French
What is the French program?
Our program prepares students to be proficient in French and the cultures of French speaking populations. We teach to listen, speak, read, write, and analyze the language while providing college level knowledge of its literature and the arts. Our classes foster transcultural understanding as the basis for mutual respect, global harmony, and social justice.
What do French majors do?
Depending on their Placement Exam results, students begin taking upper division classes, or start at the lower division level. Our students typically double major. Business Administration, Political Science, Natural and Computer Sciences, Engineering, Psychology, Communication Studies, and English are frequent options.
We strongly encourage our students to study abroad in French-speaking countries. LMU has been offering a summer study-abroad program in Paris, France since 1995.
Our outstanding students are hired by the professors as teaching and research assistants, or work at our Language Center. They often join the French Honor Society (Epsilon Omega of Pi Delta Phi).
Is this major right for you?
You will benefit from majoring (or minoring) in French if you:
- Plan to become a doctor, lawyer, business person, college professor, or journalist.
- Would like to work or volunteer in a French speaking community abroad
- Learned French at home and want to develop your skills professionally and academically
- Are interested in the culture of French speaking populations abroad
About our faculty
Our faculty members have extensive college teaching experience. Born in France, French Guiana, Tunisia, and the US, they are experts in a variety of fields. As evidenced in their professional resumes they have published books and articles in prestigious international venues.
About our students and graduates
Our alumni have been admitted to graduate programs at Duke, Harvard, USC, USF, NYU, Columbia, among others. They have found jobs in education (as teachers or professors), in the entertainment industry, in governmental institutions, in NGOs, and in business. Others volunteered in the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Teach for America, and the PLACE program.
Our current students embark in study abroad experiences, research projects, extracurricular activities, and community-based learning opportunities. By being immersed in the cultures where French is spoken, they acquire intercultural awareness.
Representative courses
Our courses include:
- French 1 to 3
- Mastery of French
- Stylistics and Translation
- Writing Workshop in French
- History of Ideas
- Identity Crisis in Contemporary France
- Philosophy and Aesthetics of Labor in France
- Culture of Laughter
- Workshop in Professional French
- Fictions of Culture, Film and Other Media
- Paris Through Film
- Francophone Film
- Women in French
- Science Fiction and Fantasy Scenarios
- Francophone Literature
- Theater Workshop in French
More Resources (Links)
For additional information please visit the site of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures.