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Why French at URI?
by
Alain-Philippe
Durand, Associate Professor of French,
Head,
French & Francophone Studies, University of Rhode Island
- URI has
one of
the largest French programs in the country (in number of majors = 130
in 2008)
- French is
one of the fastest growing programs (if not the fastest) and
appears on the College of Arts and Sciences' "Most Popular Majors" list
at URI
- Unlike
other institutions, URI and the French and Francophone Studies
Program make it possible for students to double or triple major and
obtain a double degree (BA/BS) with almost every single major offered on campus.
For most (including all Business disciplines or Nursing, for instance),
students still complete all requirements in 4 years. Students enrolled
in the unique French International Engineering Program (IEP) and in the
International French & Pharmacy Program obtain their double
degree in 5 and 6 years respectively after completing internships abroad
- The URI French
Faculty and staff have the
highest respect and interest
in their students and their progress and are available to them around
the clock. French majors are assigned personal
advisors and mentors
whom they meet privately on a regular basis (at least once per
semester) throughout their studies. The French faculty not only help
majors select their classes, they also advise them on study abroad,
internships, jobs, and graduate school. Seniors get extensive support
from the French faculty concerning their post-graduation plans and the
various options available to them at that crucial time in their life
- The URI
French and Francophone Studies Program is a diverse community
of students (current and past), scholars, and friends who share the
same passion for and unremitting commitment to the study of France and
the rest of the Francophone world
- Because of
the fact that the majority URI French majors double (or triple)
major in another discipline and because of the many study
abroad
opportunities offered around the Francophone world, our students get to
meet people from many different places and with many different
interests.
- In the URI
French and Francophone Studies Program, the Faculty and
students believe that high expectations of students are strongly linked
to their persistence, graduation and to learning itself.
Consequently,
URI French courses and instructors are very demanding, providing
students with a rigorous but always informative and practical training
that will serve them well beyond their college years, regardless what
they end up doing.
- All URI French courses are interactive and
practical inside and outside
the classroom. For example, as part of their courses, URI French
majors
created and maintain to this day the official web site of
contemporary
French novelist Marie Darrieussecq in collaboration with the
author
and
Italian and Spanish majors; others dialogue on a public electronic
forum with the French novelists they read in class or with
French
students at the University of Orléans (through teleconferencing); many
intern with French or Canadian companies
- All URI French majors love French, of
course, but most importantly they
do not settle for less. They work very hard at being able to do
whatever it is they are interested in, but doing it anywhere in the
world. They are expected to speak French but also to read and to write
extensively at all levels. They know how to conduct research and they
know where the library is.
- The
typical URI French majors and alumni have traveled, studied, and
worked in all areas of the world. They have been offered positions in
the Americas, Europe, and Africa and they have been accepted in some of
the most prestigious graduate programs (see
Where Are They Now?). They
have been taught to be humble and respectful but most of all to NEVER
give up and to keep their head up.
THE BA IN FRENCH,
DON'T LEAVE URI WITHOUT IT!
To become a French major,
no paperwork, no
office visits, no hassle, just write to adurand@uri.edu and that's it!
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