Master in Francophone Studies: Pedagogy, Linguistics and Intercultural Studies

In the internationalization project of the University of Guadalajara, the relevance of having curricular proposals in agreement with other Higher Education Institutions has become increasingly evident, which is why it is necessary to promote the economic, political, cultural and scientific relations of our country with other regions of the world, such as French-speaking nations, especially France. 
The latter is an investor country in Mexico and an important European trading partner and, in addition, with notable contributions in all areas of knowledge, including the arts. For this reason, both professionals and students seek greater possibilities to acquire knowledge of the French language as a second or third foreign language, as well as to gain insight into French-speaking cultures.
The Master's Degree in Francophone Studies: Pedagogy, Linguistics and Intercultural Studies is perfectly framed in the context of the collaboration agreement (December 2019) signed by the Ministry of Public Education (SEP) and the Ministry of the European Union and Foreign Affairs of France to promote the teaching of the French language in public schools of Basic Education at the secondary level. A pilot program will be implemented in 34 secondary schools, which will seek to replicate in hundreds of schools, according to what was stated by the head of the SEP. Within the framework of this agreement, the need to support double degree programs with France was highlighted, which justifies the postgraduate proposal to train cultural mediators in the area of ​​the French-speaking cultural world. 
On the other hand, for thirty years and through the Bachelor's Degree in Didactics of French as a Foreign Language of the Department of Modern Languages, the University of Guadalajara has contributed to the training of specialists in the area of ​​teaching French in the west of the country. In this context, our University has become a benchmark in the consolidation of a large number of research projects and academic-student exchanges with French-speaking universities. 
In the academic context, Francophone studies are constantly being redefined, so much so that it can sometimes seem difficult to know precisely the scope of its field and methodology, since it covers extremely diverse geographical areas: Europe, North America, Africa, Caribbean, Ocean Indian, Near East and Southeast Asia. According to figures from the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (2020), the Francophonie represents the following: 84 states and governments, 300 million French speakers, the 5th most spoken language in the world, 48% of French speakers They live in Africa and 80 million communicate in French as their language of instruction. The term “francophonie” brings together the linguistic and cultural diversity of the communities that share the French language.
Francophone Studies address culture in the Francophone world with special emphasis on the analysis of pluri and interculturality, in such a way that the understanding of both other cultures and our own is promoted. These studies explain and make explicit numerous relationships, behavioral patterns, attitudes, etc., of the individual and social formations in all areas of human activity. 
This postgraduate program articulates pedagogy, linguistics and intercultural studies in order to face the new professional and social challenges imposed by societies in permanent transformation, the educational system in constant evolution and the mutation inherent to every training process.. One of the pillars of the master's program is, therefore, the training of specialists in the French-speaking world, taking the Mexican context as a starting point.
The main objective of the Master in Francophone Studies: Pedagogy, Linguistics and Intercultural Studies is the training of cultural mediators and linguistic intermediaries, understanding both terms as a “bridge”, a “facilitator”, an “interpreter”, who through the Competencies acquired in pedagogy, linguistics and intercultural studies, as well as a series of investigative and methodological tools lead communities to a better understanding and understanding of linguistic and cultural differences. This task can be carried out from the educational field, the editorial field, the cultural field, the diplomatic field, as well as the business field.
The postgraduate program is framed in the context of the formation of scientific, humanistic and technological communities through specialists knowledgeable in two cultural contexts, such as Mexico and countries with French-speaking cultures, with the aim of expanding their cultural horizon and more easily develop sensitivity to address educational and social problems in Mexico. The development of educational and linguistic policies through the comparison of public and social policies of countries in the French-speaking world, especially France, is part of the particular objectives of the postgraduate course. Likewise, the improvement of the French language is of special importance, in which all the master's seminars will be taught, with the exception of those dedicated to native languages ​​or Spanish for non-Spanish-speaking students.