Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2025 - FREN 202 B100

Intermediate French II: Cultures and Communication (3)

Class Number: 4898

Delivery Method: Blended

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 3 – Dec 2, 2025: TBA, TBA
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    FREN 201 or FREN 210 or permission of the Department of French.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

This is the second of two intermediate level courses in French. Through a variety of original material in French (newspaper articles, fictional writings, radio and tv news, as well as other written and audiovisual documents), students will be introduced to francophone cultures, current events, and new vocabulary on topics such as the media, politics, the environment, immigration stories and popular tales. A strong focus will be made on the development of listening skills and oral production, as well as reading and writing. Grammar will be introduced and practiced mostly online with only short review sessions in class and lessons will cover most tenses/modes as well as some complex sentence structures such as relative pronouns and indirect speech. Classes will be taught entirely in French and students will be expected to communicate in French. Students with credit for FREN 211 may not take this course for further credit. Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:

This course has a blended format with both online and in-class activities.

Online activities: explore, learn and practice key concepts.

Students should expect to spend 2-3 hours working on the weekly assigned modules. Module completion is expected by their due date and will count towards your participation grade.

In person tutorials: practice communicative activities and review some pronunciation and grammatical concepts when needed.

Attendance to tutorials is expected and will count towards your participation grade.

Evaluations will be done both online and in class.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

At the end of the course, students will be able to: 

  • understand in some details clear standard speech found in authentic material related to the course topics. (Listening)
  • understand in some details descriptive texts on subjects related to the course topics. (Reading)
  • describe an experience and and express an opinion comprehensibly, with few grammatical errors, accurate vocabulary, clear and well-paced pronunciation. (Spoken production)
  • enter unprepared into conversation on topics that are related to the course content. (Spoken interaction)
  • write a paragraph recounting an experience or expressing an opinion related to the course topics with few grammatical errors and accurate vocabulary. (Writing)
  • interact with authentic language materials like press articles, videos and recordings. (Culture)

Grading

  • Participation in online and class activities 30%
  • Online grammar tests (x3) 10%
  • In class written tests (x2) 20%
  • In class listening tests (x2) 15%
  • In person final oral interview 25%

NOTES:

Although the course is not designed for their particular needs, French immersion students who want to strengthen their language skills are welcome.

Materials

MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:

NO TEXTBOOK! All material will be provided on Canvas.

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Department Undergraduate Notes:

 

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.