French
Faculty Activity
In May 2016, Clinical Associate Professor Sabine Davis attended a five-day workshop co-organized by the University of Wyoming and the Paris Chamber of Commerce on Teaching French for Business. Faculty from various universities across the United States gathered to explore the teaching methodology called FOS (Francais pour Objectif Specifique—French for specific objectives) and apply that methodology in the creation of pedagogical material to teach French for business at the university level.
In August, Instructor Jacob Barrows joined the French section instructing two courses. He has a master’s degree in Linguistics from Brigham Young University and spent two years in Belgium where he became fluent in French. He has experience teaching English as a Second Language and has taught intensive courses in French at Brigham Young University. He will be teaching beginning level French. We are happy to have him share his knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm with us and our students!
Faculty-Led Study Abroad
The Department of Foreign Languages and Cultures is also offering a faculty-led study abroad program to Paris, France, May 18- June 28. Dr. Insook Webber will lead the summer study program. Students can earn up to six credits in French 308, 320, or 408. This is a great opportunity for students to expand their studies on French language and culture.
Faculty-Led study abroad: Discover France! l’art de vivre in Paris.
Palouse French Film Festival
Future Projects for the French Section
Sabine Davis is also working on the creation of a minor in French for Design and Merchandising. This minor is tailored to equip students majoring in Apparel Design, Merchandising, and Textiles with the language skills that will allow them to communicate and work with French counterparts in their future careers. A preliminary polling of students enrolled in ADMT beginning courses was very promising, with the majority of the students stating that they would sign up for such a minor if it existed.
#GnomieHomie
Meet today’s #GnomieHomie Cyrian Dorey, an international student who works as a French tutor in the Language Learning Resource Center in Thompson Hall. Cyrian is studying International Business and Sustainable Development. He is from southeast France and will be studying at WSU for the 2016-17 school year.
Where are you from?
I’m from Aix-En-Provence, a beautiful little city in the southeast of France, near Marseille. This city is really appreciated by Americans; we have a bunch of US exchange students over there.
How has the Department of Foreign Languages and Cultures helped you with adapting to WSU and living in America?
Being the French tutor for WSU is a great opportunity to meet very different people and, therefore, experience various sights of American culture. Otherwise, Sabine Davis, a French professor working for the DFLC, is really involved in making French-speaking people feel at home on campus.
If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be and why?
I’d head to Costa Rica, because of its wonderful nature and its open-minded people.