio of work they have created and a longer research project in French on a French or Francophone topic of their choice.
