1. Cultural
Awareness: understand the diversity of cultural expression in French-speaking
areas around the world; develop cultural competence, cross-cultural skills, and
global literacy.
Students
are exposed to a wide range of forms of cultural expression in French-speaking
areas across the globe. Course materials and topics promote awareness of
linguistic and cultural diversity, facilitate intercultural connections, and
help learners develop cross-cultural skills. Students with no prior knowledge
of French may explore Francophone cultural issues through courses taught in
English.
2.
Communicative Competence: gain proficiency in oral and written French
In
lower-division 100-level courses, students practice listening to French, and
learn to speak, read, and write in French through oral practice, readings, and
written assignments. In 200-level and upper-division courses taught in French,
students develop comprehension and communication skills (interpretive,
interpersonal, presentational) both spoken and written. Majors and minors will
attain Advanced Mid language proficiency as defined in the American Council For
the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency guidelines.
3.
Critical Thinking and Interpretive Skills: analyze oral, print, film, and
digital cultural production in French
In
advanced and upper-division courses, students will develop skills in critical
thinking and in the comprehension, analysis, and interpretation of written,
audio, visual or multimodal texts in relation to specific historical,
political, social, and environmental contexts.
4. Career
Readiness and Project-Based Skills
Through
teamwork, experiential learning and capstone experiences in upper-level
courses, students apply their linguistic proficiency and cross-cultural
literacy to collaborative projects and independent research on French and
Francophone topics. Study abroad programs and courses with a practical
component (French for the health professions; outreach to French learners in
K-12; business French) encourage experiential learning.
Majors in
French will develop readiness for education careers and international
postgraduate study as well as for professions where language and cultural competence
are expected. By taking a senior seminar or equivalent capstone, majors will
develop research skills as applied to French and Francophone topics and perfect
their command of interpretive and presentational modes of communication.
Eligible
majors may complete the Honors Thesis in French or the Interdisciplinary Honors
Thesis in French or in English. In preparing this 25 to 50-page document
students will develop research and communication skills that prepare them for
entry into graduate programs or jobs requiring research and communication in
multilingual contexts.
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Programs of Study and Courses for Liberal Arts and Sciences Students 
