UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A faculty-led summer French language program in Besançon, France, offered beginner to advanced-level students of French an immersive experience to rapidly improve their fluency.

Penn State students spent June and July enrolled in FR 299 Foreign Study: French, a seven-credit intensive program held at the Center for Applied Linguistics at the University of Franche-Comté. The experience was one of 12 faculty-led programs that took place in the College of the Liberal Arts this summer.

During the program, students benefited from living in a city with few English-speaking tourists, lodging with host families and experiencing the rich cultural environment of Besançon. Classes were held five days a week with other international students in the program.

“The cultural insights and French proficiency that are gained from living with a host family and taking classes with other students who have the same language goals is a one-of-a-kind experience and opportunity that is hard to replicate once students graduate,” said Heather McCoy, teaching professor of French. “The Besançon program is a unique opportunity for students to really live in France for an extended period of time and gain the kind of knowledge that can only be gained as a cultural insider.”

McCoy served as the faculty leader of the program from 2011 to 2023, when Christina Sztajnkrycer, assistant teaching professor of French and Francophone studies, took over the position. McCoy has seen multiple iterations of the program over the years and served as the program assistant to Sztajnkrycer to facilitate the transition this summer.

As the faculty leader, Sztajnkrycer’s role is multifaceted, with her serving as a mentor, advocate and facilitator for the students as they navigate their cultural experience.

“People often have sort of a false impression about how French culture is going to be similar to North American culture,” Sztajnkrycer said. “There are really some important differences that shock people, so I kind of tried to ease the students into those cultural differences, too.”

Although a fully enriching cultural experience is one of the primary drivers of the education abroad program, the main goal is to significantly boost a student’s ability to communicate in French. Living in Besançon for an extended period of time provided students with the unique opportunity to become cultural insiders.

Rose Ried, a fourth-year student majoring in English, found the immersive environment incredibly beneficial due to the constant exposure to French without the crutch of English. The consistent interaction with the language embedded French into her subconscious, making comprehension more intuitive. As a result, Ried said, she now experiences moments where English TV shows in the background begin to sound like French to her.

Students in the program were placed with host families, with Ried’s host mother welcoming her and other students from the United States, Sweden, China, Singapore and Switzerland. Each student had a different level of French fluency, but they were able to communicate with each other no matter their background, according to Ried.

Inside the classroom, students alternated between two types of classes. The intensive French classes covered grammar through comprehension in reading, writing and speaking. The French culture classes offered an in-depth exploration of French society, politics and current events.

Sztajnkrycer encourages Penn State students to learn more about this program as it isn’t limited to French majors but is also offered as a way to fulfill a French minor or simply improve fluency. In addition, the summer format of faculty-led programs allows students who find it challenging to fit traditional study abroad into their busy academic schedules a way to still have the experience. The program attracts a diverse group, including international students.

In addition to improved fluency, students walk away from the program with professional development skills, a deeper understanding of French culture and newfound friends. Ried and her fellow students had several standout experiences during the trip, from watching the Olympic flame pass through Besançon in June, to attending the Olympic soccer match between Morocco and Singapore, to traveling to Marseille and Dijon to watch the Tour de France.

“Many students who have done the Besançon program have gone on to study abroad again in a different program, done internships in France or gone to graduate school in France,” McCoy said. “Some have built careers with French multinationals and worked in other French-speaking contexts.”

She said education abroad offers students not only the opportunity to explore the world but the chance for self-exploration.

Liberal Arts Career Enrichment Network

The Career Enrichment Network empowers Liberal Arts students to explore, engage and define their career journey through diverse career development opportunities. Students can meet with a career coach to explore careers, internships, education abroad, research, the Liberal Arts Alumni Mentor Program and more. Through donor support, the Career Enrichment Network provides Liberal Arts students the opportunity to apply for funding to help support participation in many of these experiences.