Last updated: April 2, 2013 @ 03:16PM

French Studies

This program is offered through the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures

Chair
Tamara El-Hoss

Academic Adviser
Liz Hay

General Information

Administrative Assistant
Cora Solway

905-688-5550, extension 3312
Mackenzie Chown A240
brocku.ca/modernlanguages

The Department aims to provide students with a thorough and comprehensive knowledge of spoken and written French, as well as French and Francophone literatures and cultures. In addition to the courses taught in French, the Department offers a series of courses taught in English (designated SCLC) that may be acceptable for credit toward a degree in French Studies.

The Department favours and facilitates participation by students of French at all levels in Spring/Summer French immersion programs offered in France and Québec.

The Department does not recognize challenge for credit nor on-line or distance education courses offered by other institutions.

Program Notes
  1. Students with Ontario 4U/M standing or equivalent in French take FREN 1F90, and may not take FREN 1F00 or 1F50 without permission of the Department. Permission is granted only in the most exceptional cases. Français and Immersion students may take FREN 2F00 and 2F03 with permission of the Department; normally, they take FREN 1F90.
  2. Students without Ontario 4U/M standing or equivalent take FREN 1F00 or 1F50 according to their background. Students with Ontario grade 9 French or equivalent or less take FREN 1F00. Those with Ontario grade 10/11 or equivalent take FREN 1F50. Those with FREN 1F00 who intend to take FREN 1F90 take FREN 1F50.
  3. FREN 1F00 and 1F50 are introductory language courses. Students who register in any of these courses must submit an official high school transcript to the instructor as proof of their level of competence in order to receive Departmental confirmation of registration before the end of the second week of classes (see Undergraduate Academic Calendar). Failure to do so will result in deregistration from the course.
  4. Unless otherwise stated in the course description, courses numbered 2(alpha)00 or above are taught in French while courses numbered 1F90 and below are taught in French to the extent possible.
  5. FREN 1F00 and 1F50 may be taken for degree credit, but cannot be used to meet requirements for major programs in French. However, FREN 1F50 may be included in a minor program in French.
  6. French courses numbered 1F00, 1F50, 1F90, 2F00, 3P03 and 4P03 constitute a sequence. Once credit has been obtained in one of these courses, students are not allowed to take for credit a course in this sequence with a lower number. Students may not take two courses at different levels in the sequence during the same term. This regulation also applies to courses taken at other institutions.
  7. Departmental courses noted as given in English may be included in major programs. Single Honours programs may include no more than two and one-half credits in such courses; single Pass programs may include no more than one and one-half credits in such courses; combined Pass programs may include no more than one credit in such courses. Combined Honours programs may include no more than one and one-half credits in such courses. If both combined Honours programs are chosen, from French Studies, Iberian and Latin American Studies or Italian Studies, one and one-half credits in each language is allowed.
  8. The Department reserves the right to refuse admission to and/or credit for any of its language courses to a student who has, in the view of the Department, a level of competence unsuited to that course.
  9. In 20 credit degree programs a maximum of eight credits may be numbered 1(alpha)00 to 1(alpha)99; at least three credits must be numbered 2(alpha)90 or above; at least three credits must be numbered 3(alpha)90 or above; and the remaining credits must be numbered 2(alpha)00 or above.
    In 15 credit degree programs a maximum of eight credits may be numbered 1(alpha)00 to 1(alpha)99; at least three credits must be numbered 2(alpha)90 or above; and the remaining credits must be numbered 2(alpha)00 or above.
    In some circumstances, in order to meet university degree and program requirements, more than 15 or 20 credits may be taken.

Honours Program

Year 1
·   FREN 1F90 (see program note 1)
·   one Sciences context credit
·   one Social Sciences context credit
·   two elective credits

Year 2
·   FREN 2F00 and 2F03
·   one FREN or SCLC credit numbered 2(alpha)00 or above (see program note 7)
·   two elective credits

Year 3
·   FREN 3P03
·   two and one-half FREN or SCLC credits numbered 3(alpha)00 or above (see program note 7)
·   two elective credits

Year 4
·   FREN 4P03
·   one FREN or SCLC credit numbered 3(alpha)00 or above (see program note 7)
·   two and one-half FREN or SCLC credits numbered 4(alpha)00 or above (see program note 7)
·   one elective credit

Concurrent BA (Honours)/BEd

The Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures and the Faculty of Education co-operate in offering a Concurrent five-year BA (Honours)/BEd program. The French Studies BA (Honours)/BEd program combines the BA Honours program with the teacher education program for students interested in teaching at the Intermediate/Senior level (grades 7-12.) Refer to the Education - Concurrent BA (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior) program listing for further information.

