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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

LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE TRACK (40 UNITS)

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.

French Studies Track (44 Units)

FR 150 Cross-Cultural Studies (4)

Three of the following: (12)
  • FR 101 Survey of French Literature I (4)
  • FR 102 Survey of French Literature II (4)
  • FR 103 French Literature of the 17th Century (4)
  • FR 104 French Literature of the 19th Century (4)
  • FR 105 French Literature of the 20th Century (4)
  • FR 195 Seminar (4)
Three of the following: (12)
  • AN 150 Cross-Cultural Communication (4)
  • ART 122 The Arts of Medieval Europe (4)
  • ART 127 Nineteenth Century Art (4)
  • ENG 106 Language Acquisition (4)
  • HIS 134 Spiritual and Ritual in Medieval and Early Europe(4)
  • HIS 140 European Politics and Diplomacy Since 1789 (4)
  • HIS 141 European Society and Culture Since 1789 (4)
  • HIS 142 European Intellectual History, 1650 to Present (4)
  • HIS 156 France, 1500 to Present (4)
  • POL122 European Politics(4)
  • PHI135 Philosophy of Language (4)
Off-Campus Semester (14-16 Units)

Upper-division level courses in language, literature, civilization, and culture approved by the major advisor in France, Québec, or French Switzerland.

  • LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE TRACK (40 UNITS)
  • French Studies Track (44 Units)
  • Off-Campus Semester (14-16 Units)

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

Mary Collier, Ph.D.

Knighted by the French government as a Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques for promoting French language and culture
 

Read more

All Faculty

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.”

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