BA in French

Majoring in a foreign language means studying the language, literature, and culture of the country concerned. In addition, knowledge of a foreign language enhances and deepens people’s understanding of their own culture and language and contributes toward a greater appreciation of other cultures. All courses are taught in the target language unless otherwise indicated in the course description.

Mission

French as an academic discipline is one of the oldest of all fields of study, having existed since the Middle Ages (Chaucer studied French, for instance). The mission of the program in French is to train students rigorously, to enable them to use French and to develop communication skills. Students acquire the language and develop an appreciation for and knowledge of the literary and cultural texts and traditions of the Francophone world. This mission is aligned with standards of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages and the Modern Language Association. These are the two bodies that represent the most current thinking on the teaching and learning of French.

Goals & Objectives

• Development of professional and marketable mastery of communicative skills in French;
• Appropriation of linguistic skills, transferable selectively to a wide range of practical options, including – but not limited to – mass media, higher education, travel/leisure enterprises, the performing arts, teaching, diplomacy, law enforcement, military intelligence, the space program, business/marketing, international banking, politics, the Peace Corps;
• Acquisition of knowledge of, and sensitivity about, one or more literary and cultural heritages/traditions other than those of English-speaking communities;
• Internalization of the principle of diversity as one of the cornerstones of personal, national and international relationships, and promotion of its inherent values in the world at large;
• Achievement of a high degree of information literacy, by accessing national and international sources, and judicious evaluation of the same for form, value and content.

Learning Outcomes

1. Students develop advanced skills in language and communications with an advanced degree of proficiency in listening comprehension in the target language.
2. Students develop advanced skills in language and communications with an advanced degree of proficiency in reading comprehension in the target language.
3. Students develop advanced skills in language and communications with an advanced degree  in oral expression in the target language.
4. Students develop advanced skills in language and communications with an advanced degree of proficiency in written expression in the target language.
5. Students gain intermediate comprehension of the nature of language, linguistics and the phonology of the target language.
6. Students are exposed to, develop and appreciation of, and comprehend literary and cultural texts and traditions of the diverse languages and cultures of the areas where the target language is spoken.
7. Students can identify, analyze and comprehend cultural and linguistic diversity on a local, national and global level in the target societies, and compare and contrast these differences with their own culture(s) and language community(ies).