French and Francophone Studies

The B.A. major in French and Francophone Studies provides students with an opportunity to develop proficiency in the French language as well as cultivate an appreciation and understanding of the various contexts that comprise the French and Francophone literary and cultural traditions. Students receive instruction in small, interactive classrooms that foster communication and exchange. Our courses promote critical thinking with an emphasis on cultural, literary and linguistic analysis. Majors are encouraged to participate in language immersive events such as embedded courses, faculty led courses, and study abroad. The major can also help to prepare students for interdisciplinary professional careers for which a knowledge of French language and culture is useful. At present, the B.A. major in French and Francophone Studies is available either as a Language and Culture, Language and Literature, and Language and Linguistics option.

You Might Like This Program If...

• You are interested in critical thinking about the cultural frames and literary objects that comprise French and Francophone literature/culture.
• You are planning a career in which French proficiency is useful.
• You are eager to connect with French-speaking communities both home and abroad.
• You seek to cultivate a professional profile that will increase your chances on the job market.
• You aspire to explore the various people, places and things that make up the French-speaking world.

The B.A. major in French and Francophone Studies encourages students to develop fluency in the language as well as an appreciation of francophone literature and culture. The major can also help to prepare students for interdisciplinary professional careers in which a knowledge of a foreign language is useful. At present, the B.A. major in French and Francophone Studies is available as a Language and Culture option, Language and Linguistics option, or as a Language and Literature option.

• Analytical Skills: Student will have have developed analytical skills in order to improve their understanding of French literary works, cultural phenomena, and linguistic structures.
• Cultural Comparisons: Students will be able to use their proficiency in French language and culture to make pertinent comparisons with their own language and culture and thus demonstrate a critical understanding of the nature and function of both.
• Immersive Learning: Students will have participated in immersion opportunities, ideally study abroad or internships, but also departmental and campus-wide events, with the goal of promoting growth in language skills, intercultural understanding, and academic achievement in French and Francophone studies.
• Knowledge of Key Issues and Debates: Students will have reached a broad understanding of key issues and debates in literary analysis, cultural studies, French intellectual history, language acquisition, and theoretical linguistics.
• Literacy Skills: Students will have developed literacy skills that allow them to both read and write in French. Majors should be able to read and interpret a variety of media, from newspapers to literary texts to formal academic texts.
• Oral Communication Skills: Students will have developed oral skills in French that allow them to communicate efficiently in a range of settings from informal to professional.

If you are a first year student applying to Penn State:

Click Apply to start your Penn State application. Before starting, you can also review the Applying Online Worksheet for more details and helpful hints about the application.

Your application work can be saved at each step of the process by clicking the Save and Continue button at the bottom of the page. This feature will allow you to move back and forth within the application or log off and return to complete your application at a later time.

After completing your Academic History, you will need to provide your Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR). As you begin the SRAR process, a new window will open allowing you to complete your SRAR. SRAR will focus on your high school coursework. It is important that this step is a complete and accurate representation of your school record. Therefore, have a copy of your secondary school records available as you complete your SRAR. You will need to enter every class and every grade earned for the last three years, as well as those classes in progress.

After completing your SRAR, you will be directed back to the Penn State application in order to complete the Program of Study portion of the application. Here, you will indicate your desired starting semester, your intended program of study, and your starting and ending campus. For further details on how to complete this portion based on your applicant type, please see the steps to apply for first-year students.

After completing this section of the application, you will provide some additional information, an activities resume, and a personal statement. You will be able to paste in this information from other sources, but note that the formatting may not always paste in as intended.

If you are a transfer student applying to Penn State:

All international transfer students will be required to submit official high school transcripts in order to complete the application. International transfer students will not complete the Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR) for either their high school or college coursework.

If you have accepted your offer of admission to Penn State:

If you completed SRAR and are accepted to Penn State, please provide the following for grade verification:

• Official transcript from years 9, 10, 11, and 12. If the transcript is issued in a language other than English, it must be accompanied by a separate line-by-line English translation.
• Official copy of the Tawjihi, accompanied by a separate line-by-line English translation.

With a B.A. degree in French, students have a variety of pathways open to them. Our graduates have gone on to pursue a myriad of exciting careers that have allowed them to use their proficiency in the French language, understanding of French and Francophone cultural artefacts, grasp of French and Francophone ways of seeing and making sense of the world, and the skills of critical thinking acquired in our classrooms

Our majors have taught in France as Fulbright Scholars or on French government teaching assistantships; worked for the Peace Corps, Homeland Security, the State department, world health organizations, and the non-profit sector; pursued careers in the foreign service; become high school teachers, university professors, and instructional designers; and gone into film, journalism, advertising, fashion, public relations, and information technology – among many other professions.

Opportunities for Graduate Studies

Our graduates have gone on to pursue graduate studies in French, Comparative Literature and other disciplines within the humanities. Many have also opted to pursue Law school, Medical school, and advanced degrees in International Politics, Public Health, International Studies and Art History.