Jacqueline Pound ’08
French Major, pre-dent
X06-S07 D-plan: R-R-R-L

Favorite and least favorite thing about department: My favorite things about my department are the small classes and the opportunity for lots of student-faculty interaction. I also love that there are lots of options for study abroad and that every class has people of different levels and experiences. My least favorite aspect is probably the lack of visibility and outreach. There are plenty of French majors and minors at Dartmouth, and yet awesome programming events like the French movie nights and weekly French table are poorly attended.

Important info for potential majors: I think the most important thing for a French major to consider early on is study abroad opportunities. As a French major, I believe that it is imperative to study abroad and immerse oneself in the language. Studying abroad early on (as I did my sophomore fall) also truly helps in the decision-making process. Once you have learned more about French culture and language firsthand, you are more confident in your skills and will be able to better decide whether the French major is for you.

Most valuable academic information learned: The most important piece of academic information I’ve learned through the French department is that the study of language is interdisciplinary and multicultural. Knowing how to speak, write, and read French is only the beginning. At first I resisted taking the several different literature courses that are required for the French major, thinking that the period or culture they addressed was not in my area of interest. I now believe that each period of literature has its own effect on francophone culture in general. I would say try out lots of different types of courses and know that in order to get a good understanding of French culture, you should know the language, the literature, and the history.

Favorite class and professor: My favorite class had undoubtedly been the history course on the French FSP in Paris with Professor Laurent Douzou. His intelligence and passion for history made everyone in the class enthusiastic about the subject, regardless of their major. What I loved most about the class was Professor Douzou’s approach. Everyone was forced to practice carefully reading and then discussing in French, and the texts brought the historical events to life.

Major classes taken: FREN 8, 10, 23, 29, 30, 31, 40, 53, 75

Major journey: When I came to Dartmouth, I wanted to be a Chemistry major with Predent. I had a bad experience with chemistry freshman year, and I became really interested in the French department. I first took French 10 and loved it, so I decided to apply for the French FSP in Paris for my sophomore fall. After the FSP, I knew I wanted to take lots more French classes and the French major was an obvious choice.

Other activities: Epsilon Kappa Theta sorority- Summer House Manager; Young Democrats; Academic Skills Center French tutor; French Affinity programming; Project Opportunity; Chemistry Society; Nathan Smith Society and Women in Science Project- WISP panelist and peer mentor

Off Campus Program: French FSP in Paris F05.

Talk to me if: Talk to me if you’re struggling to plan a double major, or if you’re having trouble justifying a French major with your parents!

Lucy Randall ’09
French Major, English minor
F07-S08 D-plan: O-R-L

Favorite and least favorite thing about department: I love the comfort level in the courses and the freedom to take courses that interest you. A lot of the professors are specialists in what they teach and their engagement in the material really comes across in class, without having their egos dominate. Discussions are always extremely open and you learn as much from your classmates through discussing the texts as you do from your professor.

Important info for potential majors: It's important to keep up with reading and have good attendance for French courses, because discussion fully forms what you take away from the class, how you are graded, and what you need to learn as background to be able to write adequate essays and tests.

Most valuable academic information learned: I'm going to be focusing on the 19th century for French literature and the 20th century for English, most specifically prose. My interests also include Italian, Art History, and publishing.

Favorite class and professor: My favorite class so far has been French 55 with Professor Kritzman in which we discussed nationalism and identity in France, focusing on immigration for much of the course. The reading was intensive but our discussions were excellent and I really felt my French improve while reading about riveting concepts. He has every do an oral presentation on a text towards the end of the course, and hearing all of your peers and getting to discuss things in-depth this way was, I found, and excellent way to learn the language while really getting into the content at the same time.

Major classes taken: FR 8, 10. 20, 22, 29, 30,31 and 55 ; Note: FR 29, 30,31 were on the Paris FSP

Major journey: I learned French growing up and studied it all the way through grade school and high school, expecting to either minor in it or have it be a component of a Romance Languages major or minor. At Dartmouth, I really found that the most enjoyable and enriching courses I'd taken were in the French department, and that I never wanted to have a term when I wasn't taking French courses, so that just made me realize how much it would make sense. I truly love the country and its literature, and so happy to be doing something I love.

Off Campus Program: French FSP in Paris, 07W ; English FSP in Dublin, 07F

Other activities: RWIT writing assistant, assistant in Sales Department at University Press of New England, EDPA, writer for Arts section of "The Dartmouth", AZD sorority, Panhellenic council representative AZD, yoga classes, Day at Dartmouth mentor

Talk to me if: you're wondering how to balance work-study and academics at Dartmouth. I have two jobs: as a WA for RWIT and as an assistant in the Sales Department of University Press of New England.
. . . you're interested in studying on two FSPs during your Dartmouth experience, as I was on the Paris FSP this winter and will be traveling to Dublin for the English FSP in the fall. Also, talk to me about how to deal with distributive requirements if your skills are all concentrated in a certain area and you're worried about your grades when you attempt to cover the more technical subjects: QDS, SCI etc. This is the area in which I most needed and most lacked guidance last year, and I really want to prevent other students from falling into this trap as I did.

Thesis Status: Planned