Mission Statement
The main purposes of the French Club (FC) are to promote enthusiasm among students for the French language and culture and to provide students with a friendly but serious way to approach a new language. Because of the club's interest in cultural diversity, involvement in the French Club also encourages exploration of other cultures. Through the many activities held by the club each semester, American students have the opportunity to meet native French-speaking students who are studying here at WCU. This type of interaction enables greater understanding and appreciation, on both sides, of the other's culture.
Among some of the many activities sponsored by the club are lectures, films, and French theater events. The Club has been to see several Molière plays, "La Dernière Bande" a play from Samuel Beckett, performed entirely in French with a meet-the-actor session at the University of Delaware. Art exhibits by French or Francophone artists are also a popular outing, including the Dalì exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, an exhibit entitled Poussin to Cézanne: French Drawings from the Prat Collection, the Renoir Landscapes exhibit, and the upcoming "Cézanne and Beyond" exhibit in 2009.
Students abroad are encouraged to stay in touch with anecdotes or newly acquired cultural insight. We are looking to organize a French-speaking table in Sykes or Lawrence for students to practice their French in a casual everyday setting. This involves collaboration between American students, native French-speaking students, and faculty of the French department, as do all of the club's activities.
For French majors the club provides a source of guidance and an opportunity to actually use and experience what is learned in class while developing communication with other students and faculty in their area of study. The French Club affects the whole campus through the above mentioned activities, which are available to broaden the cultural horizons of all students.