French Basic Language Program

If you’ve had any prior exposure to French before enrolling at USC and plan on continuing, you’ll need to take the French Placement Exam first.

Otherwise, begin your language journey with FREN 120 (French I) — no experience required!

Then build on your foundation with:

• FREN 150 (French II)

• FREN 220 (French III)
  Once your basics are strong, take your French to the next level with FREN 250 (French IV).

Ready for more?

Explore our exciting upper-level courses designed for advanced and heritage speakers — and discover how far your French can take you!

If you have little or no prior knowledge of French, FREN 120 is the perfect place to start.

This introductory course focuses on developing real-world communication skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing through a fun, interactive, and supportive environment. You’ll practice using French in meaningful contexts and build your confidence through pair and small-group activities.

By the end of the course, you’ll be able to introduce yourself and others, ask and answer basic questions, tell time, discuss the weather, give directions, and talk about your family, friends, interests, daily routines, and activities.

Throughout the semester, you’ll also gain insight into the diverse cultures of France and the Francophone world through authentic materials and an integrated multimedia program that bring the language to life.

This second-semester elementary course is designed for students who have completed French 120 at USC or who have placed into this level through the USC placement exam. The course is conducted entirely in French and uses a fully integrated multimedia program to create an engaging and immersive experience.

The focus is on developing practical, real-world communication skills in a lively and interactive environment. Students explore topics such as holidays, food, travel, health, and modern technology while learning about Francophone cultures in regions including Quebec, West Africa, and beyond through authentic texts and multimedia resources.

Class activities emphasize active participation and collaboration in pairs and small groups. By the end of the course, students will be able to narrate events in the past—talking about childhood, past trips, memorable experiences, and even mishaps—and express ideas about the future, including their studies and plans.

FREN 220 is a third-semester intermediate French course designed to strengthen your ability to communicate effectively in French and to engage with Francophone communities with cultural understanding and confidence.

The course explores themes from sociology (the city, cultural diversity, identity), politics (immigration, globalization, perspectives on France), and the humanities and arts, offering a multidimensional view of French and Francophone cultures.

In the latter part of the semester, students study Albert Camus’s L’Étranger, reading and analyzing the novel in French. The text provides a rich framework for examining France’s colonial history, the theory of the Absurd and existentialist philosophy, the justice system, and methods of literary analysis and close reading that foster critical thinking skills.

Throughout the course, students continue to develop their ability to narrate across all timeframes, express and support opinions, and formulate and present hypotheses with increasing precision and sophistication.

This accelerated course is designed for speakers of Spanish and other Romance languages—whether native speakers or those with at least third-semester proficiency—who wish to fast-track their study of French and add another Romance language to their linguistic repertoire.

FREN 175 combines the content of FREN 120 and FREN 150 into a single semester, covering the same communicative and cultural objectives at an intensive pace. The course emphasizes real-world language use and cultural competence through an engaging, fully integrated multimedia program and authentic materials drawn from France and the wider Francophone world.

Upon successful completion of FREN 175, students may continue their studies in FREN 220, either on campus or through participation in the Maymester programs in Dijon or Martinique.

Students who have completed the language requirement are encouraged to continue their study of French in this intermediate-level course, designed to refine language proficiency and deepen understanding of French and Francophone cultures.

FREN 250 is a seminar-style course organized around a central theme—such as France and Its Others, Youth and Digital Culture, Nation, Language, and Identity in France, or Gastronomy and the Culture of Food. Through the study of films, novels, short texts, music, comics, and audio programs, students continue to develop their speaking, writing, reading, and listening skills in French while engaging critically with cultural and social issues.

Class discussions draw on authentic materials from diverse genres as well as on students’ own perspectives and experiences. Work is done individually, in pairs, and in small groups through meaningful, communicative, and context-based activities that promote fluency, cultural insight, and analytical thinking.