Mission Statement

French and Francophone Forward

The mission of the Department of French Studies is to create an environment in which undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty can achieve excellence in learning and teaching. Committed to polyvocal, transnational, and interdisciplinary models of research and pedagogy, we embrace our community’s interest and expertise in gender and sexuality studies, colonial and postcolonial histories, visual culture and media studies, philosophy, literary theory, and the digital humanities. Building on the strengths of its faculty members and affiliates, the department offers instruction and in-depth research opportunities in languages, literary traditions, and social histories in all areas of the cultural Francosphere. In addition, our close proximity to and engagement with Louisiana French and Afro-Caribbean cultures puts students in a unique position for studying the multi-faceted and ever-evolving cultures of the Francophone Circum-Caribbean region.

In the long term, our aim is to encourage new generations of students to become curious, compassionate, and responsible scholars and thinkers who see the manifold applications of French and Francophone studies to other disciplines, across the university and beyond. To that end, we are dedicated to the intellectual and professional growth our students and support them at the graduate level with research assistantships, teaching opportunities, and the competitive Édouard Glissant Tout-Monde Assistantship for Ph.D. studies in French. Historically, these efforts have allowed our department to guide students and faculty toward outstanding career achievements and lifelong enrichment, while having a meaningful impact on our community and working for the preservation and development of Louisiana’s unique Francophone heritage.

Pedagogy

All instructors in the Department of French Studies follow LSU’s PS-36 on teaching standards and take their teaching responsibilities seriously at every level. The coordinated four-skills language sequences in French and Louisiana French (1001, 1002, 2101, and 2102; and 1201, 1202, 2201, and 2202) allow students to become competent and compassionate communicators who can engage in any part of the French-speaking world. At the 2000 and 3000 levels, students majoring and minoring in French acquire interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational skills, in preparation for more specialized 4000-level courses. 4000-level courses give students the opportunity to deepen their acquaintance with specific authors, literary movements, time periods, cultural developments, and the linguistic backbone of the French language.

At the graduate level, M.A. and Ph.D. students read, analyze, and write critically, with guidance from faculty who mentor them through the rigors of the degree programs. In addition, they receive pedagogical training and teach with oversight from the Director of Language Programs. Course offerings at all levels investigate the significance of French and Francophone intellectual, philosophical, and theoretical traditions, especially insofar as these form foundations for disciplines across the arts, humanities, sciences, and social sciences. The intellectual and professional skills students acquire in the Department of French Studies prepare students for futures in both academic and alt-ac careers.

Updated November 27, 2023