Innovation, Internships, and Inclusion: Strategies for a Successful French Program at MIT

Leanna Bridge Rezvani Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States

ABSTRACT

Second language programs have been dwindling in the United States in recent years and French programs in particular have had significant losses. Hélène Bouche and Deborah Reisinger remark that, “In the past decade, there has been a significant decline in French language enrollments in US higher education institutions, despite a growing demand for French proficiency in the US job market” (2021, p. 54). They note that one factor behind these discouraging statistics could be “higher education institutions’ prioritization of STEM programs” (2021, p. 55). As a language educator in a predominantly STEM university, our French program has successfully avoided these trends even without a formal language requirement. French studies have thrived in part because of our unwavering commitment to innovative digital pedagogies, international internship opportunities, and diversity and inclusion. This chapter will discuss various strategies that have worked at MIT and offer practical suggestions that can be easily adapted to other institutions and levels.

Keywords: digital pedagogies, diversity, inclusion, international internships, STEM programs, student retention, teaching innovation, undergraduate French