Professors are discussing adding a French minor to the OCU curriculum.
Melinda Nix, adjunct French professor, said she wants to develop it because she believes it would increase student’s skillsets.
“I was attracted to OCU because of its strong liberal arts program, and I think French just compliments so many of the majors here,” she said. “I know the university takes pride in teaching students how to think creatively and critically, and I feel like French is very helpful in that way.”
Nix graduated from University of Oklahoma as an attorney, but for the past 10 years she has been teaching French. She has taught at University of Central Oklahoma, as well as Oklahoma Christian University.
She said a French minor would be useful because it opens up students globally and opens minds to different cultures and different people.
“It also gives you an incredible edge in the job market,” she said. “You can’t beat having a second language on your resume. I think it opens up doors in so many ways.”
The curriculum so far includes Elementary French I, Elementary French II, Intermediate French I and Intermediate French II Nix said she wants to create electives for the minor, such as a children’s French literature class, a French conversationalist class, a French history class, and a French cooking class.
Nix said she wants the minor to begin in Fall 2020, but there are many factors that go into it.
“Obviously, you need to have enough students interested,” she said. “I have freshmen right now, and I need to let them know that this is a possibility. I also have to go through Dr. Karen Schiler, English and modern language department chair, and she has to go through someone above her.”
Dr. Schiler said she believes in quality language instructor, and one of the reasons she hired Mix is because she’s a great teacher with great ideas.
“We don’t even need to get new courses on the books, but you need to get students on board,” she said. “The best way to recruit students is to have a dynamic teacher that students like. I’ve already received inquiries about a French minor. They want to go beyond the minimum requirement.”
Schiler said she wants to do a test-run a potential French minor course, and see if enough students sign up for it. The main issue would be scheduling.
“The hope is she’ll develop fans, and they’ll want to take more courses with her,” she said. “We can offer a French minor through study abroad right now, but we do not want to mislead students and have them think they can get it on campus. We also need to find a time where students can actually take these classes.”
Mikel Kendrick, nursing freshman, said he would be interested in pursuing a French minor because he feels it would benefit him as well as other students.
“I have always loved the French culture, and I want to travel abroad and study nursing in France,” he said. “It will open up the realm of language minors, since we only have Spanish right now.”
For inquiries, students may email Melinda Nix at mjnix@okcu.edu .
Leave a Reply