Faculty of Arts

French Courses

FR101 Introductory French I 0.5

Fundamentals of the French language, basic grammar, practical vocabulary. Oral and written practice. This course is designed for students with little or no knowledge in French.

Exclusion: Grade 10 (or above) French or equivalent (except with permission of the department).

3 lecture hours, 1 lab hour, 1 conversation hour

FR102 Introductory French II 0.5

A continuation of FR101.

Prerequisite: FR101 or Grade 10 French (or permission of the department).

Exclusion: Grade 11 (or above) French or equivalent (except with permission of the department).

3 lecture hours, 1 lab hour, 1 conversation hour

FR103 Introductory French III 0.5

FR103 is a continuation of FR102.

Prerequisite: FR102 or Grade 11 or equivalent or permission of the department.

Exclusion: OAC or Grade 12 U French.

3 lecture hours, 1 lab hour, 1 conversation hour

FR230 Practical French I 0.5

A practical course which reviews French grammar and helps students to achieve fluency in oral and written French. Students who have attended a French language school or who have completed French immersion at the secondary-school level must obtain department permission to register in FR230.

Prerequisite: FR103, OAC or Grade 12 U French or equivalent (or permission of the department).

Exclusion: Graduation from a French secondary school.

3 lecture hours, 1 lab hour, 1 conversation hour

FR231 Practical French II 0.5

A continuation of the practical aspects of FR230 with an increased emphasis upon the development of writing skills.

Prerequisite: FR230.

Exclusion: Graduation from a French secondary school.

3 lecture hours, 1 lab hour, 1 conversation hour

FR232 French Culture I: From Monoliths to Cathedrals and "Châteaux" 0.5

This course traces the origin and development of French culture prior to the 17th century. Topics studied through a multi-media approach will include important historical and political events, major figures, literature, architecture, painting and music. Particular attention will be paid to daily life in different classes of society.

Prerequisite: FR103, OAC or Grade 12 U French or equivalent, or permission of the department. It is recommended that students take FR230 prior to or concurrently with this course.

FR233 French Culture II: From Court-Life to the "Cafés philosophiques" 0.5

This course analyzes the ideological, social, economic and historical aspects of the culture of the "Ancien Régime". Topics studied through a multi-media approach will include important historical and political events, major figures, literature, architecture, painting and music. The role of women and various aspects of daily life in different classes of society will also be considered.

Prerequisite: FR103, OAC or Grade 12 U French or equivalent, or permission of the department. It is recommended that students take FR230 prior to or concurrently with this course.

FR234 French Culture III: From the "Arc de Triomphe" to the "Tour Eiffel" 0.5

This course analyzes the ideological, social, economic and historical aspects of French culture after the Revolution until the Modern Era. Topics studied through a multi-media approach will include important historical and political events, major figures, literature, architecture, painting and music. The role of women and various aspects of daily life in different classes of society will also be considered.

Prerequisite: FR103, OAC or Grade 12 U French or equivalent, or permission of the department. It is recommended that students take FR230 prior to or concurrently with this course.

FR235 French Culture IV: Modern Times 0.5

This course analyses the ideological, social, economic and historical aspects of French culture during the 20th century. The student will be given a panoramic view of the cultural trends from the Belle Époque (1900-1910) to the post-modern period. Topics studied through a multi-media approach will include important historical and political events, major figures, architecture, literature, painting, music and cinema. The role of women and various aspects of daily life in different classes of society will also be considered.

Prerequisite: FR103, OAC or Grade 12 U French or equivalent, or permission of the department. It is recommended that students take FR230 prior to or concurrently with this course.

FR236 Québec Culture I: From Explorers to Patriots 0.5

This course traces the origin and development of the culture of Québec and other French-Canadian communities from New France to Confederation. Topics studied through a multi-media approach will include important historical and political events, major figures, literature, architecture, painting and music. Particular attention will be paid to Amerindians, the conflict between the "Myth of the North" and the "Myth of the Land", the role of women and various aspects of daily life in different classes of society.

Prerequisite: FR103, OAC or Grade 12 U French or equivalent, or permission of the department. It is recommended that students take FR230 prior to or concurrently with this course.

