Francophone History and Cultures details the history of France from its foundations to the present day, and explores the various reasons why France and the French language still influence the world today.
The course also highlights French-speaking countries, regions and communities around the world, reflecting the universal nature of the French language.
Finally, the program examines the future of the French language and culture in the centuries to come.
Grammar: The grammatical prerequisite for this program is Advanced 1 or higher, which means review of all tenses (with a special emphasis on the past tense), as well as other points such as compound relative pronouns, certain prepositional phrases, tense conjunctions, and real and unreal hypotheses.
In this course, sensitive topics such as slavery and colonization will be discussed. You will be notified one week before each relevant class so that you can choose if you would like to attend that specific discussion. In this case, this absence won’t be counted towards your overall attendance. Please see the course plan below to have an idea of the topics that will be discussed in the course.
This 10-week program is offered four times throughout the year.
You can find the schedule for the next session below. Classes will take place online via Microsoft Teams. You will need to have a working microphone for the course. A camera is optional, though encouraged, as it provides a more in-person feel to the class.
The program consists of 2 hours and 15 minutes of weekly classes. Students are granted a certificate upon satisfactory completion of each 10-week program.
Please note that if there is a holiday during the session, there will be no classes on that day. To make up for those classes, there will be a make-up class at the end of the session and/or 15 minutes will be added to each class starting with the second class of the session.
Students who are registering for the first time or who have not attended either of the previous two sessions must complete an assessment of their French skills. The assessment is divided into a written component that students can complete online and, after that, students can book an appointment for a quick oral assessment here.
Course Plan
| Week | Subject |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Discovering the origins of the French language |
| Week 2 | Knowing France during the Middle Ages |
| Week 3 | Talking about Renaissance and the beginning of colonization |
| Week 4 | Understanding how the French language spread out in the world |
| Week 5 | Knowing France during the Revolution era and understanding its culture |
| Week 6 | Understanding the decolonization process that followed the World Wars |
| Week 7 | Knowing the situation of the French language in the Americas |
| Week 8 | Knowing the situation of the French language in Africa |
| Week 9 | Knowing the situation of the French language in Asia and Oceania |
| Week 10 | Imagining the future of the French language |
The course plan is flexible and could be modified during the session without prior notice.
