French (FREN)

An introductory course for students who have not had formal training in French, or not enough to justify their admission to FREN 2201 and 2202 as demonstrated on the placement test. Students who have completed two (2) years of senior high Core French or equivalent are not eligible for enrollment in this course.

This course continues the elementary skill development started in Level I, and is intended for students who have not completed Grade 12 French.

This course delivered in English examines the oral traditions and literary genres of the Francophone world, in particular, those from Asia, Africa, Oceania and the Caribbean. Students will examine traditional rituals, the music and song styles associated with them, contemporary forms of traditional and popular culture, oral traditional narrative, prose, religious texts and poetry. No previous training in French required. This course cannot count towards a French Minor or Major.

A student enrolling in this course should have completed three (3) years of senior high “core” French or already possess an equivalent knowledge of French, as demonstrated on the placement test. This is a general language course for non- or pre-majors with emphasis placed on developing communicative skills. Taught in French.

Taught in French, this general language course continues in the development of the basic skill set studied in Level I, with emphasis on oral functional ability.

This course focuses on improving students ability to understand and produce written texts. It is designed to complement more general French courses by concentrating on the enhancement of reading and writing abilities. The course helps students acquire greater ease of comprehension and expression through study of contemporary texts and application of specific writing techniques.

Taught in French, this is a general language development course at a more intensive level involving oral and written practice and a review of grammar. This is the normal starting point for majors, immersion students, and those having had enriched or extended French programs. Students with more developed skills, including Francophones, start at the 3000 level.

This intensive course further expands the oral and written proficiency standards covered in Level I. Level II must be taken within twelve (12) months of completing Level I. Students with more developed skills, including Francophones, start at the 3000 level.

Students are introduced to Francophone cultures through the medium of film, focusing on French-speaking countries outside of Europe and North America. Students gain a deeper understanding of the cultural legacy of French colonialism and its impact on the contemporary Francophone sociocultural landscape. Taught in English. Class 2 hours and film screening 2 hours.

This course is taught in English. Students are exposed to a variety of sub-genres of French film comedy (slapstick, satire, farce, black humour, and romantic comedy) as well as several of France’s best-known comedic artists. All films are in French with English subtitles; no previous experience in French is necessary. Class 2 hours and lab/screening 2 hours.

Students focus on understanding the key grammatical concepts and their application in writing and translation. The main grammatical points are reviewed with the goal of having a comprehensive, systematic view of French sentence structure, grammatical categories and their functions.

Students continue the systematic study of French, building on the concepts and skills developed in level I. It is required for an all-round development of linguistic competence, as a prerequisite for efficient communication at advanced levels of French.

This course focuses on contemporary French culture, France’s role in the European Union and the country’s efforts to reconcile modern developments and ethnic diversity with tradition. Topics covered include history, politics, education, the arts and gastronomy. Films, TV broadcasts, slides, and magazine and newspaper articles will assist students in developing informed perspectives on French culture. This course is of particular interest to current or prospective French teachers.

This course informs students about present-day life in Quebec. Topics covered include bilingualism, politics, education, the arts and leisure. Students will gain a deeper understanding of and appreciation for contemporary Quebec culture. This course is of particular interest to current or prospective teachers of French.

Students will work on a variety of literary, business and legal texts, both in English and in French. Students will reinforce translation methodology and theory through practical exercises and the analysis of translation in film and print media including subtitled/dubbed films, food labels and bilingual advertisements.

A course for students beyond the intermediate level who wish to improve their pronunciation. Knowledge of intermediate level grammar is assumed.

A course for students beyond the intermediate level who wish to improve their command of written French by engaging in a variety of writing activities involving the production of different types of texts. Knowledge of intermediate level grammar is assumed.

Students develop their ability to express themselves in grammatically correct, oral French. The use of idiomatic and socio-culturally appropriate vocabulary and structures for a variety of communication purposes are emphasized, and serve as a review of French grammar. Audio-visual and electronic resources, as well as interactive technology, may be integrated into class material.

Students will acquire the basic vocabulary and reading skills necessary to understand business correspondence, reports, and articles in French, as well as writing skills to allow written communication in French in a Canadian commercial context.

A selection of modern writing in French drawn from poetry, fables, short stories, drama and novels. The purpose of this course is to teach students to read literary language, to grasp structural relationships, and to interact with various works in terms of theme, character portrayal and style.

A selection of modern writing in French drawn from poetry, fables, short stories, drama and novels. The purpose of this course is to teach students to read literary language, to grasp structural relationships, and to interact with various works in terms of theme, character portrayal and rhetorical devices.

The purpose of this course is to provide an understanding of contemporary francophone literature and thought through exposure to short extracts of literary works. Students are introduced to formal critical analysis of literature. Students examine how a text functions at various levels: intellectual, formal and symbolic, and how the coherence of a literary work reveals itself. Students are provided with an opportunity to learn how to organize a literature assignment (oral and written) and how to ground his/her thinking in the text.

Students use films to explore the history of Africa from the “pre-historic” era to the present times. Based on that knowledge and on future theories, students speculate on the evolution of the African continent, their relationships with the rest of the world, and what it means for the West. Taught in English.

Students examine various Indigenous Canadian literary productions (oral literature, plays, poetry, novels, literary criticism) in French and the sociohistorical and institutional contexts in which they emerged. In a more sociohistorical and political perspective, students examine the challenges of writing in the context of minority literatures, cultures and languages. Key concepts include colonial power relations, resistance and resilience, cultural survival, “writing back” and “writing home”. Other related but equally important concepts include literary reception of texts, and literary institutions. With regards to the aesthetic specificities of these texts, a greater focus is put on the formal characteristics of these texts: characters, plots, and representations of space and time as particular expressions of worldviews. Much emphasis will be put on the inseparable symbolic and formal characteristics which inform these texts.

