Becoming citizens of the world
"The French major has expanded my horizons in terms of a more global view, knowing more about different cultures," says a senior. "Students are espousing the culture, the idioms, and with that comes a new way of looking at the whole world. So you are really developing your sense of vision and how you view yourself and the rest of the world," says a professor. "The French major develops a better awareness of global problems . . . and promotes more of an international mentality. It prepares students to be better citizens of the world."

Enhanced communication
"I love the ability to speak two languages," says a senior also majoring in environmental science. A senior French and world perspectives double major adds, "It is really important to me to know another language, just because of the value of learning to think in a different way, and being able to communicate with other people." From a French professor's point of view, "I think the French major requires a steady willingness to work at it and excellence. It requires some other qualities too, like humility and childlikeness, maybe some qualities that are not required by other majors, because when you're learning a foreign language you find yourself placed in a situation where you do not have dominion over the way of expressing yourself. It develops some qualities that I believe no other subject will develop, because our sense of identity is so closely related to the way we express ourselves."

Bon voyage: the France Abroad
"On the France Abroad I gained a family," says a recent graduate. "We're still in touch. They call me their American cousin. . . . And I was definitely more courageous as far as my life goals were concerned after the France Abroad. I realized that I could go to any country I wanted to and succeed." She goes on to say that the France Abroad "opened me up to a lot of new ideas. The exposure to other countries changes you in ways you would never imagine. I did come back changed from that abroad. It changed the course of my life." Another graduate says, "The France Abroad was the highlight of my French studies at Principia. Another Principia student and I stayed with a Christian Scientist for much of the trip. She gave us French cooking hints, and our conversations really enhanced my vocabulary. The first afternoon we spent with her she took us to the local market, and that was an experience in itself."

Dedication and hard work
"Dedication is the key," says a senior French major, whose goal is fluency. "I like the way it pushes me a lot," says a senior French and world perspectives double-major. "I also like learning more about the French culture and learning to speak the language better." Another senior says, "The French major has taught me persistence and sticking with something that was not very easy for me." And, a professor adds, "It takes many hours of work and studying . . . to gain fluency. The more you put into your homework, the more years or classes you take, the better you are going to be."

On-campus resources
"I really liked the small classes and the relationships that I built with my professors one-on-one," says a recent graduate. "One really good thing about Prin's French program is that one of the professors has brought her expertise on francophone literature to our classes," says a senior also majoring in world perspectives. "We study authors from Africa, Québec, Martinique, Guadeloupe — different islands and other countries where French is one of the main languages." Another recent graduate adds, "When I went on to graduate school in French I was grateful for all the experience I'd had working in the language lab with cassettes on my pronunciation and intonation. I especially liked going to the language lab to see the video recording of a daily French television half-hour newscast. It really helped my comprehension and kept me up to date with French happenings."

Et après . . .
After graduation, says one recent graduate, "I started graduate school in the French program at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, but I soon realized that my interests were broader than that." She then went to Japan to teach English for six months, and upon returning, enrolled in graduate studies for a degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), which she taught at the Monterey Institute, at one point teaching "a class of nine people from nine different countries." Another recent graduate, who went on to receive a master's degree in French and another master's degree in curriculum and instruction, now teaches French. She credits her Phonetics class at Principia with fully preparing her for graduate school. Her success in a French Writing and Translation course at Principia, she says, allowed her to earn "a high pass on an exam that was required for my doctoral program."