Students in the French Program are exposed to the linguistic and cultural richness of France and other Francophone (French-speaking) societies. Our students not only acquire competence in the language, but also gain different perspectives on a variety of subjects of global concern.
French is spoken by people of many nationalities besides the French themselves like:
North America
Africa
the Pacific region
France is influential as a
1 - permanent member of the United Nations Security Council
2- leading power in the European Union.
3- French culture has also given us eminent philosophers, writers and painters since medieval times, film directors in the modern period.
The staff of ANU’s French program
integrates language learning with culture, politics, literature and topical issues in contemporary French speaking societies, taking account of developments in second language acquisition and language teaching pedagogy. Proximity to French diplomatic missions and opportunities for exchange programs enhance the value of studying French at ANU.
Historically: Emperor Napoleon I
restored the importance of etiquette in the political realm, following the French Revolution of 1789 which called anything associated with royal norms into question.
By the late 18th century and the birth of the Industrial Revolution
the bourgeoisie had gained significant power and influence, and the importance of etiquette grew outside the tight circles of the aristocracy. Knowing proper table manners, diplomatic protocol, or the strict rules for business interactions became markers of wealth, social standing, education and prestige.
Bourgeois women were instructed in
the ways of maintaining proper middle-class households through manuals and finishing schools, and table manners in particular became more important to “average” French people, especially over the course of the 20th century.
French culture was influenced by Celtic and Gallo-Roman cultures as well as the Franks, a Germanic tribe. France was initially defined as the western area of Germany known as Rhineland but it later came to refer to a territory that was known as Gaul during the Iron Age and Ancient Roman era.
French culture is most commonly associated with Paris
which is a center of
fashion
cuisine
art
architecture
Fact is France remains a relatively formal culture
While in Spain, it’s now become the norm for servers to greet you with a brusque “Digame!” (literally, “tell me!”) when taking food or drink orders, you’d be hard-pressed to see French servers not open these sorts of exchanges with “Bonjour, Madame”, or “Bonjour, Monsieur (Never mind the fact that France remains rather conservative about rigidly “gendering” interactions, to the annoyance of many younger people who think the use of Madame, Monsieur, and even worse, Mademoiselle is hopelessly passé…)
When in France
open every interaction with a “Bonjour!”– whether you’re asking for directions, ordering a coffee, asking to see an item in a store, or checking into a hotel
https://www.livescience.com/39149-french-culture.html
https://www.parisunlocked.com/travel-tips/french-etiquette-myths-rules/