XII. Course Descriptions
French Studies
School of Languages and Literatures
The School reserves the right to determine the appropriate level to be taken by students enrolling in language courses. To
that end, students will be asked to fill out a placement questionnaire at the beginning of the course. Literary texts are,
at all levels, studied in French. Students registering in these courses will be expected to have the appropriate language
proficiency. Courses up to and including FREN*1200 should be taken in sequence (with the exclusion of FREN*1010); they should not be taken concurrently.
Francophone students will not normally be admitted into FREN*1200 and FREN*1300. It is recommended they start their program with FREN*2020, FREN*2060, FREN*2500, or FREN*2520 with the approval of the Faculty Advisor.
The following courses are all intended to improve the students’ ability to communicate in French. Use the following chart
to determine the appropriate course in which to begin French studies.
Entry points for French studies
| FRENCH BACKGROUND |
REGISTER IN |
| Ontario Grade 10 core or less |
FREN*1100 |
| Ontario Grade 11 core |
FREN*1150 |
| Ontario Grade 12 core |
FREN*1200 |
| Ontario Grade 12 immersion |
FREN*1300 |
| Students unsure of their entry point should contact the School of Languages and Literatures in order to arrange an assessment
with a faculty advisor
|
Contact the School of Languages and Literatures in order to arrange a placement test with a faculty advisor
|
| FREN*1010 Independent French Study S,F (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course, offered in an intensive immersion format, provides students with the opportunity to boost and strengthen skills
in French, both written and oral. This course is connected to the Explore Program which is offered in a francophone setting.
Please see the School of Languages and Literatures for further information. A pass/fail grade will be assigned upon completion
of the course.
|
| Restriction(s): |
Permission of French Studies, School of Languages and Literatures. Instructor consent required. |
| Department(s): |
School of Languages and Literatures |
| FREN*1100 Basic French I F,W (3-0) [0.50] |
| This basic course in French grammar, oral and written skills is for students who have up to and including Ontario Grade 10
French (or equivalent) but not above. This course is not intended for students with native or near-native ability in French,
including Francophones and French immersion students. Students with advanced French may be removed from the course.
|
| Offering(s): |
Also offered through Distance Education format. |
| Restriction(s): |
FREN*1100 cannot be counted toward a specialization in French.
|
| Department(s): |
School of Languages and Literatures |
| FREN*1150 Basic French II F,W (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course is the continuation of FREN*1100 OR for students who have Ontario Grade 11 French or equivalent but not above.
This course is not intended for students with native or near-native fluency in French, including Francophones and French immersion
students. Students with advanced French may be removed from the course.
|
| Restriction(s): |
FREN*1150 cannot be counted toward a specialization in French.
|
| Department(s): |
School of Languages and Literatures |
| FREN*1200 French Language I F,W (3-1) [0.50] |
| A first year, university-level course for students graduating with a high-school background in core French. Students will
practise written and oral French.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
1 of FREN*1150, Grade 12U French or permission of the School of Languages and Literatures.
|
| Restriction(s): |
Students with native or near-native ability in French, including Francophones and French immersion students, will not be admitted
to this course. This is a Priority Access Course. Some restrictions may apply during some time periods.
|
| Department(s): |
School of Languages and Literatures |
| FREN*1300 French Language II F,W (3-1) [0.50] |
| This course develops the four language skills in French: reading, writing, listening and speaking through group tasks and
activities, grammar exercises and individual writing assignments.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
FREN*1200 or equivalent, such as grade 12 French Immersion.
|
| Restriction(s): |
FREN*2030 This is a Priority Access Course. Some restrictions may apply during some time periods.
