The Williams French Program offers a diverse range of courses in French and Francophone language, literature, and culture. Whether you want to improve your French language skills, prepare for study abroad in France or Morocco, or learn more about the Francophone literary and cinematic tradition, we encourage you to explore our courses and programs.
Taught entirely in French, our language courses accommodate all levels, from beginning to intermediate and advanced, and incorporate lively communicative approaches and technologies to help you improve your speaking, comprehension, reading, and writing. Taught by specialists in their field, our literature courses explore the riches of French and Francophone fiction—as well as cinema, art, politics, and culture—from the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Revolution to the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, from Francophone Europe and North America, to North Africa and the Caribbean. In addition to courses offered at Williams, we encourage students to study abroad in programs in France, Morocco, Sénégal, and other Francophone countries.
The French Program regularly sponsors film festivals, poetry slams, political debates, and discussion tables. Each year, we host two Teaching Assistants from France who lead discussion sections and offer extracurricular programs in French, such as radio shows, dinners, French TV5 sitcom nights, and weekend trips to Montréal.
Whether you are exploring French for the first time, plan to major in French, or want to earn a formal Certificate in French Language and Francophone Cultures, we invite you to explore our courses, meet our faculty, and take part in our programs. More information can be found on the French site.