Pass Program

Satisfactory completion of the first three years of the Honours program entitles a student to apply for a Pass degree.

Combined Major Program

Students may take a combined major in French Studies and a second discipline. For requirements in the other discipline, the student should consult the relevant department/centre. It should be noted that not all departments/centres provide a combined major option.

Honours

Year 1
·   FREN 1F90 (see program note 1)
·   one credit from the co-major discipline
·   one Sciences context credit
·   one Social Sciences context credit
·   one elective credit

Year 2
·   FREN 2F00 and 2F03
·   two credits from the co-major discipline
·   one elective credit

Year 3
·   FREN 3P03
·   two FREN or SCLC credits numbered 3(alpha)00 or above (see program note 7)
·   two credits from the co-major discipline
·   one-half elective credit

Year 4
·   FREN 4P03
·   one FREN or SCLC credit numbered 3(alpha)00 or above (see program note 7)
·   one FREN or SCLC credit numbered 4(alpha)00 or above (see program notes 7 and 9)
·   two credits from the co-major discipline
·   one-half elective credit

Pass

Satisfactory completion of the first three years of the Honours program entitles a student to apply for a Pass degree.

Minor in French Studies

Students in other disciplines may obtain a Minor in French within their degree program by completing the following courses with a minimum 60 percent overall average:
·   FREN 1F90 and 2F00
·   one FREN credit (see program note 5)
·   one FREN literature and/or culture credit numbered 2(alpha)00 or above

Course Descriptions

Note: not all courses are offered in every session. Refer to the applicable term timetable for details.

# Indicates a cross listed course
* Indicates primary offering of a cross-listed course

Prerequisites and Restrictions

Students must check to ensure that prerequisites are met. Students may be deregistered, at the request of the instructor, from any course for which prerequisites and/or restrictions have not been met.
FREN 1F00
Introductory French I
Basic grammar; acquisition of fundamental reading, writing, oral expression and comprehension skills.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Note: for students with limited or no background in French. Students with Ontario grade 10, 11, 4U/M French or equivalent, may not take this course.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in FREN 1F01, 1P01 and 1P02.

FREN 1F50
Introductory French II
Grammar study; development of reading, writing, oral expression and comprehension skills.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): Ontario Grade 10 French, Grade 11 French, FREN 1F00 or permission of the course co-ordinator.
Note: students with 4U/M French or equivalent may not take this course.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in FREN 1F01 and 1P03.

FREN 1F90
Intermediate French
Grammar review; literary, cultural and journalistic readings; practice in reading, writing, oral expression and comprehension.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): one of FREN 1F50, 4U/M French, Français, French immersion or equivalent or permission of the course co-ordinator.
Note: students must obtain a minimum 65 percent in FREN 1F90 in order to enrol in year 2 French courses.

FREN 2F00
Grammar and Composition
Intensive grammar review; literary expression; composition; critical written and oral expression.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 1F90 (minimum 65 percent).

FREN 2F03
Literature and Culture: The French-Speaking World
Literature in its cultural contexts. Works from different genres, historical periods and cultural traditions. Dissertation, technical vocabulary, rhetorical terminology and interpretative concepts.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 1F90 (minimum 65 percent).
Corequisite(s): FREN 2F00.
Note: students may not concurrently register in FREN 2F03 and any French course numbered 3(alpha)00 or higher.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in any French literature course numbered 3(alpha)00 or higher.

FREN 2P10
Introduction to the Linguistic Study of French
Basic concepts of linguistics through analysis of contemporary French as it is spoken and written throughout the francophone world. Topics may include phonetics, phonology, morphology, lexicology, syntax and semantics.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 1F90 (minimum 65 percent).

FREN 2P44
Children's Literature in French: The Picture Book and Beyond
Selection of texts representative of a variety of genres, including the picture book, fairytale, short story and novel emphasizing the contemporary period. Theory of children's literature. Picture books from France and other francophone regions emphasizing the contemporary period; theory of the picture book and its use in the classroom.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Corequisite(s): FREN 2F00.

