Major Areas of Study: FRENCH

The French program at Muskingum University centers on the study of the French language, the literary and artistic production of French-speaking cultures, and increasingly, the practical applications of French within the global economy.

Student Opportunities

Internships

Recent internships for French students include:

• English Teaching Assistantship, Institut Universitaire de Technologie in Nice, France. This paid, year-long assistantship involves teaching English to French university students and is offered every other year.
• Business Internship, Universite de Toulon-Var, France. Students studying for a year at our exchange partner university in Toulon, France are eligible for spring semester internship placements through the university.
• The Modern Language department assists students seeking paid or volunteer internships in France through various agencies and organizations.
  

Research

Students may arrange independent research projects (1-3 credit hours) to be conducted in French or English. The projects may optionally include a field research component in a French-speaking place. Recent field research projects have been carried out in Louisiana (on the use of French in present-day New Orleans) and in France (on racism in France against North African immigrants and on trends affecting the French wine industry). Students may research an area of interest in literature, language, culture, or business.

Senior seminar research projects center on a specific area of French literature, culture, or international business. Research writing and methodology are emphasized. Results are presented in an oral expose and a written paper.

Honoraries

Phi Sigma Iota is an honorary society for students who excel in the study of languages, recognizing outstanding ability and high standards of students and faculty of foreign languages, literatures and cultures. It is the highest academic honor in the field of foreign languages. Phi Sigma Iota has initiated over 60,000 members since its foundation in 1917, and it has created and supports numerous scholarship programs.

Employment

The Modern Language Department employs approximately ten language students as language lab assistants annually, including one student lab manager. In addition, the department employs a student assistant.

Professional Activities

Muskingum University French Education majors have attended and presented papers at the Ohio Foreign Language Association conference and have received scholarships to attend the conference.

Study Abroad

Muskingum University has had an exchange program with the Universite du Sud Toulon-Var in Toulon, France since 1998. Each year, Muskingum students may enroll for a semester or an academic year as full-time students in Toulon, which is located between Marseille and Nice on the French Riviera.

Visit the Study Abroad website to learn more about the many exciting opportunities for travel and study open to all Muskingum students.

Student Stories: Current and Recent Students

• Emily Preston (’12), a French and International Affairs major, is participating in Muskingum’s Washington Semester program. As part of her InterFaith Conference Internship in Washington D.C., Emily is organizing a public dialogue for the IFC of Metropolitan Washington. The dialogue is about the uses of and meanings behind the swastika, from the viewpoints of Eastern religions (Hindu, Buddhist, Jain), the Jewish community, and from an academic perspective that explains the reasons behind Germany's use of the swastika. She has been a French House resident for two and a half years. She held offices in the French Club (Treasurer) and Phi Sigma Iota (Vice-President). She has also been a regular columnist for the Black and Magenta and a varsity soccer player. Emily studied at l’Université du Sud Toulon-Var in France for a semester and will travel to Greece, Turkey, and Cyprus during her Washington Semester program on international conflict resolution.

• French teacher licensure candidate Curtis Justis (‘14) won an Ohio Foreign Language Association scholarship for support for study abroad in the amount of $1,000. He will use it in fall, 2012 to study at the Université du Sud Toulon-Var in France. Curtis also holds an internship in the World Language department in which he assists with French and ESL classes. In addition, Curtis won a scholarship to attend the Ohio Foreign Language Association Conference March 29-31 in Columbus. The conference is for language teachers from across Ohio. As a French licensure candidate, Curtis attended conference sessions on topics related to his teaching interests. Curtis was recognized for his award at a banquet on Mar. 31 along with scholarship winners from other Ohio universities.

• Linda Thieroff (’13) is studying at the Université du Sud Toulon-Var in France during the spring, 2012 semester. A French and Theatre double major, she is taking French language and civilization classes. Muskingum University has had an active exchange program with the Université du Sud Toulon-Var in Toulon since 1998.

