Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Majors: French and Francophone Studies, Psychological Science 

“I was born and raised in Haiti, so I came to the Colleges with a background in the French language. When I enrolled at HWS, my goal was to major in Psychological Science with a minor in French. My sophomore year, my advisor, Associate Professor of French, Francophone and Italian Studies Courtney Wells, and Chair of French, Francophone and Italian Studies Kanate Dahouda, prompted me to pursue an interdisciplinary major.

My favorite part about the program is learning about the many variations within the French language and the variety of cultures in the Francophone world. I'm looking forward to studying abroad in Aix-En-Provence, France where I’ll be exploring and diving deeper into different cultures while creating a new network of peers allowing for cross-culturalism."

“The French and Francophone Studies program is dedicated to providing a global perspective on French as a world language. Because 59% of daily speakers of French live on the African continent, we are dedicated to the study of French as a global language. In our courses, students study Northern, Western and Sub-Saharan African, Caribbean, Canadian and Vietnamese culture and language, as well as those of France. Through their studies of language, culture, literature and film in our courses, students learn that French language is a means of access and contact with cultures and experiences coming from five different continents worldwide. In the process, we hope that they will gain cross-cultural understanding of themselves, while fostering their sense of tolerance, diversity and respect for difference.” – Courtney Wells, chair of French, Francophone and Italian Studies.