Department Spotlight: French at Barnard
The Barnard French Department has a wide array of courses and paths that students can engage in to improve their French writing, speaking and reading. I took French throughout high school and spent my junior year with a French host family, so I was looking forward to continuing during college.
Barnard has two required semesters of a language course that can be taken at any point during your time at Barnard, as long as both are in the same target language. Something I really appreciated about my first French class first-year fall, Composition and Conversation, was that we were able to engage with a nice mix of reading, writing and speaking through a variety of topics. I was nervous to be a first-year in a 3000-level class but my classmates were all very supportive and I even met one of my best friends!
MAJOR
The major requires 11 courses in total and can follow one of the following tracks: Language and Literature, Translation and Literature or French and Francophone Studies. The department’s main goals are to “enable students to express themselves on a range of topics with an acceptable degree of fluency and accuracy,” as stated on their website which you can find here. Regardless of which of these tracks a student chooses, they will have opportunities to hone their skills in all areas of language comprehension and fluency.
I find the French and Francophone Studies track super fascinating, though all of them have great course offerings and professors. It focuses on the socio-historical relationship between France and the French-speaking world at large, which gives someone like me the perfect opportunity to blend French with interests in sociology and political science. Each major has a different breakdown of requirements but they are generally a mix of language courses, a thesis course, and electives related to the subject area.
MINOR
The minor is also a popular option among students and requires seven courses instead of 11. This option is more flexible and is a great option for those who want to explore the French department beyond the two semester requirement but don’t want to commit to a full major. There is some structure, though, as students need to take a two semester sequence that corresponds to the Translation and Literature or French and Francophone Studies tracks.
EXPERIENCE
When it is safe to do so again, Barnard students can study abroad in a French-speaking country through a program approved by the Study Abroad office, or find one of their own and petition for it to be counted towards their degree requirements. Reid Hall in Paris is a Columbia site where Barnard students can also apply to spend a semester or a full year. There are also a host of other countries and program options that can be found on the Study Abroad website linked here.
This past fall, I took an immersive course during Fall A called “Francophone Fiction” with Professor Kaiama Glover. We read three books over the course of six weeks and met twice a week for two-hour seminars. I hadn’t taken an official French class since last fall and was eager to return to it, even in a virtual format. I loved learning about writers and stories from the Carribean, and destabilizing the idea that phenomenal French art and literature can only come from France. Prof. Glover is also incredibly knowledgeable and such an approachable professor.
Overall, language departments at Barnard focus on addressing the multitude of ways students develop language comprehension and I’ve loved my experience so far. Between dedicated professors and incredibly interesting course offerings, I’m looking forward to continuing my French studies!