Individualized study online with Video component (Overseas students, please contact the University Library before registering in a course that has an audio/visual component). Delivered via Brightspace.
Credits:
3
Areas of study:
Arts or Humanities
Prerequisites:
FREN 100 or recent completion of French 20 (or two years of senior high school French or equivalent). A good knowledge of English grammar is essential.
Course start date:
If you are a:
Self-funded student: register by the 10th of the month, start on the 1st of the next.
FREN 101 continues the study of the basic elements of the French language acquired in FREN 100. Oral and written skills are developed through the study of vocabulary, grammar, and idiomatic expressions. This course will enable students to speak and write in simple French in a range of everyday situations. A basic knowledge of English grammar is very important since FREN 101 contains a major grammar component.
Outline
The Chez Nous textbook covers the basic grammar component of FREN 101 and includes:
the -ir verbs
reflexive verbs in the passé composé
the use of the imparfait together with the passé composé
questions with qui and que
the verbs vouloir , pouvoir, devoir, and venir
prepositions with names of countries, towns, cities, etc.
depuis with expressions of time
the futur simple
direct and indirect pronouns
the use of the conditional tense
relative pronouns
object pronouns
questions with quel
the pronoun y
the verbs connaitre and savoir
irregular verb conjugations and the use of prepositions
the subjunctive
FREN 101 also follows the second half of the French in Action textbook, encompassing: Encounters, Occupations, Education, and Getting Around.
Both Chez Nous and French in Action form the basic vocabulary building component of FREN 101.
Learning outcomes
When you have completed French 101, you will be able to achieve the following in French:
Write simple sentences that are grammatically and structurally correct.
Speak and write about
where you live: city life and country life
cultural diversity in the Francophone world
events and situations in the past
weather and vacation activities
your origins, beliefs, opinions, feelings, and values
cultural activities
travel in general
making travel plans
French/Francophone tourism
important tourist sites in France and elsewhere
significant life events
diversity and identity in the Francophone world
your health and well-being
environmental and ecological concerns
arts and media
Evaluation
To receive credit for FREN 101, students must complete and submit all five written assignments and achieve a minimum weighted average of 50%, as well as a minimum grade of 50% on the final written examination. Students must also complete and submit all four oral assignments and achieve a minimum weighted average of 50%, and a minimum grade of 50% on the final oral examination. Students must achieve a minimum course composite grade of D (50 percent).
Activity
Weight
4 Written Assignments (6% each)
24%
1 Composition Assignment
6%
4 Oral Assignments (3% each)
12%
Final Oral Examination
8%
Final Written Examination
50%
Total
100%
The final examination for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Capretz, Pierre J., with Barry Lydgate, Béatrice Abetti, and Marie-Odile Germain. French in Action: A Beginning Course in Language and Culture: The Capretz Method Part 1. 3rd ed. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2012. (Print)
Scullen, Mary Ellen, et al. Chez nous: Branché sur le monde francophone. 5th ed., LingroLearning Publishers, 2024. (Online)
Other materials
All other course materials can be accessed online.
Special Course Feature
Each lesson in the French in Action textbook has a corresponding video component that students are required to watch. Students can watch these videos online or borrow them from Athabasca University Library.
Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized study counterparts.