Bachelor of Arts - French

The University of New Mexico's undergraduate program develops students' language proficiency within a cultural and communicative context. The major and minor promote the understanding of the intellectual, literary and cultural heritages of the French speaking world through a broad range of courses in French and Francophone literature, culture and cinema. Drawing on critical and analytical tools from a variety of intellectual traditions, and using an interdisciplinary and cultural studies approach, the upper division courses provide a comprehensive training in French and Francophone studies. Students majoring in French will have fluency in the language and one or many of the cultural traditions it houses. Just as importantly, they will be able to function effectively across linguistic and cultural boundaries—a skill increasingly in demand in a world demanding adaptation and nimble thinking.

University's program offers students access to the global French-speaking world and its histories, philosophies, cinemas, and other aesthetic forms. As a fundamentally international discipline, the major in French encourages a range of objects of study and a number of critical approaches, emphasizing gender and sexuality, postcolonial studies, economic and social theory, among others. In addition, numerous departmental activities such as the French Club, summer trips to France, film screenings, lectureships and field trips, bring together faculty and students in rich intellectual and social environments. The department also encourages various programs of study abroad that will enhance students' awareness of French and Francophone cultures.