FR237 Québec Culture II: From French Canadian to Québécois 0.5

This course analyzes the ideological, social, economic and historical aspects of Québec culture from Confederation to today. Topics studied through a multi-media approach will include important historical and political events, major figures, language, literature, architecture, painting, music and cinema. The role of women and various aspects of daily life in different classes of society will be considered. Franco-Canadian life outside Québec will also be examined.

Prerequisite: FR103, OAC or Grade 12 U French (or equivalent); or permission of the department. It is recommended that students take FR230 prior to or concurrently with this course.

FR240 Business French I 0.5

This course is designed for students in business and economics. Vocabulary and constructions needed to communicate in specific business contexts will be developed.

Prerequisite: FR230, or permission of the department.

3 lecture hours, 1 lab hour, 1 conversation hour

FR241 Business French II 0.5

This course is the continuation of Business French I with more emphasis on developing grammar and writing skills. Canadian business issues will be analysed.

Prerequisite: One of FR231 or FR240; or permission of the department.

3 lecture hours, 1 lab hour, 1 conversation hour

FR242 Business French III 0.5

This course, which uses new technologies, will focus on the socio-economic development of Québec, North America and the Francophone world. Students may write the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Paris' (CCIP) Diplôme de français des affaires, niveau 1, examination (DFA1) upon completion of this course.

Prerequisite: FR241, or permission of the department.

3 lecture hours, 1 lab hour, 1 conversation hour

FR250 Language through Popular Culture I 0.5

This course explores the French language as it is spoken, written and sung in many different Francophone environments. Students will discover the riches of Francophone cultures through novel excerpts, songs, authentic videos, French movies and the World Wide Web. There is also an intensive and in-depth grammar review. In order to apply the grammatical concepts being studied and to develop their writing skills, students write collaboratively 'fairy tales' which will be given to a local school for reading and illustrating.

Prerequisite: FR231 or FR240; or permission of the department.

3 lecture hours, 1 lab hour, 1 conversation hour

FR251 Language through Popular Culture II 0.5

This course explores the French language as it is spoken, written and sung in many different Francophone environments. Students will discover the riches of Francophone cultures through novel excerpts, songs, authentic videos, French movies and the World Wide Web. There is also an intensive and in-depth grammar review. In order to apply the grammatical concepts being studied and to develop their writing skills, students write individually a critical analysis of two short stories.

Prerequisite: FR250, or permission of the department.

3 lecture hours, 1 lab hour, 1 conversation hour

FR260 French Pronunciation: Norm and Variation 0.5

This course offers an introduction to the study of French linguistics, focusing on phonetics, phonology, and, in the final weeks, sociolinguistics. Students will study the sound system of standard French, mastering the phonetic alphabet and identifying/correcting pronunciation difficulties for non-native speakers. An understanding and appreciation of regional and social variation is gained through exposure to a variety of different accents and speech styles.

Prerequisite: FR250 or FR251; or permission of the department.

3 lecture hours, 1 lab/conversation hour

FR330 Advanced Translation I 0.5

Translation skills will be exercised with emphasis on French/English idiomatic expressions. Bilingual idiomatic vocabulary and different levels of languages will be studied.

Prerequisite: FR251 or equivalent; or permission of the department.

FR331 Advanced Translation II 0.5

Translation skills will be exercised with emphasis on French/English idiomatic expressions. Memory and listening skills will be developed through oral presentations involving analysis, synthesis and reproduction of selected texts; paraphrasing, the writing of summaries; sight translations and other exercises.

Prerequisite: FR330.

FR332 Humanism and "l'Honnête homme" 0.5

Through the study of drama, prose and poetry of the 16th and 17th centuries, students will be introduced to writers who provide a particularly lucid and penetrating commentary on human nature and institutions in general.

Prerequisite: FR231 and one of FR232, FR233; or permission of the department.

FR334 From Search for Identity to Naturalism 0.5

This course will study the transformation of the French novel in the 19th century from the post-revolutionary sentimental novel to the realist/naturalist portrayal of French society.

Prerequisite: FR231 and FR234; or permission of the department.

FR335 Contemporary Literature: Individual and Society 0.5

In this course a selection of contemporary French and Francophone literary texts are read that focus on the relationship between the individual and society. The course readings range from the experimental and the elegant to the crude and direct. Topics addressed include the relation between fiction and history, memory, collective and individual identities, sex and sexuality, and the end of the world as we know it.

