Language Study

To enhance the teaching of languages, Lawrence has established the Humanities Laboratory, funded in part by a major grant from the Mellon Foundation. Employing micro-computers and state-of-the-art software, students may improve pronunciation, conversation and vocabulary skills.
The Seeley G. Mudd library has an extensive collection of French books, academic journals, and periodicals, including Le Monde, Jeune Afrique, L'Express, and Le Nouvel Observateur. The Media Center has many French and Francophone African videos, CDs, tapes, and records for you to use and receives French television stations to supplement your language study.

Every year the department sponsors two French Assistants, francophone students. The French Assistants also organize two weekly French Tables in the dining commons, which provide an informal place for students and faculty to converse in French.

Björklunden, Lawrence's 405-acre estate located on the shore of Lake Michigan, offers a unique opportunity for the French Department. Students and faculty can spend an entire weekend away from the Lawrence campus, speaking only French, eating French food, and discussing issues of French culture. This allows for true immersion in the French language. The French department currently holds the record for the most students attending a Björklunden weekend -- 52 students plus the entire French department faculty and their families!