French and Francophone Studies

Faculty

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The French and Francophone Studies Program

The French & Francophone program at the College of William & Mary provides students with a critical understanding of the rich and varied cultures of the French-speaking world. It exposes them to a life-changing experience through the intellectual and personal challenges of learning a different way of living and thinking. Solid linguistic competency in French and a critical understanding of Francophone cultures are indispensable for anyone who wishes to study the French-speaking world. In class and in our research, we analyze varied forms of cultural production and the ways in which they represent real-world struggles related to nation, gender, race, class, the environment, etc. Our courses prepare students to work in fields as diverse as international relation, medicine, business, law, journalism, finance, education, and the arts.

Thanks to the diversity of our faculty, their backgrounds and specializations, the French & Francophone Studies program offers a wide selection of courses that examine different periods and aspects of Francophone culture and literature from France, the Indian Ocean, Africa, Vietnam, the Caribbean and North America. To foster an awareness of these different cultures, courses are taught in French and are interdisciplinary in approach.

Most students who major in French & Francophone Studies have a double major, such as International Relations, History, Government, English, Economics, or even Biology or Chemistry. In order to support students’ interests and career goals, the French & Francophone Studies program works in close collaboration with faculty from other departments or programs- Africana Studies, Women’s Studies, Art History, Anthropology, Film Studies, European Studies, Literary and Cultural Studies among others. Courses in other departments relating to French & Francophone issues can count towards a major in French & Francophone Studies.

Competency in French

Students majoring in Art and Art History, in the Social Sciences, or those who select an interdisciplinary program such as International Relations, European Studies, or Literary and Cultural Studies and who wish primarily to acquire competency in French will find a variety of French courses designed to give them the competency they seek. After having completed French 210 or 212 the following courses are recommended: 303*, 305, 306, 310, 314, 315, 361 or 362 or 363, 390 or 391, 393, 406.

Programs

Courses

French and Francophone Studies