It’s not enough to just study the language, but the culture which comes with it. Over the course of taking French 101 and 102, I have gained a significant amount of knowledge regarding the French culture. Of course, the best way to gain knowledge of a different culture is to experience the culture directly. While I have not been to France yet, it is on my bucket list. In the meantime, I can study some interesting topics, here’s a few which I found to be the most intriguing:

• One of the most interesting lessons from the “Universe Culturel” in the CMU program was about the unemployment rates among young people in France. It states that unemployment is at 44% for those without a diploma and 22% for those with a diploma, which is quite high for both in my opinion. A quarter of the students who entered sixth grade in 2007 are no longer studying 8 years later, which implies that a large group of them is not going to College. In 2017 only 53% of French people aged 18-24 considered themselves as optimistic about their employment future. These statistics were quite shocking when I first read them, this is a big contrast to what I have experienced in the United States. I would say the overwhelming majority of my friends who are of similar age to me have some sort of job, whether it’s just a part time job at a grocery store or they are working full-time.

• “Leçon 4 Universe Culturel” also had some information which I found interesting, but also very important to be aware of. It discusses the mental health of young French people, distorted body image, and screen time. 1 in 4 adolescents experience difficulty sleeping and have reported stress and depression. 1 in 4 adolescents consider themselves too fat, although it’s more prevalent in girls. Researchers have also found that French adolescents spend too much time looking at screens. The average middle school student has 7 hours and 48 minutes of screen time daily, which is insane to think about. That’s over a quarter of a 24 hour period and it’s at least half of their time awake spent looking at screens. The international recommendation is a maximum of 2 hours, however, many people believe this is an unrealistic number considering how many aspects of life from work, studying, to communication require usage of screens.