French Studies at Bard

French Language Intensive Tours, France

The French Program is housed within Bard's vibrant Division of Languages and Literature. It welcomes students at all levels. Thanks to its close ties with other programs, students who moderate in French Studies enjoy a wealth of multidisciplinary courses while receiving the close attention of a nurturing and passionately engaged intellectual environment.

About French Studies at Bard

The objective of the French Studies Program is twofold: to enable students to reach a high level of competence in the French language and to emphasize in-depth study of aspects of French and Francophone culture. The program allows students to choose one of three areas of specialization: French and francophone literature; civilization, culture, and history; or translation. Moreover, any individual student can design his or her own area of specialization (i.e., music, human rights, political studies) pending approval by French Studies faculty.

More about Requirements + Courses

Language Intensive and Study Abroad

French Intensive

For students with little or no previous experience of French, students complete the equivalent of three semesters of college-level French in a single-semester course, followed by a four-week stay at the Institut de Touraine.
More about the French Intensive
Study Abroad

In addition to the French language intensive, the French Studies program partners with affiliated study abroad year- or semester-long programs.
More about Study Abroad

Duncan Talks about the Senior Project

Duncan MacDonald ’23, who received a joint degree in Political Studies (International Relations) and French Studies, talks about his Senior Project. His Senior Project explored France's model of a feminist foreign policy from an ontological security perspective, leading to an investigation and critique of France's depiction of a feminist national Self.