French Allegheny College

Overview

Philosophy

We believe that a strong liberal arts language curriculum should integrate language and culture at all levels. While practical communication and mastery of linguistic structures are essential, the trademark of language learning within the context of the liberal arts is deep reflection on the interdependence of language and culture, reflected in the inherent connections between language and culture of the various countries and regions where each language is spoken.

So, starting in our introductory courses, culture is deeply integrated in students’ experience with the language, and while historical, political, and cultural information become increasingly important as students progress through our program, language study remains an integral part of upper-level courses. All of our teaching methods and styles can be called communicative and conceptual–we emphasize  communication and using culture as a context for that communication. At the earlier levels, we focus on more concrete examples of cultural usage, and cultural contexts become more complex as students progress. Through this approach, students gain the necessary tools for solving complex problems of understanding and expression and for achieving a high level of proficiency in the language.

At the advanced levels, we embrace a broad definition of “culture.” The cultural elements students of the French program at Allegheny College encounter in our courses include not only high culture (such as literary and philosophical texts) but also visual arts and cinema, political and social life, cultural history, institutions, and other manifestations of cultural values. Literature is increasingly taught within this broader cultural context to highlight interrelations between the arts and other aspects of society. In these advanced courses, we expect students to practice the integration of linguistic skill and cultural knowledge. Students study, research, and analyze abstract problems and think critically about their reading. In order to communicate the results of this work, they use language at an advanced level and engage with abstract concepts related to the culture of their target language.

The goals for the minors contribute to the broader liberal arts curriculum by preparing students to approach the world in a way that takes them beyond their major field. Therefore, we expect minors to develop a facility with the language that allows them to apply their knowledge of language and culture to other content areas. For example, we expect students to gain insight into how language functions as a system and to be able to apply that insight to the learning of other languages or to their own use of their native language. In addition, it is our goal that minors understand political, social, and cultural phenomena of the regions that use the language they have studied, allowing them to engage with culture and across cultures in the discipline of their major. In doing so, we expect that students also acquire an awareness of their own culture not as a “default,” but as one way among many of being in the world.