The World Languages and Literatures Program offers students courses in the French language (language acquisition) and in the culture and literature of the French speaking world (in French or English). We offer a minor in the French language and Francophone cultures.

Students have the opportunity to gain a practical working knowledge of French, a language they may need in their future. A working knowledge of French can open doors in business and commerce, government and social service, graduate school, education, as well as many other professional careers. Our students seek to gain proficiency in understanding, speaking, reading, and writing French, while learning of the rich cultural diversity of peoples around the world who use French every day.

French (français) is, after English, the most widely spoken language in the world. It is an official language of 29 countries with a combined population of over 275 millions. French is also, after English, the most spoken second language. A direct descendant of Latin, French is one of the official languages of the U. N. as well as virtually every other international organization; it is also one of the principal languages of the European Union, our number one trading partner. It is a language of rich and varied cultural traditions and of dynamic and modern societies.

Famous authors of the French language include Balzac, Césaire, Condé, Corneille, Flaubert, Hugo, Maupassant, Molière, Montesquieu, Proust, Racine, Roy, Senghor, Valéry, Voltaire, Zola, etc.

French Minor Program

The following courses constitute the core of the French minor program which consists of 18 credits:

• LFRE103 Intermediate I
• LFRE104 Intermediate II
• LFRE 205 Speaking and Writing French: Intermediate
• LFRE 201 Reading French Texts
• LFRE 305 Speaking and Writing French: Advanced
• Special Topics in French: (Contemporary French Civilization; Culture and Literature of Quebec)

We also offer the selection of electives below: (variable content):

• LLIT220 Studies in European Cultures (Romanticism in England, Germany, and France; The Image of the Woman in the French Novel; the Holocaust)
• LLIT201Women Writers of the Americas: Global (The Caribbean)
• LLIT210 Studies in the Literature of Africa and the African Diaspora (West African Women Writers)

Courses listed are also included in the Westfield State College Common Core of Studies under Diversity, and Literary & Philosophical Analysis.

From the time of the Norman Conquest of Britain in 1066, French has exerted a tremendous influence on the English language. More than forty per cent of English vocabulary, in politics and government, history, social sciences, natural sciences, art, music, etc., is of French origin.

Exchange programs with universities in Québec and Europe are available for interested students (see the Study Abroad page).

Westfield State College generally offers LFRE 101 - Elementary French I in the fall semester and LFRE 102 -Elementary French II in the spring semester. Upper level French langua

ge courses may be offered as well.

To see what the French speaking world looks like, click on one of the following links: France, Other French speaking countries in Europe, The Americas, Africa.

For information regarding the French minor program, please contact Prof. Ruth Ohayon, French Faculty Advisor.

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France	Sénégal	Canada	Congo	Monaco	Haïti	Cameroun	Côte d'Ivoire
Belgique	Guinée	Gabon	Djibouti	Niger	Suisse	Madagascar	Burkina