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French

Why Learn French?

French is a Romance language spoken by about 300 million people in 54 countries worldwide as either a native or second language. Descended from the Latin of the Roman Empire, it was influenced by the Celtic and German languages. It is an official language in 41 countries in the French La Francophonie, the community of French-speaking nations. It is an administrative language of the European Union, the International Olympic Committee, and the United Nations among others. Along with English, it is the most used language in the European Commission.

Mt. SAC offers beginning and intermediate, university-transferable French language courses that include both verbal and written learning, including an extensive web site with sound and video files to help students learn pronunciation, taught by native speakers in both English and French.

Course Offerings

French (FRCH)

10 Good Reasons for Studying French at Mt. SAC

  1.  The French textbook for the first three semesters comes with a free, downloadable audio program, free websites with an integrated spoken dictionary and hundreds of links to other resources on the web useful for the study of French language and culture, and a free video program.
  2. The Mt. SAC French Program has an outstanding reputation for excellence and completeness. 
  3. The Mt. SAC French Program includes the following courses:
    • 7 classes of first semester (French 1)
    • 2 or 3 classes of second semester (French 2)
    • One class of intermediate level French 3 taught entirely in French
    • One combined class of Conversational French (French 52 and 53) taught entirely in French
    • One class of French 4 (intermediate-advanced level) taught entirely in French
    • One general ed course (taught in English and open to ALL students) of “French Culture through Cinema”. 
  4. The Mt. SAC French Program includes extra-curricular activities and benefits:
    • The French Club organizes outings to museums, French restaurants, picnics and games of “pétanque” at the park and a Christmas dinner at an elegant French restaurant attended each year by about 100 students, family and friends.
    • The “Table française” is a relaxed way to eat your lunch while speaking French with friends.
    • Every year one outstanding French student who continues studying French at a four-year institution receives the Vigano-Halabi French Scholarship in the amount of $500.00.
    • Every year several outstanding French students are nominated for the “Student of Distinction” award. Nearly every year an outstanding French student is one of only 5 recipients of the “Student of Distinction” award.
  5. French is the native language of some 200 million people and is the second language of millions more. In Europe, it is spoken in France, Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg. In the Americas, it is an official language of Canada and spoken in the Caribbean.
  6. French fashion designers, artists, writers, musicians, chefs and filmmakers have had a wide influence in the United States and the rest of the world. Who hasn't heard of Christian Dior, Chanel, and Pierre Cardin? Impressionist painters like Monet, musicians like Ravel and Boulez, novelists like Flaubert and Camus have had an influence on world culture. Michel Foucault was a founder of postmodernism.
  7. French is a language of tourism. Paris is the third most visited international city by Americans. France is the second most visited country in the world, and Quebec offers a taste of Europe in North America.
  8. French is a language of business. Today, American companies have over 2,000 subsidiaries in France, and French companies have over 600 subsidiaries in the United States. Major corporations with headquarters or subsidiaries in the United States and France include Du Pont, Hewlett-Packard, Xerox, Apple Computer, Michelin, Renault, Bic and many more.
  9. French is a key language in the European Union of twenty-seven nations, the world's largest economic entity, with a population of 350 million and a gross national product larger than the United States.
  10. French is the language of the well educated in parts of Southeast Asia, North Africa and much of Western and Central Africa. Being able to speak French is an asset for anyone interested in working in international organizations such as the Peace Corps. 

Faculty

Photos Name Phone Office Email
Solene Alghannam Solene Alghannam     909-274-3443   66-235 salghannam@mtsac.edu 
Marie Anglin as mascot Marie Anglin     manglin@mtsac.edu 
Florence Erturk as mascot Florence Erturk     ferturk@mtsac.edu 
Marguerite Nguyen as mascot Marguerite Nguyen      mnguyen126@mtsac.edu 
Mika Merino as mascot Mika Merino     mmerino2@mtsac.edu 
 Anne Lavalle-Shepston as mascot  Anne Lavalle-Shepston      alavalleshepston@mtsac.edu