French, B.A.
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Program Overview
Knowing another language is one of the most valuable skills you will ever possess, and learning it at Brooklyn College—located in one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse areas in the world—is a great choice. As a French major, you will immerse yourself in French language, history, and culture through a variety of courses in religion, film, and literature, among others, covering both France and the Francophone world.
Major Details
The program information listed here reflects the approved curriculum for the 2024–25 academic year per the Brooklyn College Bulletin. Bulletins from past academic years can be found here.
Major Requirements (36–38 Credits)
There are three tracks for the major:
- French Literature and Culture
- French Language and Business
- French Translation
The department chair, with the approval of the department’s curriculum committee, may allow substitutions for one or more of the requirements consistent with the educational goals of the program.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- Express ideas cogently and persuasively orally and in writing in French at the high intermediate level and above (as defined by the ACTFL standards).
- Explain the Francophone world’s linguistic and cultural diversity through the analysis and discussion of French as it is used in a variety of real-world situations and discursive mode. Describe its historical, regional, and social variations.
- Identify and summarize the major literary movements, genres, and authors of French and Francophone literature, using the critical vocabulary for the study of literature.
- Use modes of analysis and ways of critical, interpretive, and creative thinking that may be applied to a variety of career paths.
- Formulate complex questions about one’s own culture and the cultures of the Francophone world. Articulate answers to these questions that include varied perspectives about cultural norms and biases.
- Define key diversity concepts such as privilege, power, and access, and compare and contrast how these concepts impact their own lives and those of others in francophone communities in the United States and around the world.
- Analyze business activities that occur between people or organizations from different countries and cultures.
Degree Maps
To help you pursue your studies in the most efficient manner, and to maximize your efforts to graduate in four years, Brooklyn College has created four-year degree maps for all its majors.
View degree maps for this major and others.
Contact
Melissa Panek
4304A Boylan Hall
E: Melissa.Panek@brooklyn.cuny.edu
P: 718.951.5313
Or contact:
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
222 West Quad Center
2900 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11210
E: adminqry@brooklyn.cuny.edu
To make an appointment with an undergraduate admissions counselor, visit:
Tracks
French Language and Business
All of the following: French 2030W; 2432; 3610; 3515 or 3525.
Four additional courses to be selected from French 1030 and above.
Both of the following: Business 3100, 3170.
Two of the following: Business 3240, 3200, 3210, 3230, 3130, 3140.
The “W” designates a writing intensive course.
French Translation
Students should complete three of the following as part of the requirements listed above: French 3240, or 3260, or 3290, or Modern Languages and Literatures 4500.
For all concentrations, two courses in Modern Languages and Literatures can be applied to the major.
With permission of the chair, one course may be in an allied discipline (Africana Studies; American Studies; Anthropology; Art; Classics; Communication Arts, Sciences, and Disorders; Computer Information Science; English; History; Linguistics; Music; Philosophy; Psychology; Puerto Rican and Latino Studies).
Knowledge of Latin and/or another language other than English is also helpful.
The Support You’ll Find
Brooklyn College is an integral part of the cultural and artistic energy of New York City. Our faculty members in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures offer incomparable expertise and tremendous talent, and each brings a unique perspective to their teaching and mentoring in and out of the classroom.
Internships and Employers
Through job fairs, the internship database, and internship panels, the Magner Career Center gives students in the French B.A. program access to career opportunities at a wide variety of employers, including:
- McGraw Hill
- Mount Sinai Health System
- New York City Department of Education
- New York City Human Resources Administration
- New York City Teaching Fellows
- Sanctuary for Families
- United Nations
- United States Army
