An event for students and potential students will share the value of learning a language, with Flinders University staff providing insights and answering questions at Flinders Languages Day on 21 October.
The strengthening relationships between Australia and France, boosted by growing defence sector partnerships, are providing more reasons to study the French language and culture, and delivering opportunities for students to improve these skills while exploring immersions overseas.
Law and international relations student Laura Stephenson enjoyed five months as part of an international team at the Department of International Relations in CentraleSupélec, France, thanks to a Nicholas Baudin laureate travel grant through the French Embassy.
“My role as an intern was to develop ways to enhance CentraleSupélec’s global presence, and as such I acquired skills ranging from event management to graphic design,” she says.
Laura, who is also studying a Bachelor of Letters in French, returned to Australia in February in time for the 2020 academic year, after fully embracing her international experience with frequent visits to Paris and activities that included attending a cooking school.
Fellow French language student Bayan Yazdani, who is studying psychology (honours) and international relations combined with a Bachelor of Letters in French says learning the language at Flinders has been a “a pleasure” thanks to the University’s helpful and supportive staff.
“The learning resources and classroom facilities are world-class, and Flinders is partnered with universities all across France!”
For Bayan, the highlight of his French studies was a two-week trip to New Caledonia funded by the Government’s New Colombo Plan: “Learning about Kanak culture and regional sociolinguistics, partying with the Consul-General and his diplomatic network, and indulging in croissants and macarons in the middle of the Pacific – C’est parfait, non?”
Learning a second language not only instils a valuable skill to set students and workers apart from the competition, but reflects a strategic mindset and the ability to commit to a long-term journey that will deliver value in the future.
Flinders Languages Day will share information on the full suite of languages available to study at Flinders University, including Chinese, French, Italian, Modern Greek and Spanish. There will also be fun activities for students and potential students to try, such as pétanque on the Plaza lawn.
The event follows the European Day of Languages recently celebrated on 26 September, which aims to promote learning diversity and the value in learning other languages.