French, Department & Faculty

The study of French at UD combines the acquisition of language skills with a wide-ranging study of French culture. We look at France in the various stages of its development as the "eldest daughter of the Church," the child of Marianne, and a dynamic member of the transnational community of the 21st century.

French Language and Literature at UD

Why should a UD student consider learning the French language? Because long after graduation, whether in Europe, Africa, or North America, French alumni enjoy the ability to speak with and befriend members of the worldwide community of French speakers, la Francophonie. They can work for international French companies such as Airbus or LVMH. Or, they can become doctors, lawyers, teachers, or businesspeople with the linguistic skills and intellectual finesse to be able to work at the highest level of their fields. 

But why should a student also consider choosing French culture as a primary field of study for his or her undergraduate years? After learning to speak French, why should students want to learn more about French culture?

France's enduring cultural cachet is reflected in the study of the French language across the continents, the use of French as an official language in dozens of countries and the Olympic Games, its permanent seat at the U.N., and its status as the world's top tourist destination. It is the home of some of the world's most important brand names and richest people. Beloved for its cuisine and its high quality of life; known for its coasts, mountain ranges, and vineyards; and celebrated for its history of cultural innovations and scientific discoveries; France is one of the great countries of the West and of the world.

Nonetheless, French history is marked by ideological entrenchment that has resulted in outbursts of violence that should give pause to anyone hoping to help a society in which people with different beliefs can live together in peace. Long before conflicts that pitted resistance fighters against collaborators and revolutionaries against royalists, the French Protestants and Catholics fought and massacred each other during the Wars of Religion. How can a culture so committed to liberté, égalité, and fraternité be the site of so much violence?

How can a country long known as the "fille aînée de l'église" ("the eldest daughter of the church") also be known for its particularly strict form of secularism (la laïcité)? The nation of both Joan of Arc and Jean-Paul Sartre, French culture has long been a site of extremes, and as such, it offers itself as a particularly rich culture of study. Its literature, music, cinema, and philosophy reveal the depths of the tensions that have shaped French culture. 

Expanding the field of vision beyond the nation of France, the study of French culture enables students to understand the culture of the United States, and Western Culture, in light of its complicated history. How different would the U.S. government look if Montesquieu had never written De l'esprit des lois (The Spirit of Laws)? Would the U.S. even exist today were it not for the help of General Lafayette during the American Revolution? 

And for students interested in the development of religious culture in the West, French culture affords glimpses both into the developments of atheism and Christian thought through the study of both the 18th-century Enlightenment and 20th-century Catholic renewal in authors such as Georges Bernanos and François Mauriac who envision new possibilities for saintliness in the modern world. 

The curriculum of the UD French Program offers students practice in interpreting and understanding the wide range of Western thought and culture that have emanated from France across the centuries, all the while reading, writing, and speaking in French.

For any questions, and if you are a high school student thinking of attending UD, you should consider applying for a French Departmental Scholarship.

Please contact the French Program Director, Dr. Jason Lewallen, at jlewallen@udallas.edu.