The Faculty of Social Sciences welcomes 3275 Francophone students and close to 900 students in French immersion from Canada, Québec and abroad. The celebrations of the Month of the Francophonie, which are now coming to an end, have once again demonstrated the tremendous strength and diversity of a community that counts 300 million ambassadors around the world. The Faculty of Social Sciences is proud to have the francophonie in its DNA and works well beyond the month of March to promote it at all levels.
We want the Faculty of Social Sciences to be a hub of attraction for the Francophone world. This year, we had the great pleasure of hosting Christiane Taubira, former French Minister of Justice, as part of The Singh Family Distinguished Lecture Series. Her presentation on Uncovering Our Painful Past And Recognizing Our Differences was attended by students, professors, alumni, and members of the public in 16 countries. Afterwards, bilingual workshops co-facilitated by students from our Faculty and the African School of Economics in Benin brought together nearly 200 participants.
Every day, we are proud to offer our programs in both languages and high caliber education in French. Our ambition is to prepare future graduates who will play a key role in the development of a leadership that is representative of the diversity of the French-speaking population of Canada, Québec and elsewhere. At the administrative level, French is the primary language of communication for our employees.
In research, our professors and researchers are experts in the French-speaking world, notably within the Chairs of the Francophonie. They study many topics, such as the health and well-being of the francophone population; the relationship with the anglophone majority; diversity and religious heritage within the French-speaking communities; public policy and francophone cultural production; political movements in francophone Africa; racial issues within francophone communities; and the place of the French-speaking community in the world. In addition, 40% of SSHRC's grants over the past year were awarded in French. Our research priorities are driven by two transversal themes: the Francophonie and Indigenous research, which serve to guide and shape the way in which research topics are addressed.
Our passion for the francophonie is a long-standing tradition that is part of the University of Ottawa's identity. With an inclusive francophone community that will reach more than 800 million speakers by 2050, we are more than ever committed to providing the next generation with a place that is open to the world and fosters diversity and the development of critical thinking skills.