Bachelor of Arts [B.A] [French] From Denison University

Educated people spend their lives trying to grow in political, social and intellectual freedom. One kind of intellectual freedom requires us to break away from the notion that our native language is the most natural and apt means of expressing the full range of human experience. An education can start with the discovery that all words are purely conventional devices. They are nonetheless tools that stir emotions, articulate ideas, and establish relationships with?others.?

Learning a foreign language contributes to our education by providing an intimate exercise in cultural and linguistic concepts that open up new vistas on what it can mean to be human. Furthermore, foreign-language courses allow entry into the subjectivity of the target language on its own cultural and linguistic grounds, thus making possible a different and more profound redefinition of our own?culture.

With a view toward career opportunities, the Department encourages integrating language study with a variety of other academic areas, such as history, philosophy, international studies, environmental studies, biology, economics, political science, and English. Courses in cultural studies and literature, aside from their intrinsic worth, also present multiple perspectives on other cultures and areas of intellectual?experience.

Students who want to spend a summer, a semester, or a year abroad with programs approved by Denison should consult members of the Department and the Office of Off-Campus Studies (see Off-Campus Programs). Students who have taken French 214 may also enroll in the intensive summer program in Martinique (contact Dr. Armstrong or Dr. Choquet for more information). On-campus opportunities to improve their command of the language are provided by the Language and Culture Program, language tables, international films, club meetings, and similar activities sponsored by the Department. There are also subsidized field trips to museums and pertinent activities in cities across the country, and in some cases international?travel.