With over 220 million speakers in 29 countries on five continents, French plays a significant role in the global economy and culture, and in the sciences. Our French and Francophone Studies classes prepare students for a broad range of international engagements, including participation in programs such as MISTI France, Belgium and Switzerland, MIT-Africa, MIT-Middle East and January Scholars in France.
The French and Francophone Studies curriculum offers opportunities to all students from the elementary level to the most advanced courses, spanning language, literature, intercultural studies, critical theory, French politics and society, gender and queer studies, French history, film studies, visual culture, Francophone African Studies, and cultural anthropology. The diversity of course offerings and the personal attention in small group classes create engaging and rewarding experiences for each student.
Subjects in French Studies may be applied to the French major, minor, or Concentration. Learn more about the French program requirements at the Academic Programs page. Advisors for these programs are below. Students uncertain what level of French language to take should refer to placement information. Information on transfer credit is available here.
French Minor/Major: Catherine Clark
French Concentration: Eva Dessein
Global Languages French Studies group: Cathy Culot | Leanna Rezvani | Isadora Nicholas | Eva Dessein
Spring 2024
| 21G.301/351 | French I |
| 21G.302/352 | French II |
| 21G.303 | French III |
| 21G.304 | French IV |
| 21G.310 | French Conversation: Intensive Practice |
| 21G.315 | A Window onto Contemporary French Society |
| 21G.320 | Introduction to French Literature |
| 21G.321 | Childhood and Youth in French and Francophone Countries |
| 21G.346 | Topics in Modern French Literature and Culture |
A note regarding the enrollment policy of the Global Languages: Enrollment limited to 18 for pedagogical reasons. Preference will be given to pre-registered students, including pre-registered undergraduates who were cut from the same class the previous semester due to the enrollment cap. Please note that you have to attend the first day of class to maintain your preference level. In case of over-enrollment, preference will be given in the following order: declared majors, declared minors, declared concentrators, first-years, sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduate students.
21G.346 Topics in Modern French Literature and Culture: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense: An Investigation of The French Crime Genre
Do you like binge watching detective TV series, listening to gripping podcasts and reading mysteries and thrillers? Discover a highly influential and socially embedded popular cultural form in France by drawing from multiple narrative mediums: TV, film, podcast and fiction. This course offers students the opportunity to study representative examples of the genre in different forms in order to grant us insights into the representations of gender, class, race, politics and political institutions, science in contemporary France.
Fall 2024
| 21G.301/351 | French I |
| 21G.302/352 | French II |
| 21G.303 | French III |
| 21G.304 | French IV |
| 21G.308 | Writing (like the) French |
| 21G.310 | French Conversation: Intensive Practice |
| 21G.342 | French Pop Music |
| 21G.346 | Topics in Modern French Literature and Culture |
| 21G.347 | Social and Literary Trends in Contemporary Short French Fiction |
| 21G.054 | France and Haiti: Enlightenment, Slavery, and Revolution |
21G.346 Topics in Modern French Literature and Culture: Language and Power
This advanced subject offers sociolinguistic perspectives on debates that relate to language, culture, politics, identity, and ideology in France and the Francophone world. Throughout the semester, we will explore the spread of the French language across the globe from medieval times and the colonial era to the present day. We will explore linguistic features and cultural contexts of domestic and global varieties of the language. Students will analyze how societal shifts influence usage, and how language reflects national and cultural identities. As we investigate the language ideologies that have prevailed in France since the foundation of the French Academy in 1635, we will consider how standardization contributes to social inequality. Finally, the course will address the status of French in the age of globalization and increasingly multilingual societies. Through a combination of readings, discussions, and project work, students will (1) develop conceptual knowledge in the field of sociolinguistics with a focus on language ideologies, policy, language variation and change, language contact, and multilingualism; and (2) enhance linguistic proficiency in French, with a specific emphasis on the academic register both in speech and writing. Instruction is conducted in French, and no prior background in linguistics is necessary.