FREN 101
3 credits
French Language I
Prerequisite(s): None
An introduction to the French language through an intensive study of pronunciation, vocabulary, and structure to develop "creative communication."
Note: Not open to students who have taken French 11 within the last two years except with permission of instructor or department head.
Note: This course is equivalent to CEFR level A1.
FREN 102
3 credits
French Language II
Prerequisite(s): FREN 101, French 11, or assessment of the department.
This course continues to develop students’ ability to express themselves in oral and written French. It reviews material presented in FREN 101 and introduces new skills such as imparfait, subjonctif, futur simple, and conditionnel, along with new expressions, idioms, and vocabulary.
Note: This course is equivalent to CEFR level A2.
FREN 103
3 credits
French Study Tour
Prerequisite(s): None.
This course offers students an introduction to French culture by means of a study tour. It is a one semester course which includes a two-week study tour experience. The field experience will be preceded by lectures, oral and aural exercises, and tests. Discussions and lectures will continue during the study tour. Assignments will be given and due on the last day of the course.
Note: Students with credit for this course cannot take FREN 100 for further credit.
FREN 215
3 credits
Intermediate French I
Prerequisite(s): One of the following: French 12 with a B or higher, FREN 102, or assessment of the department.
This course, conducted entirely in French, refines the learners’ skills in speaking, reading, and writing French through grammar review, vocabulary expansion, composition writing, and cultural readings, accompanied by conversation practice in the seminar and revision via computer.
Note: Students with credit for FREN 230 cannot take this course for further credit.
FREN 216
3 credits
Intermediate French II
Prerequisite(s): One of the following: French 12 with a B or higher, FREN 102, or assessment of the department.
This course is a companion to FREN 215 and has similar goals: through an intensive review of grammatical topics already known to the student, and the introduction of some new topics, FREN 216 will increase communicative competence through vocabulary expansion, improved pronunciation, study of important grammatical concepts and the development of efficient reading and writing techniques. Conducted entirely in French, students work together in small groups reviewing the essential elements of French grammar, discussing literary texts and learning composition skills. Participation in multimedia programs, along with regular written assignments and oral tutorials, will further improve students’ abilities to understand and express themselves in French.
FREN 219
3 credits
Intermediate French Composition
Prerequisite(s): One of FREN 215, 216, or 230; two of the three are recommended. (Note that credit can only be obtained for one of FREN 215 or FREN 230.)
This course focuses on the development of essay-writing skills in French. Selected readings from works by contemporary Francophone authors help introduce principles of clear and effective writing; students work to improve their own writing skills and to resolve common problems in second-language writing.
FREN 225
3 credits
Francophone Language and Culture via Media
Prerequisite(s): FREN 219.
Project-based course conducted entirely in French. All topics studied serve the purpose of producing a class magazine in French. Students will increase their communicative competence and knowledge of Francophone culture by reading articles and advertisements from major Francophone newspapers, listening to Radio Canada, and viewing television clips from Francophone stations. Students will learn specialized vocabulary, acronyms, and euphemisms relating to journalism, politics, and economics. Grammar will be reviewed and refined in context. Participation in discussions, along with regular written assignments and oral tutorials, will further improve students’ abilities to understand and express themselves in French.
FREN 230
3 credits
Intermediate French for French Immersion Students I
Prerequisite(s): Minimum four year’s study (up to Grade 11) in the French Immersion program, or instructor’s permission.
This course is specifically designed for students from the French Immersion programs who are at ease communicating in French and who wish to improve their competency. Taught completely in French, this course will provide a thorough grammar review, vocabulary enrichment, and development of reading and writing skills which will address fossilized errors. Students will also read a contemporary French novel and discuss it in class.
Note: Students cannot obtain credit for both FREN 215 and FREN 230.
FREN 242
3 credits
Intermediate French Oral Communication
Prerequisite(s): FREN 216 and one of FREN 215 or FREN 230.
Designed for students who have an intermediate level of French with a good general knowledge of grammar and ability to express themselves orally, but who want to improve their oral and aural skills. The objective is to increase general fluency, to enhance the appropriate use of colloquial French, and to further students’ appreciation of Francophone cultures.
FREN 245
3 credits
Culture of the Francophone World
Prerequisite(s): FREN 219.
Studies various cultures in the French-speaking world other than France, with particular emphasis on Quebec, African, Asian and Caribbean Francophone cultures, through contemporary texts from a variety of sources. Designed for students with an intermediate to advanced level in French, its objective is to enhance written and oral fluency, and to introduce students to the richness and diversity of Francophone literatures and expression outside of France.