FREN 2P55
Francophone Cultures and Civilizations
Ideological, historical and cultural aspects of Francophone societies. Topics may include colonialism, issues in language, literature, the arts and gender.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Corequisite(s): FREN 2F00.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in FREN 2P95.

FREN 2P57
Phonetics and Phonology
Sound patterns of French. Articulatory, auditory and acoustic properties of human speech. Phonemic and non-phonemic (stress, intonation, rhythm) features.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; language lab, 1 hour per week.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 1F90 (minimum 65 percent).
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in FREN 2P98.

FREN 2P65
Culture and Civilization of France to 1700
Art, music, architecture and aesthetics to 1700; intellectual trends; history, politics and society.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Corequisite(s): FREN 2F00.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in FREN 2P99.

FREN 3P03
Composition and Stylistics
Advanced grammar and stylistics of contemporary French. Applications to composition.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 2F00 and 2F03.

FREN 3P05
Introduction to Business French
Development of oral and written skills for use of French in business transactions and communications. Developing business vocabulary, focusing on correspondence formulae and terminology.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 2F00 or permission of instructor.

FREN 3P45
Nineteenth-Century French Literature to 1850
Romanticism, Parnasse and other currents. Texts chosen from various genres. Authors may include Stendhal, Balzac, Vigny, Lamartine, Hugo, Musset.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 2F00 and 2F03.

FREN 3P53
Twentieth-Century French Literature to 1935
Ideological and aesthetic perspectives. Texts chosen from various genres. Authors may include Proust, Gide, Claudel, Apollinaire, Breton.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 2F00 and 2F03.

FREN 3P65
Culture and Civilization of France from 1700 to the Present
Art, music, architecture and aesthetics from the beginning of the 18th century to the present; intellectual trends; history, politics and society.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 2F00 and 2F03.

FREN 3P73
Canadian Literature in French to 1939
Analysis of major texts chosen from various genres. Historical, sociological and ideological perspectives.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 2F00 and 2F03.

FREN 3P74
Canadian Literature in French from 1939 to 1960
Analysis of major texts chosen from various genres. Historical, sociological and ideological perspectives.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 2F00 and 2F03.

FREN 3P81
Seventeenth-Century French Literature
Baroque and Classicism; the "Grand Siècle" of Louis XIV. Texts chosen from various genres. Authors may include Corneille, Molière, Racine, Mme de La Fayette, La Fontaine, Pascal, Descartes.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 2F00 and 2F03.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in FREN 3P91.

FREN 3P82
Eighteenth-Century French Literature
Narrative, theatre and philosophical writing; critical voices, ideological concerns. Authors may include Montesquieu, Marivaux, Voltaire, Diderot, Rousseau, Beaumarchais, Laclos.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 2F00 and 2F03.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in FREN 3P92.

FREN 3P83
African Literature in French
French-language literary works of Africa. Historical, cultural, ideological and theoretical concerns. Authors may include Ahmadou Kourouma, Ousmane Sembène, Aminata Sow Fall.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 2F00 and 2F03.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in FREN 3P93.

FREN 3P84
Caribbean Literature in French
French-language literary works of the Caribbean. Historical, cultural, ideological and theoretical concerns. Authors may include Maryse Condé, René Depestre, Patrick Chamoiseau.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 2F00 and 2F03.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in FREN 3P94.

FREN 3P85
French Literature and Culture in Film
New Wave and popular cinema; adaptations of French novels; critical texts. Directors may include Godard, Truffaut, Resnais, Rohmer, Wargnier, Chabrol, Berri, Duras.
Lectures, 3 hours per week, plus film lab.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 2F00 and 2F03.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in FREN 3P95.

FREN 3P87
Maghrebian Literature in French
French-language literary works of the Maghreb via novels and short stories by Francophone writers from Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. Authors may include Tahar Ben Jelloun, Driss Chraibi, Assia Djebar, Albert Memmi.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 2F00 and 2F03.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in FREN 3P97.

FREN 3P88
Swiss and Belgian Literature in French since 1830
Evolution of Nationalism, Regionalism, Symbolism and Surrealism. Belgian authors may include Emile Verhaeren, Maurice Maeterlinck and Amélie Nothomb. Swiss authors may include Jacques Chessex, Philippe Monnier and Virgile Rossel.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 2F00 and 2F03.

