World Languages and Cultures

French Studies

Everything you need to know about the French Studies Program at CWU

French BA - Four-Year Plan - PDF

Welcome to French Studies at CWU

We offer both a Major and a Minor in small student-centered classes. Our program offers French language classes and coursework on French and francophone cultures, arts, and society in both French and English. We collaborate with other departments to bring students courses on the literature, musical traditions, histories, linguistics, and politics of the French-speaking world.

Why Study French?

A World Language

More than 300 million people speak French on the five continents. The OIF, an international organization of French-speaking countries, comprises 88 member States and governments. French is the second most widely learned foreign language after English and the fifth most widely spoken language in the world.

French is also the only language, alongside English, that is taught in every country in the world. France operates the most extensive international network of cultural institutes, which run French-language courses for close to a million learners.

A Language for the International Job Market

The ability to speak French and English is an advantage in the international job market. A knowledge of French opens the doors of French companies in France and other French-speaking parts of the world. As one of the world’s largest economies and a leading destination for foreign investment, France is a key economic partner. Hospitality and tourism (Accor), dairy products (Danone), tires and automotive (Michelin), aviation (Dassault Aviation), cosmetics (Sephora, L’Oréal), fashion (Vuitton, Chanel), champagne (Veuve Cliquot, Moët & Chandon), wine, chocolate, and other luxury food exports, are just some of the industries where France occupies a major share of the global market.

The Language of Culture

French is the international language of cooking, fashion, theatre, the visual arts, comics, dance, and architecture. A knowledge of French offers access to great works of literature in the original French, as well as films and songs. French is the language of Victor Hugo, Molière, Léopold Sendar Senghor, Edith Piaf, Jean-Paul Sartre, MC Solaar, Alain Delon, Baloji, and Zinedine Zidane!

A Language for Travel

France is the world’s top tourist destination and attracts more than 87 million visitors a year. The ability to speak even a little French makes it so much more enjoyable to visit Paris and all the regions of France, and offers insights into France’s culture and way of life. French also comes in handy when traveling to French-speaking parts of the world including Tahiti, Madagascar, Haiti, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Quebec, or the Seychelles, among many other places.

A Language for Higher Education

Speaking French opens up opportunities to study at renowned French universities and business schools, ranked among the top higher education institutions in Europe and the world.

The Other Language of International Relations

French is both a working language and an official language of the United Nations, the European Union, UNESCO, NATO, the International Olympic Committee, the International Red Cross and international courts. French is the language of the three cities where the EU institutions are headquartered: Strasbourg, Brussels and Luxembourg.

Not sure which course to register in?

If you have not studied any French previously, start with the first course in the first-year sequence French 151, offered in the Fall quarter. If you took French in high school or in another educational setting, you will need to take the French Placement Test. If you grew up exposed to the French language and are unsure which course would be right for you, contact the French Faculty Mentor and Program Coordinator to schedule an advising appointment.

First-Year French Sequence

The first-year French sequence counts towards the Foreign Language Graduation Requirement: CWUP 5-90-050 (3H) Graduation Requirements. You are required to take the First-Year French Sequence if you have no previous knowledge of French.

• Fall quarter – FR 151: First-Year French I (5 cr.)
• Winter quarter – FR 152: First-Year French II (5 cr.)
• Spring quarter – FR 153: First-Year French III (5 cr.)

Degree Options

First and second-year French language courses are offered in sequence. You can take French Studies cultural studies electives at any time during your studies. All French language and culture courses offered by the Department of World Languages and Cultures are open source and do not require textbook purchase.

• French Studies, BA
• French Minor

French Resources at CWU

French Resource Center

The French Resource Center is staffed with advanced language students from our program. The Resource Center is open several days a week and provides free tutoring, help with homework, conversation practice and much more! Now available virtually on Zoom. Contact the French Faculty Mentor for more information.

French Club 

The French Club is a student-led organization that meets every week and organizes various French-centric extra-curricular activities and fun events on campus. In past years French Club events have included crêpe tastings, cooking lessons, homework groups, French movie nights, field trips, and more! To join your French peer community on campus, contact the French Faculty Mentor for more information.

Study Abroad Opportunities

Our students have many opportunities to study in the French-speaking world. Go for a year, a semester, a short summer session, or spring break! Most of our students opt for our exchange partner the Institut de Français, l’Université d’Orléans, which offers year-long, semester-long, and one-month summer intensive French language study programs. French Studies students can also study in Cannes, Grenoble, Paris, Caen, Lyon, Pau, Brussels, Dakar, Yaoundé, and Quebec City, among other places, through our affiliated providers AIFS, API, USAC, ISEP, and SIT.

Study Abroad Scholarships from CWU are available. Find more information on study abroad at the Office of International Studies and Programs. Contact the French Faculty Mentor for more information.

Check out this 2019 promotional video for summer intensive French at l'Université d'Orléans: