Truly "Any Person, Any Study": Finding Meaning in Ezra Cornell's Motto Through the French Department

This October, we've decided to showcase Ambassadors' experiences "Easing Back into Classes." We asked our Ambassadors to tell us about a class they're taking or have taken that they think the world deserves to know about. Sophomore Emma Bryan starts us off with a post about her experience taking a wide range of college French classes (perhaps rivaling her experience with Cornell peanut butter - check out her blog post from last semester here).

By: Emma Bryan '19

Since the fifth grade, I have never not taken a French class.  I began with basic language classes where seemingly complex grammar rules were drilled into my head, and slowly but surely I started to have a semblance of competency in this beautiful language.  My accent was atrocious, but I was slowly learning from my native-speaker teachers, and as my language skills developed, my interest in French culture grew.  In high school, I was fortunate enough to take many challenging classes with stellar teachers who had high expectations for me and my peers, had a French exchange student for a few weeks, and went to Paris to stay with this same student to have a language and culture immersion experience.  Ultimately when I arrived at Cornell, I had the French skills necessary to bypass all language-learning classes, and I immediately got to dive into the more advanced classes that focused on French culture and history rather than the language itself. For every semester that I have been in college, my French classes have always been my favorites.  They are typically small classes ; coming from an all-girls high school where I graduated with ninety-three others, I thrive in seminars because they are what I’ve had for my entire academic life up until this point.  Not only are the class sizes ideal, but I love basically all things French, and I never find myself bored when immersed in the language and culture. The first class that I took was French 2320, Introduction to Francophone Film and Culture, and it was an amazing introduction to college French classes. We met twice a week and discussed films that we were assigned to watch, and we studied how French film techniques evolved over time while providing commentary on the political and social climate in France and its colonies. Last semester, my French class was French 3400, a class on the French identity in modern times: it was essentially a French current events class, and we had discussions on recent terror attacks in France, among other things, and learned about politics, racial identities, and global interactions regarding France. I have had amazing experiences in all of the French classes that I’ve taken thus far, but I’d have to say that the most engaging class I’ve taken is the one that I am currently in. This semester, I’m taking French 2860, a class on the French Revolution, and it is hands-down my favorite class.  It’s cross-listed with history, so it is instructed in English, but it still counts towards the French major or minor!  The professor, Paul Friedland, is one of the most intriguing that I’ve had since coming to Cornell, and I have no problem paying attention, and honestly getting personally invested, in the happenings of lecture.  While the topic of the class is already incredibly fascinating, the way in which the material is presented is almost in a storyteller-like fashion; Professor Friedland really makes the French Revolution come alive for me. I’m already excited to see what I can take next, because no matter what you are interested in—whether that be French, physics, interpretive dance, etc.—there will always be a decent variety of classes pertaining to those interests with stellar professors who are truly passionate about what they are teaching.