Real-World Experience

Internships

We encourage students to engage in internships that involve speaking French or service to the French-speaking community. Students can earn credit for one course counting towards their French major or minor by completing such an internship. In the Twin Cities, students may set up internships with local organizations and register for French 3896 on campus, which requires them to write and reflect on their experience.

Students completing the semester-long integrated program in Montpellier may also choose to complete an internship. They can work in a wide range of fields, including media, education, cultural organizations, or business. Interships are a required component of the MSID program in Senegal; students choose a track (culture, education, sustainability, health) and are assigned a relevant internship. 

Students interested in learning more about work culture in France can also take The Language and Culture of Business in France (French 3022).

Community Engagement

Many students take part in the University of Minnesota's French Club, Le Cercle Français, which hosts French language and cultural events for students both in and outside the French program. In addition, the Department of French & Italian runs conversation groups in French and Italian each semester. A number of French conversation groups also meet in the Twin Cities. Students wishing to find a conversation partner who is a native speaker can sign up for the Tandem Plus program through the CLA Language Center.

Research

Students interested in a career in research can work one-on-one with a faculty member through the Dean’s Freshman Research and Creative Scholars Program or the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). Senior majors also work directly with a faculty member as a component of their senior project.

For more information on our department's research, see our Research & Engagement page.