Bridging grammar and critical thinking through an equity lens: towards a sustainable French language and culture curriculum

Given the general decline of university enrollments in language and culture programs in North America, it is now more crucial than ever to broaden the scope of language courses beyond linguistic mastery to meet the ever-changing needs of an increasingly diverse student body and world. Through the curricular redesign of two 200-level French grammar-based courses ( La Grammaire par les textes I and II) at the University of Calgary, we propose to reimagine language and grammar teaching as a means for developing students’ understanding of the world and ability to think critically in relation to contemporary equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization (EDID) issues. This is especially relevant since critical thinking has traditionally not been a focal point in language and culture classrooms, and remains an underdeveloped skill among students. By reconceptualizing language courses as content-based, we argue that promoting critical thinking, intercultural understanding, and interdisciplinary competence is necessary for the sustainability of postsecondary French language and culture programs.