French

Course work and study abroad put linguistic and cultural fluency within your reach

Whether you come to Eckerd as a complete beginner or have several years of experience, a combination of course work and study abroad will put linguistic and cultural fluency within your reach.
We offer a wide range of courses that emphasize the four skills – oral expression, listening comprehension, writing and reading. The elementary level (101, 102) focuses on basic vocabulary and grammar, the intermediate level (201, 202) deepens and broadens those skills, the advanced level (301, 302) prepares students for the next step. At that point you will be ready for more advanced classes in culture, cinema and literature, and for study abroad.

Le français remains one of the most widely studied and admired languages in North America and the world. One of our goals for the advanced students, whether majors or minors, is for them to have an opportunity to study abroad in a francophone region. This can be accomplished during the three-week Winter Term in January, when we offer French Intensive courses in France. Recent trips have been to the Institut de Touraine in Tours and to the Institut de Montpellier in Montpellier. Students stay with French host families, take courses in the morning and participate in excursions and cultural activities in the afternoon and evening.

The French University system

Another way to study abroad is through the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP). Students who are fluent or on the verge of fluency can enter directly into the French University system. Because we emphasize double majors with French and another discipline, students choose an institution that offers courses in their field of study, whether that be business, literature, art, international relations or another of Eckerd’s many majors. Current and recent students have enrolled at university branches in Rennes, Avignon, Savoie, Saint-Etienne, Amiens and Dakar, Sénégal, among other sites.

Broadening opportunities after graduation

Fluency in French will help students broaden their opportunities after graduation. Recent graduates have gone to work for international businesses, have joined non-governmental organizations, have gone to law or graduate school or have found work in the art world. Several currently reside in francophone countries.

Fluency in French will also help develop the critical and cultural skills, as well as the experience, necessary to live in la société mondiale du 21e siècle.

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