French (Francophone Studies)
About Our Program
Bonjour! Master the French language with the guidance of fluent professors as you develop a deep understanding of France from history to present day. With an emphasis on interdisciplinary learning, you’ll examine French social and political institutions through film, literature, art, and media.
Put your French language skills into action in our immersive off-campus study opportunities. With Canada located just a hop, skip, and a bridge away from campus, you can wake up in Canton and in just 90 minutes, chat with our French-speaking neighbors to the North. Want to stamp your passport further? Take advantage of our study abroad programs in France where you can taste French cuisine, explore museums, navigate vibrant cities, and tour vineyards.
The skills and experiences you gain in our program will open doors to a variety of careers in a global setting. Students who studied a language at St. Lawrence work in the finance industry, serve in the Peace Corps, and teach language in countries around the world.
A Global Perspective
With a wealth of opportunities for a global education, you can put your language skills to use in our study abroad programs as you explore the origins of the language you’ve mastered.Study Abroad
Choose from more than 30 semester-long programs offered in more than 20 international locations, including Canada and France.
Senior Year Experience (SYE)
Turn your passion into a project with a Senior Year Experience. For example, Madison Rusch ’17 used her language skills to translate a manuscript originally written in another language, to English.
Travel Grant Opportunities
Do you want to pursue independent study or research while abroad? Our students can apply for grants through the Center for International and Intercultural Studies (CIIS) to support projects that enhance immersion in a different culture and extend international or intercultural awareness.
CIIS Fellows Program
Apply for a grant to undertake off-campus research in another country or within a minority U.S. culture with a faculty mentor.
Service Work
Learn by doing in a real-world environment. Our majors gain experience while making a difference through service work. Students in our program have volunteered as language teachers in local areas schools or on campus as teaching and writing assistants for language courses.
Peace Corps
Since 2014, St. Lawrence has ranked among the Peace Corps’ list of top volunteer-producing small colleges and universities. Since the Peace Corps’ founding in 1961, nearly 300 Laurentians have served abroad as volunteers.
Connecting with Community
Among the 150+ clubs and organizations at St. Lawrence, you’ll find many that involve your passion for language, culture, and global perspectives, including:
- French Club
- African Student Union
- Asian Students Intercultural Association
- Islamic Culture Club
- La Sociedad
- Literacy for Nepal
- Model U.N.
- Euphrates Institute
Why St. Lawrence for French
Outcomes Rate
Recent graduates were employed or in graduate school within 7-9 months of graduating.
The number of languages you can learn at St. Lawrence
Become fluent in:
- Arabic
- Chinese
- French
- German
- Italian
- Spanish
- Swahili
of our language programs offer an immersive study abroad opportunity
Graduates who studied languages have found domestic and international careers in:
- Education
- Business
- Marketing
- Publishing
- Accounting
- Social Services
- Government
- Immigration Law
of St. Lawrence students studying at least one language participate in internships
of St. Lawrence students study off campus at least once
Simon Award
In 2018, St. Lawrence received the prestigious Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization, which distinguishes excellence in integrating international education throughout all facets of the university
Language labs at your disposal with resources to fine-tune your speaking and writing skills
More Program Information
Program Requirements & Courses
Explore Francophone major requirements, as well as electives and combined study options.
Complementary and Related Programs
If you’re interested in Francophone studies you might also like these programs.
World Languages, Cultures, and Media Faculty
Our faculty have traveled the globe gathering expertise in language, art, literature, and film. They are authors, gardeners, chess players, and photographers who love a good detective novel.
Eloise Brezault
Janice Brown
Roy Caldwell
Rafael Castillo Bejarano
Study Abroad
Put your French language skills into action in our immersive off-campus study opportunities in programs where you can taste French cuisine, explore museums, and tour vineyards.
Experience Canada
St. Lawrence is the closest liberal arts college to another country’s capital: Ottawa, Ontario. Whether it's a day trip, semester, or year, you’ll experience the largest country in the Western hemisphere just on the other side of the St. Lawrence River.
The Language Lab
Enhance your connection to the global community with state-of-the-art video conferencing and recording spaces in our language labs. You’ll also have access to foreign language films, dictionaries, music, software, games, and world maps.
Meet at the Language Table
Grab a seat at the language table of your choice and practice your skills. During these get-togethers with fellow language lovers, you’ll prepare traditional food, listen to guest speakers, and even head off-campus for various activities.
World Languages Week
During this campus-wide, week-long series of events, you’ll celebrate language and culture with trivia, off-campus study seminars, language lessons, an International Iron Chef competition, and a showcase of multicultural talents and traditions.
Get More Information
We’re excited to learn more about you, tell you more about our interdisciplinary academic programs, show you around our beautiful campus, and help you navigate your college search.
Apply to St. Lawrence
We’re looking for curious students who are eager to make a difference. We take a holistic approach to reviewing applications and consider all aspects of your application and what we learn about you.