Students explore how fiction rewrites and reinterprets historical facts in a way that challenges our understanding of African history. Major themes include creative writing as historical evidence, who tells African history and why it matters, how African historiographies subvert Western representations of Africa. Course materials include scholarly articles, museum exhibits and works of fiction that illustrate issues of historical narration, memory, trauma, resistance, and the persistence of the past in the present.

Students are introduced to contemporary Francophone African societies through literature and culture. The reading and discussion of short stories, poetry, drama, films, oral productions, popular songs, cartoons and paintings, enable students to explore the major issues that reflect African 'postcolonial experience': the colonial encounter and its consequences, conflicts between tradition and modernity, gender issues and African identities, the disillusions of independence, migrations, political power and (post)colonial violence.

An examination of speech acts and discursive features of language use found in real situations. Students practice how to structure and manage conversations at an advanced level in order to attain a higher level of oral proficiency. Discussions, debates and oral reports on current events form the central point of this course. Of particular interest to current or prospective teachers of French.

Songs are part of daily life and reflect the evolution of the society in which they are rooted. They also have a genuine poetical value and in this respect, they are timeless. The purpose of this course is two-fold; first, to examine the cultural and historical background behind the works of France’s or the Francophonie’s most prestigious songwriters; second, to analyze the literary value of the lyrics. This course is of particular interest to prospective teachers of French.

A study of some of the major works of the eighteenth century with special emphasis given to Les liaisons dangereuses and the epistolary novel.

A study of some of the major novels of the second half of the nineteenth century and the literary movements which gave them form.

A study of a wide variety of modern short stories (19th and 20th centuries) illustrating the richness of this genre in francophone literature.

This course will provide an introduction to Francophone women’s writing emphasizing the plurality of women’s voices. Along with a historical overview of Francophone women’s writing, students analyze individual texts based on feminist perspectives and methodologies.

A systematic review of the main points of French grammar within the context of a theoretical framework describing the nature and function of different parts of speech and the structure of simple and compound sentences. Strongly recommended for majors.

A systematic review of the main points of French grammar within the context of a theoretical framework describing the nature and function of different parts of speech and the structure of simple and compound sentences. Strongly recommended for majors.

A course designed to increase the students’ knowledge of French beyond vocabulary and grammar and to enable them to grasp the similarities and divergences between French and English. The course involves practice in French/English translation and emphasizes the theoretical aspects of French and English stylistics which aid in establishing a method for translation.

A course designed to increase the students’ knowledge of French beyond vocabulary and grammar and to enable them to grasp the similarities and divergences between French and English. The course involves practice in French/English translation and emphasizes the theoretical aspects of French and English stylistics which aid in establishing a method of translation.

This course will examine the major features which distinguish Canadian French from European French, as well as the characteristics of the different varieties of French spoken in Canada, in particular Acadian and Quebecois French. The relationship between language and society will be studied both as a source of linguistic change and as a determining factor in current speech patterns. Authentic recorded speech samples will be used to illustrate the various aspects studied and will also serve to familiarize students with the French language as spoken in Canada.

A study of selected major works in Quebec literature from 1935 to 1960 in the context of their socio-cultural background.

A study of selected major works in Quebec literature from 1960 to the present in the context of their socio-cultural background.

A study of selected major works in various Franco-Canadian literatures outside Québec: Acadie, Ontario, and Western Canada. Students gain an historical and cultural appreciation of the Francophone communities outside Québec. They also study literary works from a variety of theoretical perspectives.

Popular literature includes genres such as the detective novel, science fiction, and fantasy. Students analyze a combination of mostly 20th century French and Francophone works and come to understand the social background and defining features of some of these genres.

Students study a representative sample of works in French for children and teenagers that are widely read in France and other francophone areas. The course contains a variety of genres which will be studied for their content, artistic merit and sociocultural manifestations. This course is of particular interest to future French teachers.

A study of the important literary movements in French literature from 1900 to the New Novel of the 1950’s.

The course focuses on France’s major authors from the 1980s to the present. The course explores how the traditional literary genres of theatre, poetry and the novel are often replaced by free-form genres, especially in the works of women writers.

Students explore diverse aspects of contemporary French and Francophone cultures and societies through the close analysis of film. Topics include notions of marginality, social exclusion, ethnicity and identity; the impact of multiculturalism and globalization; the role of feminism; and the concepts of “nation” and national cinemas. Class 2 hours and lab/screening 2 hours.

Focusing on context, content and form, students explore African filmmaking practices through (a) discussions of the complexity and originality of African cinema, and (b) analysis of the political and social issues that have become central to African filmmakers. Themes explored throughout the course include (de)colonization and the quest for African identities, migration, globalization and African futures, political governance, postcolonial violence and social justice.

French Honours’ students are required to submit a substantial essay or complete a research project selected and prepared in conjunction with a faculty advisor.

Students use postcolonial theory to explore, through literature, the European adventure and its consequences in French-speaking Africa, and the struggles of African people for self-determination and identity reconstruction. Discussion of key concepts enable students to address the historical, social, cultural, economic, and political factors that shaped postcolonial literatures and theory.

Students examine the history, concepts, contexts, aesthetics, issues, and debates that influence the production and consumption of popular culture in Francophone Africa. Student assess, in return, the power of literature and culture in shaping identities, beliefs, socio-political practices as well as Africa’s relationships with the imperial world. Taught in French.