When you study French at Gettysburg, you learn more than a second language. You develop an understanding of other people’s worldview.
By removing yourself from the comfort of your habitual forms of self-expression, foreign language study—whether contemporary or ancient—teaches you to translate abstract ideas into concrete form in new ways. You come to learn that language involves not only vocabulary in the crafting of expression but also syntax and idiom, and that cultural idiosyncrasies permeate any language, including your own.
As a French major or minor, you’re encouraged to study abroad to build upon your understanding of French culture—and the world. We offer programs in Nantes, Paris, and Dakar.
You’ll also explore France’s past and present achievements through an in-depth study of the nation’s literature, film, society, and culture.
French study affords you invaluable insight into what The Economist calls “unquestionably top of the list” of truly global languages, preparing you for graduate study and for careers in teaching, interpreting, international business and government, medicine, science, or technology.