French for Professional Purposes

Catalog description

With over 300 million speakers in more than 50 countries, the French language is essential for business and politics. A unique opportunity to tailor your professional expertise or interests to a French-speaking country or project of your choice, in this class, you will learn how to mobilize French for your career. As we know, language cannot be used to its greatest effect without a thorough understanding of intercultural competence, an understanding of corporate culture, and life in France and the Francophone world. Culturally, you will acquire knowledge, interpersonal tools, and linguistic skills essential for collaboration and autonomous career development. This module-driven, project-based course combines class meetings and asynchronous independent work. In the first part of our semester, we will dive into various cultural forms of the French-speaking world to highlight main traits of Francophone cultures. In the second part of the semester, each student will work on a project combining the intercultural knowledge acquired in class and the professional skills of their own academic disciplines or interests. This course is taught in English on the topics listed above, and students will receive an introduction to elementary grammar, as well as industry and everyday French. No prerequisites.