French and Francophone Studies Major
Our French and Francophone Studies major offers a dynamic interdisciplinary lens for exploring the diverse cultural productions of the Francophone world: language, literature, the arts, politics, philosophy, and other fields of human inquiry and creative expression.
Our students engage closely with faculty in small seminars and regularly study abroad for a year, semester, or summer in Angers or Grenoble (France), or Québec (Canada). Regularly offered co-curricular activities including Pi Delta Phi (the French Honor Society), conversation tables, guest lectures, service learning, and a film series offer opportunities to hone your French outside the classroom.
Graduates in French and Francophone studies demonstrate language proficiency, intercultural competencies, and analytical skills.
Why Study French and Francophone Studies?
Today, French is spoken on every continent on earth—and locally, right here in Bloomington-Normal. Designated a critical language by the Department of Defense, French also functions as a working language of many major international organizations such as the United Nations, the Red Cross, the European Court of Justice, and the International Olympic Committee.
Studying French opens doors to careers in government, public service, tourism, hospitality, health services, business, law, technology, fashion, communication, and education. Studying French improves your written and spoken communication (even in English!), equips you to succeed in a global workforce, and encourages a broader perspective on what it means to be human.
Listen to this French minor describe her many takeaways from French studies at Illinois State.
Watch this video to find out more reasons why students think it is important to learn French.
Point of Pride
The French and Francophone Film Series provides three film showings per semester of both classics and contemporary Francophone cinema creating a meeting place for current students to engage more deeply with Francophone topics and practice speaking and listening in French.