A foreign affair on campus
UCC offers numerous classes in French and Spanish
Le département des langues étrangères à UCC offre le cours de français et le cours d’espagnol. The foreign language department at UCC offers French along with several Spanish courses.
Silvia Herman teaches many of the Spanish classes while NiAodagain teaches Spanish as well as all the French classes.
Learning a foreign language is an important way to connect with the global community on a higher level.
NiAodagain, associate professor of Foreign Language, tells her students that by learning a foreign language, students learn to think critically by breaking down sentence structure and working to understand how other people think. Employers will usually train someone for a job, but they want someone who can already think critically, she emphasizes.
Being multi-lingual can open many workforce opportunities in legal, medical, anthropology, business, international marketing, foreign correspondence, translation, FBI or other government work such as in immigration, as well as tutoring, teaching and more.
“I’m taking French because I have a passion for foreign languages and cultures,” said Alvia Wilcox, first year French student. “Since I already know Spanish, I have a better chance of getting a good job since I will know three languages.”
Four first year Spanish classes are offered with one continuing second year Spanish class, as there is a lot of interest. One first year French class is offered, and the second year French class is currently building a web page as their final project.
Many students take Spanish to prepare for working with the growing population of Spanish speaking individuals in this country. Some of the students who have taken French have come to realize that there is a great amount of French culture integrated into ours, and they are preparing to use what they’ve learned in employment.
“Being able to speak more than one language can be really helpful, especially in such a diverse country with people of different nationalities,” said second year French student Maritza Flores.
People in America grow up subconsciously learning about French culture. For example, as NiAodagain says, “Many Hollywood films are offshoots of French films.” Movies such as La Belle et la Bête, which to us is Beauty and the Beast, or La Belle au Bois Dormant, also known as Sleeping Beauty, are stories many children in America grow up watching.
Along with teaching a foreign language, foreign language instructors teach about the culture as well. American history is tied strongly to France. Without Napoleon needing more money for his wars, the U.S. may not have been able to purchase the Louisiana Territory. Without Marquis de Lafayette, the colonies may not have won the Revolutionary War.
“Learning the language and culture of other countries is important to become a part of the global community,” said NiAodagain.
French culture in Douglas County also pops up in many places. One winery, HillCrest Vineyards, uses techniques such as dry farming, a French method, to grow their crops. It produces Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay which are all French names for different kinds of wine.
Also in Douglas County there is a Cercle Français, which is a gathering of French-speaking people. They meet about once a month, and they originate from all over the world.
UCC’s Foreign Language Association is a student centered club on campus. They practice the languages, learn about culture and do cultural projects. It is open to both French and Spanish class students. Mostly French students have showed up this term making it into UCC’s own little Cercle Français. The Foreign Language Association would like more Spanish students to get involved. The next meeting for the club will be Thursday December 2 at 2:00 p.m. in the Moody Room of the Library.
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