AP/FR 1081 3.00
French Culture through the Written Word (CEFR B1)
* As of Summer 2026
This course, at the CEFR B1 level, is intended for students with grade 12 French or equivalent and is mandatory for students majoring or minoring in French. Students acquire a foundation in cultural knowledge while enhancing their writing and comprehension skills through the study of a variety of university-level texts.
The central objective of this course is to provide the foundation in reading, writing and grammar required to successfully pursue upper-level courses in French. Students build the following skills: reading journalistic, scholarly and literary texts in French with the level of comprehension and attention to detail required for undergraduate study; understanding the underlying logic of French grammar in order to improve their language ability through autonomous study outside of class; applying this knowledge to write correctly, and to proofread their own texts and the texts of others; gaining an elementary grounding in the cultural knowledge required to understand the modern Francophone world, including essential themes, historical figures and movements; and becoming familiar with a number of methodological tools relevant to language learning specifically, and to academic study more generally.
Prerequisites: AP/FR 1004 3.0 (with a minimum grade of C), or AP/FR 0130 6.0 (with a minimum grade of C), or AP/FR 1030 6.0 (with a minimum grade of C), or GL/FRAN 1830 3.0 (with a minimum grade of C), or GL/FRAN 1330 3.0 (with a minimum grade of C), or by placement test.
Course credit exclusions: AP/FR 1080 6.0, GL/FRAN 1835 3.0, GL/FRAN 2805 6.00.
Notes: Please note that if you have never taken a course with the Department of French Studies you must first complete a French placement test before enrolling in this course.