French
French Literary and Cultural Studies Program
Bienvenue aux études françaises et francophones à l’Université de l’Utah ! Our program is designed to introduce students to the language, literature, arts, and cultures of the French-speaking world. Whether you major or minor in French Studies, your curriculum begins with intensive grammar and progresses through the cultural history of l’Hexagone (France) and many of the more than 50 other nations today that use the French language.
Masters
French (MA)
French with Licensure (MA)
View Graduate Program
Majors
French (BA)
French Teaching (BA)
Minors
French
French Teaching
French Majors
Students majoring in French will gain a deeper understanding of French and Francophone cultures through the study of language, literature, and society. A degree (BA) in French Teaching is also available. Students should declare their major at least two semesters before their expected graduation date.
Bridge Dual Language Immersion students may see how the Bridge program interacts with the University of Utah's French major on our Bridge program website here.
Sample of French Courses, Spring 2021
Language Competence
Demonstrate "Advanced" proficiency in French speaking, listening, writing, and reading (as defined by the ACTFL guidelines).
Courses that contribute to this outcome: French 3040, 3050, 3060, 3600, 3910, 3950, 4510, 4514, 4550, 4560, 4570, 4600, 4610, 4620, 4630, 4640, 4650, 4900, Study Abroad in Francophone countries
Research
Analyze the literature, language, and cultures of the French-speaking world drawing upon an ability to evaluate and synthesize relevant primary, critical, and theoretical sources.
Courses that contribute to this outcome: French 3050, 3060, 3800, 3900, 3910, 3950, 4510, 4550, 4560, 4570, 4600, 4610, 4620, 4630, 4640, 4900, CLCS 2010, 2020, 3900 Study Abroad in Francophone countries
Critical Thinking
Demonstrate the ability to articulate and defend in speech and writing clear and orderly thought on literary, cultural, and linguistic topics.
Courses that contribute to this outcome: French 3050, 3060, 3800, 3900, 3910, 3950, 4510, 4550, 4560, 4570, 4600, 4610, 4620, 4630, 4640, 4650, 4900, CLCS 2010, 2020, 3900 Study Abroad in Francophone countries
Transferable Skills
Connect academic experience to personal and professional goals.
Courses that contribute to this outcome: 3040, 3050, 3060, 3600, 3800, 3900, 3910, 3950, 4510, 4514, 4550, 4560, 4570, 4600, 4610, 4620, 4630, 4640, 4650, 4900, Study Abroad in Francophone countries
Download French Major (BA) and French Teaching Major (BA) Requirements
FRENCH MAJOR FRENCH TEACHING MAJOR WLC Practicum Options
Note that this plan is a prediction of courses but does not guarantee this exact availability of courses. Also note that students with prior language learning experience do not necessarily need to begin at the 1010 level and should visit our Language Placement FAQ page for questions about where to begin.
Students with advanced language skills (e.g., native speakers, heritage speakers, students who have lived for an extended period abroad) should not enroll in first, second, and some third-year courses. If you do not know what your language level is or if you think your situation justifies petitioning for an exception, contact the WLC advisors before enrolling in classes. For pedagogical reasons, the department reserves the right to remove advanced speakers who have not successfully petitioned from classes not appropriate for their language level.
French Minors
Minor in French or French Teaching can open many doors for you. Pair this minor with other fields of interest for career opportunities in international relations, administration, business, publishing, non-profit work, healthcare, and more.
Bridge Dual Language Immersion students may see how the Bridge program interacts with the University of Utah's French minor on our Bridge program website here.
Download Minor Requirements
FRENCH MINOR FRENCH TEACHING MINOR
Students with advanced language skills (e.g., native speakers, heritage speakers, students who have lived for an extended period abroad) should not enroll in first and second year courses. If you do not know what your language level is or if you think your situation justifies petitioning for an exception, contact the WLC advisors before enrolling in classes. For pedagogical reasons, the department reserves the right to remove advanced speakers who have not successfully petitioned from classes not appropriate for their language level.
Student Experience
A department like ours is something like a small liberal arts college that caters to individual student needs, promotes programmatic innovation, and fosters forward thinking and intellectual freedom. This freedom is reflected in coursework, which you will find engages a wide variety of subjects from film to fashion, epic to lyric, the romanesque to romance, painting to porcelain, and dramas of revolution, nationhood, otherness, and identity.
Learning Abroad
Learning abroad is the opportunity to live, study and intern abroad while completing your degree here at the University of Utah. Learning Abroad helps connect you to over 500+ program options in over 50 countries, many of which are great for improving your proficiency in another language. Learn more about Learning Abroad by visiting learningabroad.utah.edu and completing Learning Abroad 101.
To get started, see below for program options for French.
For questions, email Learning Abroad at learningabroad@utah.edu, call them at 801-581-5849, or visit in person at Union 159.
Faculty-Led Programs
U of U faculty lead students on short-term programs centered on specific coursework, which is commonly integrated into your major or minor requirements. When participating on a faculty-led program you have the benefit of taking U of U courses abroad that combine in-country experiential learning with classwork.
Exchanges
The U partners with universities around the world to offer you the opportunity to complete coursework in an immersive university environment alongside local students. Coursework can be quite flexible with students oftentimes completing major, minor, and general education requirements. Additionally, the cost of an exchange program is the same as paying U of U resident tuition, which makes exchanges one of our most affordable options!
Affiliate Programs
The University of Utah partners with external organizations (Affiliates) that run programs on behalf of the University of Utah. Affiliates offer academic programs at study centers, local institutions, or a combination of both. Programs are commonly structured around a particular theme or topic, such as "Language, Culture, and Society". Options can also include internships, service learning & community engagement opportunities.
