French
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The Department of World Languages and Cultures (WLC) offers programs in Chinese Studies, Ethnic Studies, French and Francophone Studies, German Studies, International Studies, and Spanish. The richness and diversity of offerings permit our students to find multilevel academic opportunities in one single department. WLC provides a comprehensive, unifying theme around the study of languages and cultures, from the national to the international. Within this framework, the Ethnic Studies Program focuses on national and transnational ethnic cultures and their participation in American society. The International Studies Program emphasizes global issues, while the Department’s programs of languages and cultures make possible the acquisition of languages that permit a deeper interaction among national ethnic groups and international cultures.
The Department of World Languages and Cultures firmly believes that students with national and international understanding of cultural, ethnic, and racial issues, coupled with second language competency, will be better equipped to meet the professional challenges of the 21st century. The Department of World Languages and Cultures has an intellectually, ethnically, culturally, and internationally diverse cadre of qualified and dedicated faculty and staff who possess an invaluable store of experience and knowledge with which to counsel students about educational and career opportunities in the United States and abroad.
In addition, WLC has an ongoing “International Faculty in Residence Program” that brings scholars and artists from different parts of the world to teach for a full semester in the area of their expertise. Our students benefit by taking classes with internationally known scholars. Moreover, WLC has in place a unique “International Speakers Lecture Series” that brings to our campus distinguished scholars, writers, poets, artists, and diplomats from all regions of the world to present lectures of contemporary interest to our students and the academic community at large.
French Language and Cultures Program
The French program emphasizes the use of the French language through a curriculum that closely relates the classroom to the Francophone world. Creating a personal environment, French faculty and students participate in weekend workshops and retreats. In small classroom settings, students study the literature and culture of France and such Francophone regions and countries as Quebec, Belgium, Switzerland, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Senegal, Côte d’Iviore, Congo, Mali, and the French-speaking Caribbean. In order to increase their fluency in the language, students of French are encouraged to spend one academic year studying in a Francophone country, or one summer in Montpellier, France. At the Institut Méditerranéen d’Études Francophones in Montpellier, students may choose to study for the month of June only or continue the program for another four weeks in July.
Degrees Offered
BA, Minor