French and Francophone Studies
Photograph Courtesy of Christine Moisset-Edelstein
French is a major world language, spoken not only in Europe (France, Belgium, Switzerland), but in areas of North America, the Caribbean, South America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific. France exerts a strong cultural influence throughout the world and is a major trading nation, excelling in such areas as aviation, public transportation, military hardware, food, wine, and fashion, to name only the most highly visible. France is also a leader in the fields of science and medicine. A sound knowledge of the French language and of French culture is therefore of great advantage to students who intend to major in many areas including political science, international relations, business, literature, cinema, art history, psychology, and medicine.
The French and Francophone Studies concentration of the FIGS major has a double aim: to promote linguistic fluency in French and to produce cultural literacy in the fascinating and complex francophone world. The major builds on the linguistic skills students have acquired in high school or at Penn by offering a series of advanced, multi-media and interactive language courses with cultural content which students assimilate through cinema, newspaper and magazine articles, literary texts, and internet-based material. Students also take courses focusing on literature, history, civilization, and youth culture, French cinema, phonetics, French for Business, which contains cultural information indispensable for those wishing to work in a francophone business environment, and the francophone world.
We also encourage students to participate in at least one of our study abroad programs to improve their linguistic ability, their knowledge of the French intellectual heritage, and their awareness of cultural differences.
Students completing a FIGS major with a French concentration or a minor in French and Francophone Studies will be well-equipped to continue their studies at the graduate level or work in such areas as the arts, business, science, or diplomacy. They will not only acquire a high level of proficiency in French but will also hone their analytical skills, and receive invaluable training in cultural literacy, an indispensable tool for operating in any field of endeavor that involves contact with France and francophone countries.