French

When you study French at Gettysburg, you learn more than a second language. You develop an understanding of other people’s perspectives and experiences. Come explore the Francophone world with us!

The French department offers:

French

French

Featured course

Jump to level: All French courses

by level: 100 • 200 • 300 • 400

FREN 315 Exploring French Foodways

Through close readings of historical, sociological, and anthropological texts, as well as analysis of debates surrounding recent food controversies (rising obesity rates, genetically modified foods, regionally certified “authentic” foods), this course aims to develop students’ understanding of important anthropological theory in the study of food (taste, consumption, gifts), while building their awareness of the role food plays in the construction and expression of individual and group identity.

FREN 341 Elsewhere: Of Tourism and Travel in the 19th-Century French Empire

What do travel writings tell us about fantasies and anxieties haunting nineteenth-century France? Did travel writings, tourism, and voyage serve to perpetuate or undermine the imperial project? What role did travel writings play with regard to racial stereotypes?

FREN 400 Representations of Violence in French and Francophone Comics

The constitution of national identity is deeply bound to the realities and representations of political violence. In this course, we will examine the ways that violence has been represented across a range of French and Francophone graphic novels. We will consider how works treating revolution, war, genocide, and decolonization reaffirm and undermine dominant narratives as well as offer distinct access into how notions of identity and community are shaped. Topics include World War I, World War II, the Algerian War, and the Rwandan Genocide.

Our distinguished faculty’s publications

“Quelque chose de noir:” Depicting the Petit Savoyard

by Prof. Caroline Ferraris-Besso

Book Women’s Lives in Contemporary French and Francophone Literature co-edited by Prof. Florence Ramond Jurney
Article Retroactive Continuity, Holocaust Testimony, and X-Men’s Magneto by Prof. Charlotte F. Werbe
Article Foie gras in the freezer: Picard Surgelés and the branding of French culinary identity by Prof. John P. Murphy

French and Francophone Film Festival

Each fall the French department co-sponsors the French and Francophone Film Festival. All movies are free of charge and play in the Majestic Theater.

Students of French at Gettysburg College participate in an array of cultural activities that are built into the curriculum. Learn more about our student activities.