|
| Department(s): |
School of Languages and Literatures |
| FREN*2020 France: Literature and Society F,W (4-0) [0.50] |
| This course provides an historical introduction to French life and thought as seen through literature and art. |
| Offering(s): |
Also offered through Distance Education format. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
FREN*1300 or FREN*2030 |
| Restriction(s): |
This is a Priority Access Course. Some restrictions may apply during some time periods. |
| Department(s): |
School of Languages and Literatures |
| FREN*2060 Quebec: Literature and Society F,W (4-0) [0.50] |
| This course provides an historical introduction to Quebec life and thought from New France to the present as seen through
literature, politics, history and art.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
FREN*1300 or FREN*2030 |
| Restriction(s): |
This is a Priority Access Course. Some restrictions may apply during some time periods. |
| Department(s): |
School of Languages and Literatures |
| FREN*2520 French Composition I F,W (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course provides students with opportunities to develop further their skills in textual analysis and in writing in French. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
FREN*1300 or FREN*2030 |
| Restriction(s): |
This is a Priority Access Course. Some restrictions may apply during some time periods. |
| Department(s): |
School of Languages and Literatures |
| FREN*2550 Contemporary France W (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course examines contemporary French and/or Francophone culture, through a variety of media (music, film, internet, etc),
recent history and political events. Emphasis on oral work in French (comprehension and expression).
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
FREN*1300 or FREN*2030 |
| Restriction(s): |
FREN*2540 |
| Department(s): |
School of Languages and Literatures |
| FREN*3030 Good and Evil F (3-0) [0.50] |
| In this course, we will consider a variety of texts in which the lines between good and evil are blurred, making such categorization
difficult. Good and evil will be considered in different locations and in different time periods, at both the microscopic
level of characters (heroes and villains) and/or at the macroscopic level (utopias and dystopias). Readings on the ethical
challenges characters and societies face, and the decisions they make will be used as the basis for oral and written debates
in French.
|
| Offering(s): |
Offered in odd-numbered years. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
FREN*2020, FREN*2060, FREN*2520 |
| Department(s): |
School of Languages and Literatures |
| FREN*3090 Classics of French Literature W (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course offers students the opportunity to engage with texts considered part of the French literary canon. What makes
a literary classic? Why do some texts stand the test of time, while others disappear or are excluded from the canon? Students
will examine these questions and will analyse texts that may range from the plays of Molière and Racine to the novels of recent
francophone Nobel-prize winners.
|
| Offering(s): |
Offered in even-numbered years. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
FREN*2020, FREN*2060, FREN*2520 |
| Department(s): |
School of Languages and Literatures |
| FREN*3110 Storytelling in the Francophone World W (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course focuses on storytelling as a genre of folklore in various francophone traditions (French Canadian and American,
European, Caribbean, African). Students will consider the functions of storytelling in culture and examine the structural
and thematic components of folktales. Students will also explore the nature of storytelling from a performance perspective,
reflecting on the elements that make good communication. Put into practice, storytelling will be used as a pedagogical tool
to develop speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in French.
|
| Offering(s): |
Offered in even-numbered years. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
FREN*2020, FREN*2060, FREN*2520 |
| Department(s): |
School of Languages and Literatures |
| FREN*3130 Representing the Self F (3-0) [0.50] |
| By examining a variety of texts told by a real or fictional ‘I’, this course will explore such literary concerns as believable
and unbelievable narrators, biography and autobiography and the construction of the self. Students will put to use their learning
about the construction of the self in creating their own first person narrative in French.
|
| Offering(s): |
Offered in even-numbered years. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
FREN*2020, FREN*2060, FREN*2520 |
| Department(s): |
School of Languages and Literatures |
| FREN*3140 Women in Literature, Art and Film W (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course will study French or Francophone women as creators of literary, artistic and filmic works or might take the representation
of women in literature, art or film as its focus. Drawing on specific contemporary theories, we will study representations
of women’s place, of the female body, class and linguistic identity, and of the creation of artistic work. Particular attention
will be paid to the relationship between the personal and the socio-political spheres, sexual difference, and gender roles.
|
| Offering(s): |
Offered in odd-numbered years. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
FREN*2020, FREN*2060, FREN*2520 |
| Department(s): |
School of Languages and Literatures |
| FREN*3160 Songs, Lyrics and Poetry in French F (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course will provide students with the opportunity to explore the cultural richness of song lyrics and poetry in the Francophone
world. By engaging with a variety of songs including, but not limited to: traditional folk, political songs (“chansons engagées”),
hip-hop to “World music”, students will explore several facets of this complex subject.
