Thank you for your interest in the French and Francophone Studies Department at Bates.

All of our courses are taught exclusively in French with a very few exceptions.

This brief questionnaire is to help you and us in assessing what course would be appropriate for your first experience in the curriculum.

If you are a complete novice (no previous or very, very limited exposure to the French language), there is no need to fill this out: French 101 is the obvious starting point.

If you are a heritage or near native speaker of French (through family or extensive experience in a francophone environment), please know that there are many opportunities for you as well--we welcome you! While language acquisition is an important aspect of our curriculum, we use the French language to explore all manner of contemporary issues across disciplines: literature, contemporary and historical events and movements, colonialism and decolonization, race, sex, and gender, to name just a few focus areas from our course list.

That said, many heritage speakers have had no formal training in the grammatical underpinnings of the language they speak fluently, and we welcome you into classes that will help you further understand and hone your fluency. This may require a conversation with one of us to determine the appropriate level.

Completing this form does not guarantee you placement in any particular course, but it does help guide you at the beginning. Please don't hesitate to be in touch with any of the professors in the department (perhaps particularly the ones who teach the courses you are considering). We are a small department and willing and available to consult with you!