Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2026 - FREN 201 B100

Intermediate French I : Cultures and Communication (3)

Class Number: 4767

Delivery Method: Blended

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 5 – Apr 10, 2026: TBA, TBA
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    Grade 12 French or FREN 102 or FREN 122 or permission of the Department of French.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

This is the first of two intermediate level courses in French. Through a variety of original documents in French (descriptive articles, audio-visual interviews and presentations, recorded testimonies from French speakers, …), students will be introduced to francophone cultures and communicative situations related to one’s personal environment such as city life, housing, relationships, education and work. 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. It will cover present, past and future tenses as well as some basic sentence structures. Classes will be taught entirely in French and students will be expected to communicate in French. Students with credit for FREN 210 may not take this course for further credit. Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:

FREN201 is an intermediate level course (B1.1 CEFR level) for those who want to further their mastery of the French written and oral language and explore francophone cultures after completing Grade 12 Core French or introductory level courses. 

Through a variety of authentic documents in French, students will be introduced to francophone cultures and communicative situations related to one’s personal environment such as city life, housing, relationships, education and work.

As an important step towards the B1 level, a strong focus will be made on the development of listening and speaking skills to ease authentic oral communication. Students will also work on their reading and writing skills as well as expand their cultural awareness of the francophone world. Grammar will be introduced and practiced mostly online with only short review sessions in class. It will cover present, past and future tenses as well as some basic sentence elements and structures.

Classes will be taught entirely in French and students will be expected to communicate in French as much as possible.


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 3-4 hours working on the weekly assigned modules. Module completion is expected by their due date and will count towards the participation grade.

In person tutorials: practice communicative activities, review some pronunciation principles, and apply grammatical concepts.

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:

This course prepares students to:

-Understand the main ideas of authentic videos, audio recordings and texts related to daily life in the francophone world.

- Write narrative and descriptive paragraphs in the past, present and future.

- Describe and express their opinion orally on a variety of daily life and intercultural topics.

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:

This course is not intended for French immersion students.
For course placement, contact the French student advisor: french_advisor@sfu.ca

Materials

MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:

NO TEXTBOOK! All course material will be available on Canvas.

REQUIRED READING:

All course documents are available 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.