FREN 3P89
Contemporary Canadian Theatre in French
Background and traditions; analysis of selected plays and study of current directions.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 2F00 and 2F03.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in FREN 3P96.

FREN 4P03
Linguistic Approach to Textual Analysis
Syntax and semantics of French; theoretical applications to textual analysis of literary genres.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to FREN majors with a minimum 70 percent major average, FREN minors with a minimum 70 percent minor average or permission of instructor.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 2F03, 3P03 and one-half credit (taught in French) in literature numbered 3(alpha)00 or above.

FREN 4P04
Translation II: Applications
Lexical, morphological, syntactic and semantic interrelationships between source text and target text; application of translation methodologies to a variety of texts.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 3P03 or permission of instructor.

FREN 4P12
Medieval French Literature
Texts chosen from various genres (chanson de geste, roman, lai, fabliau, canso, ballade, jeu). Notion of authorship. Introduction to Old French.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 2F03; two FREN or SCLC credits numbered 3(alpha)00 or above, with at least one-half credit (taught in French) in literature.

FREN 4P20
Sixteenth-Century Literature
Humanism within the French Renaissance. Notions of imitation and subjectivity. Authors may include Rabelais, Du Bellay, Ronsard, Marguerite de Navarre, Montaigne.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 2F03; two FREN or SCLC credits numbered 3(alpha)00 or above, with at least one-half credit (taught in French) in literature.

FREN 4P44
Nineteenth-Century French Literature after 1850
Realism, Naturalism, Symbolism. Texts chosen from various genres. Authors may include Flaubert, Zola, Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Verlaine, Mallarmé.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 2F03; two FREN or SCLC credits numbered 3(alpha)00 or above, with at least one-half credit (taught in French) in literature.

FREN 4P55
Twentieth-Century French Literature from 1935 to 1970
Ideological and aesthetic perspectives. Texts chosen from various genres. Authors may include Malraux, Camus, Sartre, Giraudoux, Robbe-Grillet, Beckett, Char.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 2F03; two FREN or SCLC credits numbered 3(alpha)00 or above, with at least one-half credit (taught in French) in literature.

FREN 4P56
French Literature after 1970
Contemporary aesthetic movements. Texts chosen from various genres. Authors may include Le Clézio, Yourcenar, Tournier, Bonnefoy, Modiano, Duras.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 2F03; two FREN or SCLC credits numbered 3(alpha)00 or above, with at least one-half credit (taught in French) in literature.

FREN 4P75
Canadian Literature in French after 1960
Texts from various genres representing major aesthetic movements.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 2F03; two FREN or SCLC credits numbered 3(alpha)00 or above, with at least one-half credit (taught in French) in literature.

FREN 4P79
Text and Image in Literature in French
Contemporary literary texts that include photographs. Theoretical and aesthetic aspects. May include Roland Barthes, Nicole Brossard, Sophie Calle, Annie Ernaux and Michel Tournier.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 2F03; two FREN or SCLC credits numbered 3(alpha)00 or above, with at least one half-credit (taught in French) in literature.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in FREN 4V79.

FREN 4P80
"Beur" Literature and Film
"Beur" phenomenon in France via novels and film. Historical, cultural, ideological and theoretical concerns. Authors may include Azouz Begag, Nina Bouraoui, Mehdi Charef, Soraya Nini and Leila Sebbar.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 2F03, two FREN or SCLC credits numbered 3(alpha)00 or above, with at least one-half credit (taught in French) in literature.

FREN 4P92
Research Project
Independent research project under the supervision of a faculty member.
Restriction: permission of the Department.

FREN 4P96
Critical Theory and Methodology
Approaches to literary criticism: sociological, phenomenological, psychoanalytic approaches; structuralism, semiotics, narratology, deconstruction. Bibliographical research.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 2F03; two FREN or SCLC credits numbered 3(alpha)00 or above, with at least one-half credit (taught in French) in literature.

FREN 4V60-4V99
Special Research Topics in French Literature
Course content will vary, depending upon the research and interests of instructors.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): FREN 2F03; two FREN or SCLC credits numbered 3(alpha)00 or above, with at least one-half credit (taught in French) in literature.