FREN 315
4 credits
Introduction to Francophone Literature
Prerequisite(s): FREN 219 and one of either FREN 225 or FREN 245, or instructor’s permission.
Conducted entirely in French, this course is designed to introduce students to the great writers of the last 150 years in France and Québec. The main literary trends of this momentous era, such as surrealism, existentialism, and theatre of the absurd, will be explored. Students will learn some formal critical analysis methods, and will be required to apply critical-thinking skills to analyse the concepts and ideals that motivated the intellectuals of this period.
FREN 319
4 credits
Advanced French Composition
Prerequisite(s): FREN 219 and one of FREN 225 or FREN 245.
Continues to refine students’ ability to write in French, through the detailed study and practice of stylistic techniques, complex grammatical structures, and vocabulary used in formal contemporary written French.
FREN 325
4 credits
Phonetics and Pronunciation: The Silky Sounds of French
Prerequisite(s): FREN 219 or instructor’s permission
Conducted entirely in French, this course provides an intensive study of phonetics and develops students’ oral fluency. It helps students learn to understand different accents and idioms which exist in various parts of the Francophone world. There is a considerable "corrective" component to the course, where students are clearly shown the comparative pronunciation between English and French vowels and consonants in order to teach English-speaking students the best way to articulate French sounds and eliminate their English accents.
FREN 342
4 credits
Advanced French Oral Communication
Prerequisite(s): FREN 242
This course focuses on oral communication in day-to-day and professional situations at an advanced level. Students will develop their oral proficiencies through class and group discussions, debates, and presentations. At the same time, they will explore new techniques that improve fluency, creativity, and efficient interactions in French.
FREN 345
4 credits
French and Quebecois cinema since 1950
Prerequisite(s): FREN 219
This course offers an analysis of French and Quebec societies since 1950 from a cinematographic perspective. All films will be shown in original French with English subtitles. Students registering in this course must do all oral and written work in French.
FREN 415
4 credits
Myths, Tales, and Legends in Francophone Literatures
Prerequisite(s): FREN 315 or FREN 319
Students will explore francophone literatures in a comparative perspective through the study of myths, tales and legends in literary texts and narratives. This course given entirely in French mainly focuses on traditional and contemporary literary application of myths, tales and legends in African, Indigenous, French and French Canadian literatures. Literary analyses will cover topics such as the creation of the universe and its beings, emblematic heroic figures, and the importance of social relations.
FREN 420
4 credits
French Translation and Comparative Stylistics
Prerequisite(s): FREN 319 and two other 300-level FREN courses.
Taught entirely in French, this course provides students with the basic tools of comparative stylistics and translation, such as transposition, translation units, modulation, and expansion, and improves their understanding of the nuances of French syntax, grammar, vocabulary, and register. Students will closely examine translations of excerpts of different well-known texts, and will work on actual translations from French to English and English to French.
FREN 430
4 credits
French Applied Linguistics
Prerequisite(s): LING 101, FREN 319, and two other 300-level FREN courses.
Intended for those who wish to teach French or simply develop their knowledge of the structure and phonology of the French language, this course develops the student’s knowledge of French linguistics. This course is designed to apply linguistic theory and practice to the effective acquisition and refinement of French syntax, phonology, morphology, and idiom. Students will also learn how to use linguistics as a pedagogical instrument to make teaching more efficacious.
FREN 450
4 credits
Special Topics in French I
Prerequisite(s): FREN 319 and two other 300-level FREN courses, and a written contract signed between student and department head before the student begins the course.
This course enables students to take and receive credit for a fourth year course in a francophone university. The topics will vary with the courses available at the partner institution. This course allows students to pursue advanced topics in French that are not offered in other fourth year UFV courses.
FREN 451
4 credits
Special Topics in French II
Prerequisite(s): FREN 319 and two other 300-level FREN courses, and a written contract signed between student and department head before the student begins the course.
This course enables students to take and receive credit for a fourth year course in a francophone university. The topics will vary with the courses available at the partner institution. This course allows students to pursue advanced topics in French that are not offered in other fourth year UFV courses.
FREN 452
4 credits
Special Topics in French III
Prerequisite(s): FREN 319 and two other 300-level FREN courses, and a written contract signed between student and department head before the student begins the course.
This course enables students to take and receive credit for a fourth year course in a francophone university. The topics will vary with the courses available at the partner institution. This course allows students to pursue advanced topics in French that are not offered in other fourth year UFV courses.