|
| Offering(s): |
Offered in even-numbered years. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
FREN*2020, FREN*2060, FREN*2520 |
| Department(s): |
School of Languages and Literatures |
| FREN*3170 Fictions of Childhood F (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course will examine the classics of francophone children’s literature (for example, works by Perrault, la Comtesse de
Ségur, Jules Verne, or Goscinny) and take into account representations of children or childhood in autobiographical texts,
novels or film. Students will address questions such as: How did children's literature develop as a separate genre? What are
the characteristics of the various types of writing for children (fairy tales, adventure fiction, novels of school and home,
fantasy)? What is the function of a child narrator in novels for children or adults?
|
| Offering(s): |
Offered in even-numbered years. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
FREN*2020, FREN*2060, FREN*2520 |
| Department(s): |
School of Languages and Literatures |
| FREN*3500 French Translation II F (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course introduces students to an analysis of the similarities and contrasts between French and English grammar. As well,
the course introduces students to analysis of various literary styles, and to their application in written translation.
|
| Offering(s): |
Offered in odd-numbered years. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
FREN*2500 |
| Department(s): |
School of Languages and Literatures |
| FREN*3700 Experiential Learning and Language S,F,W (0-0) [0.50] |
| This course provides an opportunity for independent study based on an experiential project in French Studies. The project
(approximately 70 hours) must be approved by a faculty member in the School of Languages and Literatures. It will include
research about experiential learning, a reflective piece of writing and a public oral presentation about the project.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
10.00 credits including 1.50 credits in French Studies. |
| Restriction(s): |
A minimum cumulative average of 70% in all French Studies course attempts. Instructor consent required. |
| Department(s): |
School of Languages and Literatures |
| FREN*4010 The Art of Adaptation F (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course examines the relationship between source text and its adaptation(s). The art of adaptation will be addressed through
theories of authorship, identity, intertextuality and genre. Students will reflect on the ways artistic creation is achieved
by means of repetition and variation, and will analyse the forms and codes of the traditions that are inherited and often
transgressed.
|
| Offering(s): |
Offered in even-numbered years. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
1.00 credits at the 3000-level in French. |
| Department(s): |
School of Languages and Literatures |
| FREN*4020 Contemporary Francophone Theatre W (3-0) [0.50] |
| The focus of this course is French and Québécois plays by twentieth-century dramatists. The approach to the texts will center
on the social, political, and cultural contexts of the plays as well as representations of class, gender, and the role of
language. The course will look at theatre as text, dramaturgy, spectacle and role-playing, as well as examine the role of
theatre in contemporary society.
|
| Offering(s): |
Offered in odd-numbered years. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
1.00 credits at the 3000-level in French. |
| Restriction(s): |
FREN*3120 |
| Department(s): |
School of Languages and Literatures |
| FREN*4290 Post-Colonial Francophone Fiction W (3-0) [0.50] |
| This is a survey course of the works of 20th-century Francophone writers from Maghreb, Black Africa and the Caribbean.
|
| Offering(s): |
Offered in even-numbered years. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
1.00 credits at the 3000-level in French. |
| Department(s): |
School of Languages and Literatures |
| FREN*4600 Honours Seminar in French Studies F (3-0) [0.50] |
| This course is a seminar on literary genres, movements and themes, or on the French language. |
| Offering(s): |
Offered in odd-numbered years. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
1.00 credits at the 3000-level in French. |
| Department(s): |
School of Languages and Literatures |
| FREN*4740 Research Paper in French Studies I S,F,W (3-0) [0.50] |
| A research paper in French on an approved topic in French literature or language will be required. Individual attention will
be given to methods of research and techniques of writing. This course is intended to serve as an introduction to future research
at the M.A. and Ph.D. levels.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
1.00 credits at the 3000-level in French. |
| Restriction(s): |
70% average in all French Studies course attempts is required, although at least 75% is recommended. Instructor consent required. |
| Department(s): |
School of Languages and Literatures |
| FREN*4770 Research Paper in French Studies II S,F,W (3-0) [0.50] |
| A research paper in French on an approved topic in French literature or language will be required. Individual attention will
be given to methods of research and techniques of writing. This course is intended to serve as an introduction to future research
at the M.A. and Ph.D. levels.
|
| Prerequisite(s): |
FREN*4740 |
| Restriction(s): |
70% average in all French Studies course attempts is required, although at least 75% is recommended. Instructor consent required. |
| Department(s): |
School of Languages and Literatures |
