Mission Statement
“Second language acquisition is a key component of education because it builds student ability in language as such. Students who do well in a second language do better in their first language. With the core language skills-- abilities to speak and to listen, to read and to write-- come higher-order capacities: to interpret and understand, to recognize cultural difference, and, yes, to appreciate traditions, including one’s own. Language learning is not just an instrumental skill, any more than one’s writing ability is merely about learning to type on a keyboard. On the contrary, through language we become better thinkers, and that’s what education is about..."
Russell A. Berman, “Foreign Language for Foreign Policy?"
Inside Higher Ed, November 2010
As Russell Berman so eloquently states, the study of foreign languages and cultures lies at the heart of a liberal education because it opens the mind to a sophisticated understanding of the world. Within Smith College’s mission to educate women of promise for lives of distinction, the Department of French Studies at Smith College offers students the opportunity to gain a strong background in the French language and in so doing to develop the higher-order capacities that come from competence in a language and culture other than their native one.
The Department of French Studies seeks to instill in students an understanding of French language and Francophone cultures. As students-- whether majors or non-majors-- learn and master the French language, they gain the ability to listen thoughtfully, speak articulately, read analytically, and write clearly. As they explore French and Francophone literatures, history, artistic creations, institutions, and thought, they develop historical and comparative perspectives. As they engage with communities beyond Smith through study and internships abroad, they become global citizens who value tolerance, appreciate diversity and thereby become prepared to face challenges of living in the twenty-first century.
