Mission and Vision

The Department of French, Francophone and Italian Studies provides opportunities through courses and programs to develop well rounded students. By graduation, our majors and minors have achieved language competence, have had many experiences with French and/or Italian literatures and cultures through our programs and interactions with community members. Most importantly, our students come away with a broader global perspective than when they entered the program.

Departmental Strategic Plan:

  • Ensure acquisition of sufficient knowledge of the language to build fluency.
  • Provide opportunities to develop critical thinking skills as well as linguistic competence in French and Italian.
  • Promote global awareness through the study of French, Francophone, and Italian literatures and cultures.
  • Enhance the education of all students in our programs by providing skills that complement and enhance their chosen field and offer them opportunities to engage in meaningful personal enrichment.
  • Expand collaboration with other disciplines and encourage opportunities for interdisciplinary initiatives.
  • Emphasize the interrelatedness of language, culture and literature, and the intellectual achievements of Italy, France, and the Francophone world.
  • Foster relevancy in our offerings and program to respond to changing times and needs by promoting language for special purposes.
  • Provide total linguistic and cultural immersion experience abroad and create similar opportunities on campus.
  • Encourage advanced study of French at the graduate or professional levels.
  • Create avenues for utilization of language skills and cultural awareness in community based actions and civic functions.

The departmental mission statement aligns with the LCWA mission, which is "to prepare students to become discerning, knowledgeable, and engaged citizens in an ever changing, interconnected global world."  The department's mission statement is linked to three out of five goals set forth in the College of Charleston's revised Strategic Plan.

  • Provide students a highly personalized education based on a liberal arts and sciences core and enhanced by opportunities for experiential learning.
  • Provide students the global and interdisciplinary perspectives necessary to address the social, economic, environmental, ethical, scientific, and political issues of the 21st century.
  • Establish and promote a vibrant campus life atmosphere dedicated to eduction of the whole person through integration of curricular and co-curricular or extracurricular activities.