- French focused affiliate programs: click here
Pi Delta Phi, the French National Honor Society
Pi Delta Phi is the National French Honor Society for undergraduate and graduate students at accredited public and private colleges and universities in the United States. The highest academic honor in the field of French and the oldest academic honor society for a modern foreign language in the United States, Pi Delta Phi was founded as a departmental honor society at the University of California at Berkeley in 1906. The Society was nationalized when the Beta Chapter was established at the University of Southern California in 1925. The Society was officially endorsed by the American Association of Teachers of French as the only collegiate French honor society in 1949.
The purpose of the Society is to recognize outstanding scholarship in the French language and Francophone literatures, to increase the knowledge and appreciation of Americans for the cultural contributions of the French-speaking world, and to stimulate and to encourage French and francophone cultural activities.
There are currently more than 370 chapters of the Society in the United States and two representative chapters at the American Universities in Paris and Aix-en-Provence in France. The society was admitted to membership in the Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) in 1967. Pi Delta Phi operates as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, nonprofit organization. For more Pi Delta Phi history, visit our History page.
The Society's Executive Board is chaired by an elected President, and includes four elected regional Vice-Presidents, and an Executive Director and Newsletter Editor that are appointed by the President. All Board positions are volunteer. The official publication of Pi Delta Phi is the Newsletter.
What Students are Saying
"The classes I’ve taken in the French program have gone above and beyond my expectations. The program offers a diverse range of classes — from film, poetry, and fairy tales to Francophone cultures and Medieval and Renaissance literature. Students will not only learn the language, they will learn about the culture – and they will have a lot of fun doing so."
- Molly Barnewitz
"Voltaire wants you to study French. You're not going to disappoint Voltaire, are you?"
- Jonathan Lusty
Student Resources
We encourage our undergraduate students to be pro-active in seeking out these scholarship and research opportunities, and we help in every way we can.
Financial Support
The Department of World Languages and Cultures, College of Humanities, and University offer many Scholarship opportunities.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)
The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) provides undergraduate students and mentors the opportunity to work together on research or creative projects.
UROP provides a $1,200 stipend (effective Summer 2019) and educational programming for students who assist with a faculty member’s research or creative project or who carry out a project of their own under the supervision of a faculty member. Students may apply for UROP any semester and may be eligible for a one-semester renewal. UROP awardees are hired as temporary, part-time UROP Participants by the Office of Undergraduate Research and are paid $1,200 (effective Summer 2019) for 120 hours of research or creative work during the semester.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)
- French language resources at Marriott Library
(dictionaries, encyclopedias, etc. from the Middle Ages to the present) - Francophone resources
- French Embassy one-year English teaching poste d’assistant
- Alliance Française de Salt Lake City
- Boyer French-English, 1702
- Versailles
- Fairy Tales
Career Opportunities - Why Study French?
Our Major course of study provides excellent preparation for pursuing graduate work and entering a variety of professions where critical reading, writing, and thinking skills are at a premium.
Recent graduates from our program have pursued further studies in M.A. programs in French, Comparative Literature, and International Studies. Others have sought professional degrees in law, medicine, and dentistry. Still others have taken jobs in private or public high school teaching and administration, business, publishing, international relations, translation, Foreign Service, non-profit, and healthcare professions.
Faculty
Tenure-Line Faculty
Assistant Professor
vanessa.brutsche@utah.edu
Assistant Professor
blake.gutt@utah.edu
Career-Line Faculty
Professor, Lecturer
anne.lair@utah.edu
Associate Instructors
Associate Instructor
pcollmar@yahoo.com
Associate Instructor
clairetocaven@yahoo.fr
Learning Outcomes
Language Competence
Demonstrate "Advanced" proficiency in French speaking, listening, writing, and reading (as defined by the ACTFL guidelines).
Courses that contribute to this outcome: French 3040, 3050, 3060, 3600, 3910, 3950, 4510, 4514, 4550, 4560, 4570, 4600, 4610, 4620, 4630, 4640, 4650, 4900, Study Abroad in Francophone countries
Research
Analyze the literature, language, and cultures of the French-speaking world drawing upon an ability to evaluate and synthesize relevant primary, critical, and theoretical sources.
Courses that contribute to this outcome: French 3050, 3060, 3800, 3900, 3910, 3950, 4510, 4550, 4560, 4570, 4600, 4610, 4620, 4630, 4640, 4900, CLCS 2010, 2020, 3900 Study Abroad in Francophone countries
Critical Thinking
Demonstrate the ability to articulate and defend in speech and writing clear and orderly thought on literary, cultural, and linguistic topics.
Courses that contribute to this outcome: French 3050, 3060, 3800, 3900, 3910, 3950, 4510, 4550, 4560, 4570, 4600, 4610, 4620, 4630, 4640, 4650, 4900, CLCS 2010, 2020, 3900 Study Abroad in Francophone countries
Transferable Skills
Connect academic experience to personal and professional goals.
Courses that contribute to this outcome: 3040, 3050, 3060, 3600, 3800, 3900, 3910, 3950, 4510, 4514, 4550, 4560, 4570, 4600, 4610, 4620, 4630, 4640, 4650, 4900, Study Abroad in Francophone countries
Bridge Dual Language Immersion (DLI) Program
Students who participated in the Bridge Dual Language Immersion (DLI) Program, which includes taking the AP French Exam and one or more 3000-level French courses in high school, can go to our French Bridge program webpage here to see how they can complete the French major or minor at the University of Utah.