Designed to develop cross-cultural awareness and to foster international understanding in a global world, the French and Francophone Studies (FFS) Program adds an exciting new dimension to the traditional liberal arts curriculum. The French and Francophone Studies major differs from the traditional French major in two respects: by its interdisciplinary nature and by its greater flexibility to accommodate students’ own areas of interest. The FFS major answers the needs of students with a strong interest in cultural issues in general and in French Francophone history and society in particular. By allowing students to take coursework in English, the FFS major allows them to profit from the many courses on campus in various departments that focus on France and the Francophone world.
The FFS Program is an interdisciplinary, integrated program that understands the term “French” in its broadest sense, in an effort to represent the diversity of French studies today as reflected in a variety of cultures of Francophone expression: Canada, the Caribbean, North and West Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Reaching beyond disciplinary and national boundaries, the program encourages students to study in several disciplines, choosing from a large selection of courses in the humanities, the arts, and the social sciences. The program takes advantage of the varied resources the university has to offer in order to provide a meaningful course of study and an outstanding preparation for various graduate and professional schools or for careers in international business and finance, law, journalism, diplomatic service, non-profit and other international organizations, health, teaching, or the arts.