Finding people to speak French with is not at all difficult if you are willing to take online courses or join online communities, track down francophone neighbors, and are willing to travel.
Francophone literature has become increasingly pronounced.
Francophone studies for several years by sponsoring conferences.
Province of Québec Flag--as an officially francophone region of Canada, this flag is related to the older cross flag of France.
Allowing them to do so will not only foster researching skills (which should be an overarching goal of all of their classes) but it will also encourage a deeper understanding of the culture and ideas of Francophone countries.