French as a Second Language

 

Minor, Certificate and Attestation in French as a Second Language

Introduction

All non-Francophone students who have obtained a minimum of BBB on the Public Service Commission (PSC) Second Language Evaluation (SLE) but did not obtain more than one E can register for the Minor, Certificate, and Attestation in French as a Second Language.

Important: Only students with a minimum BBB profile not containing more than one E will be allowed to register for these programmes.

Programme Requirements

Important: Achieving the BBB bilingualism rating automatically earns one credit in the minor, the certificate and the attestion in French as a Second Language only; it cannot be used as a credit in any other programme.

Minor (eight credits)

  • BBB Language Profile (one credit in this minor; cannot be used as a credit in any other programme)

Two mandatory credits

  • FLF202 : Expression et compréhension écrites
  • FLF203 : Expression et compréhension orales

Five optional credits

Certificate (six credits)

  • BBB Language Profile (one credit in this certificate; cannot be used as a credit in any other programme)

Two mandatory credits

  • FLF202 : Expression et compréhension écrites
  • FLF203 : Expression et compréhension orales

Three optional credits

Three credits selected from the list of optional courses.

Attestation (four credits)

  • BBB Language Profile (one credit in this attestation; cannot be used as a credit in any other programme)

Two mandatory credits

  • FLF202 : Expression et compréhension écrites
  • FLF203 : Expression et compréhension orales

One optional credit

One credit selected from the list of optional courses.

List of optional courses

  • FLF301 : Compréhension écrite
  • FLF302 : Expression écrite
  • FLF303 : Expression orale
  • FLF304 : Compréhension orale
  • FLF402 : Le récit court
  • FLF431 : La représentation de la guerre en littérature
  • FLF432 : La représentation des conflits au théâtre
  • FLF433 : La guerre : médias et témoignage
  • FLF450 : Argumentation et persuasion
  • FLF470 : Actualité et multimédia
  • FLF472 : La francophonie au Canada

Course Descriptions

Important: Courses will be offered by the Department of French Language, Literature and Culture in collaboration with the Language Centre (two-thirds/one-third respectively). The Department of French Language, Literature and Culture will focus on cultural content (literary, social, historical, etc.) and the Language Centre will focus on language (grammar, syntax, vocabulary, pronunciation).
These courses are open to all non-Francophone students who have obtained a minimum of BBB on the Public Service Commission (PSC) Second Language Evaluation (SLE) but did not obtain more than one E.

200-level Courses

FLF202 Expression et compréhension écrites

This course aims to improve students’ reading comprehension through attentive and analytical reading as well as develop their written expression by having them compose relatively simple texts in a variety of forms. By taking into account various situations involving written communication, students will acquire context-specific vocabulary and become more proficient with grammar, especially tense sequence and verbal mood.

Contact Hours:
3 - 0 - 6
Credit(s):
1

FLF203 Expression et compréhension orales

The goal of this course is to improve students’ oral communication skills, in terms of both comprehension and expression. Students will listen to a wide variety of audio material from a range of sources and genres and will learn to better grasp the content and its nuances. They will also practise giving oral presentations with set objectives in mind. Those two types of exercises—comprehension and expression—will enable them to recognize and formulate complex sentences and pay attention to tense sequence and verbal mood.

Contact Hours:
3 - 0 - 6
Credit(s):
1

300-level Courses

FLF301 Compréhension écrite

The goal of this course is to develop students’ comprehension of texts of moderate difficulty through reading and analytical exercises. The texts will be in different genres (summaries, critiques, reports, etc) and will cover a variety of topics (literary, historical, social, etc). At the end of the course, students will be able to identify the different elements that give a written text its structure, be familiar with the different types of sentences, have a better grasp of syntax, and possess a relatively complex vocabulary.

Contact Hours:
3 - 0 - 6
Credit(s):
1

FLF302 Expression écrite

The goal of this course is to develop students’ ability to express themselves in writing by having them compose texts of varying degrees of difficulty, based on their individual needs. Students will be required to write different types of essays (descriptive, narrative, argumentative, explanatory, etc) on a range of subjects related to culture, current affairs, and more. Through numerous writing exercises and constructive feedback, they will acquire a relatively complex vocabulary, know how to use different verbal moods and tenses, and be able to handle logical relationships (cause, aim, condition, etc.).