Prerequisite: FR231 and FR235; or permission of the department.

FR336 Myth and Alienation in French-Canadian Literature Prior to 1960 0.5

This course is an anthropological and socio-cultural study of the prose and poetry of selected authors from New France to the "Révolution Tranquille." It considers the formation of a specific and national literature through the conflicts between the classical and clerical order of the Past, the influences of the Present and the promises of the Future.

Prerequisite: FR231 and one of FR236, FR237; or permission of the department.

FR340 Business French IV 0.5

This course will prepare students to write the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Paris' (CCIP) Diplôme de français des affaires, niveau 2, examination (DFA2). Current socio-economic aspects of France and the European community will be examined.

Prerequisite: FR241 or FR242; or permission of the department.

3 lecture hours, 1 lab hour, 1 conversation hour

FR350 Atelier in Advanced French 0.5

In this course, students will perfect both their written and oral proficiency. Non-standard aspects of language such as body language, slang and opinion voicing in various contexts will be considered.

Prerequisite: FR251, or permission of the department.

3 lecture hours, 1 lab hour, 1 conversation hour

FR433 Writers and Reform 0.5

Literary changes from the "Golden Age of French Literature" to the "Age of Enlightenment" are discussed, as well as the social and ideological phenomena which engendered them. Following examination of the study of man's nature that exemplifies the Classical Period, the dramatic emergence of such themes as religious tolerance, the social contract and the noble savage will be explored.

Prerequisite: FR231 and one of FR232, FR233; or permission of the department.

FR434 Passion, Reality and Dream 0.5

This course provides a study of literary and cultural trends (Romanticism, Realism and Symbolism) within the political, social and economic fabric of 19th-century France. Particular attention will be paid to the social and cultural context of the Romantic Hero and his relationship with the "poètes maudits" associated with the decadent period marking the latter part of the century. As a counterpoint, the misogynous and moralizing stereotypes of "bourgeois" theatre will also be examined.

Prerequisite: FR231 and FR234; or permission of the department.

FR435 The Search for Identity 0.5

This course is a literary analysis of the problem of knowing oneself and others as discussed in 20th-century French literature. The evolution of this theme will be studied from various perspectives including the unconscious, spirituality, existentialism, psycho- and socio-criticism, the "nouveau roman" and postmodernism.†

Prerequisite: FR231 and FR235; or permission of the department.

FR437 The Power of Words in Québec Literature after 1960 0.5

This course provides a symbolical and structural study of the prose and poetry of contemporary "committed writers" such as separatists, revolutionaries, feminists and humanists. It also examines, through selected works, the beginning of decolonisation and the emergence of the new Québec collective identity.

Prerequisite: FR231 and one of FR237, FR336; or permission of the department.

FR438 The Mystery Novel 0.5

Multiculturalism in the Francophone mystery/detective/noir novels. A brief history of the French detective novel from its inception in the 19th century to the present will be followed by the study of multiculturalism in France, its overseas Territories and Departments, then of the other Francophone countries. The authors' main preoccupation, their ideas and concepts will be analysed. The different cultures will be explored, with emphasis on language and stereotypes.

Prerequisite: FR231 or FR240; or permission of the department.

FR439 Directed Studies 0.5

Prerequisite: Permission of the department.††

Irregular course

FR440 Special Topics 0.5

Various topics in French literature.††

Prerequisite: Permission of the department.

Irregular course

FR450 Atelier in French Stylistics 0.5

This Year 4 language course focuses on stylistics and will help students refine their written skill. Through many writing clinics, students will acquire more precision in the lexical and syntactical areas. The course is divided into two parts: the first will concentrate on selecting "le mot juste" and the second will focus on writing style through the analysis and correction of poorly written texts.

Prerequisite: FR350, or permission of the department.

3 lecture hours, 1 conversation hour

FR460 Atelier in Oral Expression Through Drama 0.5

This course focuses on improving the student's oral skills through the preparation and performance of a contemporary play.

Prerequisite: FR350; or FR250 and FR251 with permission of the department.

Faculty of Arts Faculty of Arts – Programs and Courses French

Official electronic version updated at 10:33 a.m. March 31, 2005