The Wake Forest University Department of French Studies is committed to innovative, engaged teaching and to excellence in research. Our faculty represent scholarly areas of specialization in French and Francophone literature and cultural studies, in film, and in linguistics. Our department has a major and a minor, a concentration in French for Business, and well-established faculty-led study abroad programs in Tours and Dijon.

The French Studies faculty are dedicated teachers and mentors who are invested in the success of our students. In our department, all faculty – from the most senior professors to the junior faculty who joined our department most recently – teach courses at all levels, from elementary French to our major/minor core courses and seminars. The success of beginning French students is as crucial to our departmental identity as that of students in our capstone seminars. Student engagement and mentoring are at the heart of our vision for the department.

We firmly believe that the study of global languages and cultures is a hallmark of a quality liberal arts education. Knowing another language is key to understanding social, historical, and political events in their contexts. In particular, our program aims to provide students with the opportunity to develop the linguistic and intercultural skills that enable exploration of the French and Francophone world, to engage in critical thinking, and to hone their analytical skills.

The department has a wonderful sense of community. I made friends with my fellow students and found important mentors in French Studies professors.

Julia Mroz, French Studies minor (’20)

Statement of Inclusive Excellence

I gained an understanding of the way that learning another language is learning another culture. This minor has meant the opportunity to step outside of my national context into a truly global one. It has provided me with the opportunity to transform not only my perspective on the francophone world, but on the entire world.

Alexander Holt, French Studies minor (’20)

Join us for a public film screening of Àma Gloria on Tuesday, March 26 and Wednesday, March 27 at 7:00pm in ZSR Auditorium. Students: sign up on The Link and our link in bio

Synopsis: "Àma Gloria, directed by Marie Amachoukeli, France, 2023 (84min): Six-year-old Cléo loves her nanny Gloria more than anything. When Gloria must return to Cape Verde to care for her own children, the two must make the most of their last summer together" (Unifrance). This film is part of Young French Cinema, a program of Unifrance and Villa Albertine.

For more information contact Dr. Mann at manncd@wfu.edu. #wfu

Join us for our first public film screening of the semester! We will screen "Trop noire pour être française?" on Wednesday, Feb. 28th @ 7:00pm in ZSR Auditorium. In this documentary film, Isabelle Boni Claverie explores the role of race and the persistence of racism in France, as well as the impact of the French colonial past. For more information contact Dr. Mann at manncd@wfu.edu. #wfu #wfufrenchstudies

Join us for a French Creole workshop with FLTA Anaïs Chapuis! Anaïs will discuss the history of the language and teach you some basic expressions. You`ll be able to introduce yourself in Creole at the end of the workshop! Feb. 22 at 3:30 in Greene 311.