• Hannah Lewis ('12), Claire Landuyt ('13), Lauren Landuyt ('12), Katie McCarrell (’12), and Megan Wilson (’12) are studying at the Université du Sud Toulon-Var in Toulon, France. Lewis is a French and English major. C. Landuyt is a French and Theatre major. L. Landuyt is an Early Childhood Education major minoring in French. McCarrell is a Computer Science and French major. Wilson is a Psychology major with a French minor. Each takes intensive French language and culture courses, as well as electives of their choice.
  
  
• Allison Maykuth (’11), has won a very prestigious Phi Sigma Iota award, and has been awarded the Dr. Henry Ward Church Scholarship in the sum of $2,500 (the highest stipend a Muskingum language major has ever received for winning a national PSI award). Allison majored in both French and Spanish, studying in France and Mexico. She has been recognized for “Distinction in the Major Capstone” for her Senior Seminar in Spanish, is a recipient of a Fourth-Year award (recognizing students in the top 5% of their class all four years at Muskingum), and has been inducted into Phi Kappa Phi, the National Academic Honor Society. She served as President of our Phi Sigma Iota chapter, and has written many articles for the Black and Magenta, our weekly student newspaper. She intends to continue her studies in International Relations, Security and Intelligence.

• Tanner MacLaine (’11) attended the 2nd Annual Ohio Global Summit on Wednesday, August 26, at the Hyatt Regency in Columbus. The full-day program covered topics on global trade opportunities, regulations and logistics, as well as keys to successful strategies for foreign direct investment attraction. The program was sponsored by the Ohio Department of Development's Global Markets Division. Governor Ted Strickland presented the annual Governor's Excellence in Exporting Awards during the Summit, to Ohio-based companies and organizations that have achieved international success. As an International Business and International Affairs major, Tanner got exposure to both areas. He met diplomats from India, China, and Brazil as well as international business leaders.
  
  
• French major Caitlin Ecker ('10) was accepted into the French Teaching Assistantship Program sponsored by the French Ministry of Education and the Cultural Services at the Embassy of France for the 2009-2010 academic year. She has been placed in the Académie of Caen in Normandy, where she will assist English teachers in a public secondary school. As part of her Teaching Assistant responsibilities, Caitlin will conduct English classes, facilitate conversation practice, provide small group tutorials, facilitate English language clubs, and give talks related to American studies in English classes. The twelve-hour per week position comes with a stipend to cover living expenses during the academic year.
  
  Caitlin is the first Muskingum student to be named as a Teaching Assistant by the French Ministry of Education.  In order to successfully compete for a teaching assistantship in the French public schools, applicants must be proficient in French, possess the skills to promote mutual understanding between the U.S. and France and display a strong work ethic.
  
  
• Tad Hughes (‘09) is currently an ESL instructor at Kent State University, having returned from a stint teaching ESL in Korea. He has been accepted into the Master of Arts in French at Kent State. Tad has chosen the Applied Linguistics and Pedagogy track, which is primarily for students who wish to teach in elementary and secondary schools, and for those who wish to increase their language proficiency and effectiveness as teachers. Tad majored in French and earned a TESL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) minor. As a French major, Tad studied for a semester at the Université du Sud Toulon-Var and was a member of the French House, French Club, and Phi Sigma Iota Honorary.
  
  
  

After Graduation

• Peace Agidi ('07), majored in French and International Business at Muskingum. She earned an MBA from Webster University and is employed in the Global Accounting department of Monsanto Corporation.
  
  
• Jessica Raffelson (’03) is a doctoral candidate in French at Purdue University. She is spending the 2010-11 academic year teaching English at the University of Strasbourg while conducting research in French linguistics. From France, Jessica writes: “my undergrad education at Muskingum prepared me quite well for France--I can absolutely understand everything people say without asking too much to repeat, and it seems I make myself understood quite well. Thanks for that!"

Mission Statement

Courses; Major/Minor Requirements

Faculty

Dept. Web Site

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