TEACHING FRENCH AND FRANCOPHONE CULTURES THROUGH STUDENTS' CULTURE INVOLVEMENT

Abstract

As enrolment in French classes continues to decrease leading to French programs being cut in many universities and colleges in the United States, French instructors and faculty members are in dire need of turning the tide and getting students to be more motivated about enrolling in and staying in French classes. This paper explores how to not only create a student-centred classroom where students’ involvement in content creation is a central focus but to establish a thriving French program. For instructors teaching in colleges where they are possibly the only French faculty, this paper shares pragmatic pedagogy that they can apply to their programs to improve student enrolment in their courses. This paper finds that after the author applied these same methodologies in her French classes and program enrolment improved she was able to establish a French minor in their college in less than two years. Finally, it details the research limitations and makes recommendations for future scopes of research.