Department of French

The Department of French is part of the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics (FLL) of Georgetown College, an academic entity that strives to promote the study and appreciation of a wide array of international languages, literatures, and civilizations. Ours is a large and diverse department that focuses on the integration of French language learning at all levels with a dynamic access to France and the rest of the Francophone world. Our full and part-time faculty, which comprises some twenty-five members, includes specialists in literature, culture, and the anthropology of France from the middle-ages to the present, in second language learning and linguistics, in French for business and economic purposes, in gender and theater studies, and in specific areas of the Francophone world including French-speaking Canada, Belgium, French-speaking Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. In a typical academic year we have over 100 French majors (including first-year through senior classes), over 100 French minors, and more than 1500 Georetown undergraduates enrolled in our courses overall. Given the size of the faculty, individual class size nevertheless remains small, with a typical enrollment limit of just 18 students.

As all departments within the FLL, the French Department normally requires a significant academic study abroad experience for its majors (academic year, semester, or intensive summer) in any one of a number of attractive programs supported through the International Studies Office of Georgetown University. FLL French majors also enjoy a wide range of curricular possibilities, including double majors, double minors, special interdisciplinary certificate programs, a special program in Business coursework, and the possibility of pursuing advanced research through the Senior Honors Thesis program. Our location in the international center of Washington, DC provides additional cultural, intellectual, and service opportunities through such venues such as the French and Francophone Embassies, the Alliance Française, the World Bank, and a broad array of museums, theatres, cinemas, and concert programs.

The breadth of possibilities for language study and specialization at Georgetown requires careful individual attention to students, and the FLL in general and the French Department in particular take pride in providing a strong personalized advising system in which students work closely with both professors and deans to design four-year academic programs most suited to their personal and professional desires and needs. Our recent graduates have gone on to advanced degree work and employment in many areas, including law, business, medicine, social administration, sales, public relations, and education. With the increasing internationalization of our social framework, specialization in a language--often in conjunction with another discipline--has become a more and more attractive option.