About the Center of Excellence

Our French programs in French/Francophone Studies and French Linguistics are nationally and internationally recognized thanks to the cutting-edge research led by our faculty and the excellent career paths that our graduates enjoy. In addition to our undergraduate major and minor in French, we offer a Certificate in Global French. Graduate students can pursue an M.A. or Ph.D. in French/Francophone Studies or French Linguistics. We also offer M.A. and MAT programs in French Instruction. Our course topics range from medieval manuscripts to ​Postcolonial Francophone media studies, from food and fashion to the business world, and from French dialectology to the structure of Breton. 

In French Linguistics, our faculty study language acquisition, syntax, semantics, phonology, sociolinguistics, lexicography, and varieties of French—such as Haitian Creole, Picard, Breton, and Quebec French. Among our French/Francophone Studies faculty, research specializations include clandestine literature in 19th-century France, intermediality in 20th-century and contemporary Postcolonial Francophone cultures, and the use of mechanical props in early modern French theater, among many others. 

Beyond the Department of French and Italian, the Center of Excellence brings together scholars and teachers who focus on France and the Francophone world from among Indiana University’s many schools, departments, and programs. Our faculty members hold expertise in fields as varied as French symbolist art, the ubiquitous Minitel technology of France in the 1980s, and Caribbean film culture.

The Center’s mission is to enable and promote activities on French-US relations, French language, and French and Francophone cultures. Cross-disciplinarity, diversity and inclusion, and community engagement are key components of our work.

Upcoming Events

The Center of Excellence of the French Embassy is pleased to announce that the 2025-2026 visiting program to the Paris Institute of Political Studies is now open to all eligible IU scholars. For complete information in English, please consult Visiting Faculty | Sciences Po Research.

The Center of Excellence of the French Embassy is pleased to announce two major initiatives of interest to IU students (BA holders) and faculty:

  1. The Lafayette Fellowship: To mark the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, the French Embassy launches the Lafayette Fellowship funding one year of Master’s study in France for up to 30 Americans. Open across disciplines, with courses in English or French, it fosters leadership, Franco-American exchange, and engagement with global challenges. Deadline: Nov 30, 2025. For complete information in English, please consult Lafayette Fellowship:
  2. The 2025-2026 visiting program to the Paris Institute of Political Studies is now open to all eligible IU scholars. For complete information in English, please consult Visiting Faculty | Sciences Po Research.