Contact Hours:
3 - 0 - 6
Credit(s):
1

FLF303 Expression et compréhension orales

In this course, students will practise producing messages that are specific to different speaking contexts. By the end of the course, students will have improved their speaking skills, enriched their knowledge of syntax and verbal moods and tenses, and be able to handle the logical relationships between the different parts of speech that structure thought.

Contact Hours:
3 - 0 - 6
Credit(s):
1

FLF304 Compréhension orale

The goal of this course is to improve listening comprehension. Students will listen to different types of audio and audio-visual content (newsletters, reports, conferences, testimonials, songs, short stories, monologues, etc.). At the end of the course, they will have developed their listening and analytical skills and deepened their knowledge of grammar concepts such as comparison, negation and active and passive voices.

Contact Hours:
3 - 0 - 6
Credit(s):
1

400-level Courses

FLF402 Le récit court

Through the study of short stories, both fiction (short story, tale, fable) and non-fiction (autobiographical narrative), students will learn about literary history and narratology in order to better understand modern culture. Through text analysis and creative exercises, students will develop their communication skills both orally and in writing.

Contact Hours:
3 - 0 - 6
Credit(s):
1

FLF431 La représentation de la guerre en littérature

This course is aimed at deepening students’ understanding of written and spoken French by having them read fictional and non-fictional works and listen to recordings. By analyzing written texts and audio and audio-visual documents, writing reports and presenting lectures, students will enrich their vocabulary, syntax and ways of expressing themselves on the topic of war. At the end of the course, students will be able to better understand war literature and identify different points of view. They will be able to express themselves clearly and coherently on the subject, both orally and in writing.

Contact Hours:
3 - 0 - 6
Credit(s):
1

FLFF432 La représentation des conflits au théâtre

By having students read and view plays or a few key play excerpts, this course will explore conflict, dilemma, and the concept of heroism. It will situate the plays in their social, historical or political context and will highlight their cultural or mythological references as well as their stylistic composition. At the end of the course, students will be able to identify the ethical and ideological issues that the dramatic genre evokes through the representation of conflict.

Contact Hours:
3 - 0 - 6
Credit(s):
1

FLF433 La guerre : médias et témoignage

This course examines stories, testimonials and reports about the experience of war, genocide or other extreme situations. By reading and listening to excerpts or entire documents, students will deepen their knowledge on these subjects, distinguish between fact and opinion, and analyze objectivity and subjectivity, which are intimately linked to the field covered. Students will perfect their speaking and writing abilities with the help of exercises on connectors and stylistic devices, and they will focus on expressing themselves clearly and coherently.

Contact Hours:
3 - 0 - 6
Credit(s):
1

FLF450 Argumentation et persuasion

Through the analysis of political debates, opinion speeches and advertisements, this course will focus on examining the art of persuasion and the key underlying concepts. Students will analyze the use of those devices within a debate, a plea, deliberative discourse or invective, for example. They will also be taught how to distinguish between literal and figurative meanings and to evaluate the weight that words carry and determine their scope and potential to be convincing. Through oral presentations or written texts, the student will practise different types of oratory and apply various rhetorical techniques.

Contact Hours:
3 - 0 - 6
Credit(s):
1

FLF470 Actualité et multimédia

This course is aimed at developing students’ understanding of the polemics, controversies and debates that fuel the French-language media on various current topics. It will involve reading and listening to key facts, news stories, interviews, newspaper articles, essays and reports, among other things. Students will determine the intention behind those types of speech and learn about their means of expression. They will develop their knowledge of Francophone culture, levels of language, vocabulary, and certain verb tenses and moods.

Contact Hours:
3 - 0 - 6
Credit(s):
1

FLF472 La francophonie au Canada

The goal of the course is to allow students to acquire knowledge of the Canadian Francophonie and some of its cultural, literary, historical and political aspects. Students will analyze texts from various genres: realistic works, opinion pieces, travel stories, etc. By the end of the course, students will have acquired both a deeper understanding of French-Canadian culture and a greater ability to express themselves in an adequate and nuanced manner, both orally and in writing.

Contact Hours:
3 - 0 - 6
Credit(s):
1
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