Degrees & Programs French
Studying French at Westmont helps you become proficient in the language. At the same time, you develop intercultural sophistication so you can live comfortably and effectively in the French-speaking world.
Majors spend a semester studying abroad at an approved university. At Westmont, you work closely with professors and benefit from small classes. A flexible curriculum helps you find classes that meet your needs. Courses vary but always include language, literature, and civilization and culture. You leave Westmont ready for an ever-shrinking world with a wider perspective and appreciation of different cultural heritages. You discover the face of Christ in people from other civilizations who share our world.
Sample Schedules
French majors must take 40 upper-division units in French, including one semester of 14-16 units at an approved university in a region where French is the native language. The minimum prerequisite to study abroad toward the major is four semesters of college French (or equivalent), one four-unit course in upper-division work, and FR 150, Cross-Cultural Studies. It is recommended that students fulfill their general-education, or distribution, requirements with courses that contribute to their understanding of France’s role in world history and civilization, such as European history, international relations, and art and music history.
FR 150 Cross-Cultural Studies (4)
Three of the following: (12)
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Three of the following: (12)
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Upper-division level courses in language, literature, civilization, and culture approved by the major advisor in France, Québec, or French Switzerland.
French Minor (20 Units)
- FR 101 Survey of French Literature I (4)
- FR 102 Survey of French Literature II (4)
- Upper-Division FR elective(4)
- Additional FR electives (8)
Faculty Highlights
Administrative Assistant
Joanna Martin ('22) graduated from Westmont with a BA in Music. She was drawn to working for the Modern Languages Department due to her love for language, having spent time studying abroad in France and speaking French in various professional roles. Outside of this job, she also advises freshmen as a Student Success Coach, spends time enjoying beautiful Santa Barbara with friends, and composes music as a songwriter.
Email: jomartin@westmont.edu
Tel: (805) 565-6079
Office: Reynolds Hall
Language Tables and Tutoring
Career Paths
Liberal arts majors like French open the door to a broad range of vocations. French majors usually develop the ability to express themselves gracefully and the cultural sensitivity to understand others, and employers greatly value people who can communicate effectively. Career fields include:
- Foreign Missions
- Domestic Human-Service Agencies
- Education
- International Business
- Law
- Government Services
- The Arts
French Alumni
Bill Seiber '97 says, “Since graduating in 1997, I have worked in the non-profit sector with a small, international ministry that took hope to abandoned children and women, attended law school at the University of Colorado School of Law, Boulder (Class of 2001), and launched into a productive and rewarding career in the area of agricultural law for the Colorado Office of the Attorney General. Knowing and continuing to study French has given me the personal reward of living and traveling in France while cultivating and maintaining life-long friendships with French people. Studying a foreign language taught me more than how to speak in that language, though. Understanding a foreign tongue allows me to perceive the complexities of cultural differences and the unique gifts of cultural diversity in both work and travel. The study of language blessed me with a desire and an ability to see, hear, and even to tell the story through the eyes of another person.”
Ella Urquhart ’20 notes, “As a French student at Westmont, I was able to simultaneously pursue my love for foreign language and learn the intricacies of a different culture; my French courses better prepared me to engage with the wider world and enter into conversation with those different from me. As someone eager to live abroad again, my Westmont French experience has given me new insights at an age of great personal development—I will take with me the language skills and the greater cultural awareness I’ve developed wherever I go in the future!”