06/03/2026
Please forward to incoming students at UF. Merci!
Enroll in The Story of French at UF in Summer B, 2026 (4th period)!
IDS 2688: The Story of French through Internet, AI, and Machine Translation
Quest 2
Social & Behavioral
Discover how French became a global language while exploring AI, internet culture, slang, multilingualism, and language change across the Francophone world. In The Story of French, students investigate everything from Roman imperialism and medieval French history to English, Arabic, Haitian Creole, and other languages shaping today’s French. You’ll analyze websites with AI tools, create a documentary-style video project, interview Francophone speakers, and explore real-world language debates involving language, politics, and culture. This enriching Quest 2 course combines linguistics, history, technology, media, and global culture in creative, hands-on ways designed for curious students interested in languages, communication, international issues, and the digital world.
Instructors: Professor Ben Hebblethwaite (French) with graduate instructors Jessica Heady (Linguistics), Nathan Dwyer (Linguistics), and Artis Trice (Anthropology)
Contact Ben at [email protected]
How students evaluated this class and what they said about this course in the past:
Spring 2026: 4.71 Mean
Testimonials from The Story of French Spring 2026:
“He is incredibly passionate about this subject which means he provides sources that complement the learning. He also makes sure everyone participates, which is essential in a communicative class. He makes speaking up not feel anxiety-inducing and is doing a wonderful job. I love the music playing during the discussions! I have added songs to my playlist!”
“Very enthusiastic, makes unique and engaging connections between the content and the real world.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever had a professor be more passionate about a topic than Ben is with this course. He creates really engaging lectures and supports everyone wherever they are in their language journey. He always brings a new perspective to the class and teaches how to be curious about language and finds ways to tie in the perspectives and personal experiences of all students.”
Professor Benjamin Hebblethwaite
University of Florida
Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures
363 Dauer Hall
PO Box 115565
Gainesville, FL 32611-5565
Office phone: (352) 273-3762
