French Language Courses

French I (FREN 120)

This course is designed for students who have studied no French or have placed into this level through the USC placement exam. The course meets for four hours per week and is taught entirely in French. The course has a fully integrated multimedia program (electronic workbook with audio, video, chapter exercises, and activities plus a related website with pronunciation and grammar practice).

The focus of the course is on building real-life communicative skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing in a fun and dynamic environment. You will learn to ask basic questions, tell time, give directions, greet other people, and describe family, friends, interests, activities, and everyday life. The study of France and other Francophone cultures is also integrated into the language learning. This is a great class for beginners.

French Course-Level Outcomes: First Semester (FREN-120)

Interpretive (listening and reading): You will be able to identify and understand words, phrases and simple sentences related to everyday life, and to recognize pieces of information and sometimes the main topic of short level-appropriate authentic texts. By the end of the semester, you will be able to:

Identify information from some questions and statements about self and others;
Recognize some facts about the weather with visual support;
Recognize information from physical descriptions;
Extract basic information from simple schedules, brochures, and advertisements;
Identify some similarities and differences between your culture and some French-speaking cultures.

Interpersonal: You will be able to communicate on very familiar topics using a variety of words and phrases that you have practiced and memorized. By the end of the semester, you will be able to:

Greet and take leave of people in a culturally appropriate way;
Introduce yourself and others;
Talk about yourself, your family and others both physically and with regards to character;
Communicate basic information about yourself, others, and your everyday life (e.g., likes and dislikes; daily activities and schedule; residence and neighborhood; household tasks; time, dates, and weather);
Answer a variety of simple questions on familiar topics.

Presentational (speaking and writing): You will be able to present information about yourself and some very familiar topics using language you have practiced, using phrases and simple sentences. By the end of the semester, you will be able to:

Present information about yourself, family and friends;
Express likes and dislikes;
Present information about familiar items in your immediate environment (e.g., house, campus, city);
Present your daily activities (e.g., schedule, weekend).

French II (FREN 150)

This second-semester elementary course is for students who have taken French 120 at USC or have placed into this level through the USC placement exam. The class meets four hours per week and is taught entirely in French. The course has a fully integrated multimedia program (electronic workbook with audio, video, chapter exercises and activities plus a related website with pronunciation and grammar practice).

The focus of the curse is on building real-life communicative skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing in a fun, dynamic environment. The course covers such topics as food, travel, health, modern technology, and integrates information about Quebec, West Africa, and other Francophone cultures.Students actively interact with each other in pairs or small groups. In this course you will learn to narrate in the present, past, future, to use direct and indirect object pronouns, order a meal, read a recipe, and plan a trip.

French Course-Level Outcomes: Second Semester (FREN-150)

Interpretive (listening and reading): You will be able to identify the main idea in short simple messages and presentations on familiar topics, and to determine the main idea and some supporting details of simple level-appropriate oral and written authentic texts. By the end of the semester, you will be able to:

Identify the basic purpose of a message;
Extract information from messages related to your basic needs;
Respond to statements and questions on everyday topics;
Identify some information from news media;
Identify some characteristics, places and events of importance to the French-speaking world;
Give examples of similarities and differences between your culture and French-speaking cultures.

Interpersonal: You will be able to participate in conversations on a number of familiar topics using simple sentences. By the end of the semester, you will be able to:

Start, maintain and close conversations on a number of everyday topics (e.g., hobbies, interests, family, studies, work);
Ask and answer questions on factual information that is familiar to you;
Provide some information about past activities;
Provide some information about something you plan to do;
Use the language to meet your basic needs in familiar situations (e.g., making a reservation, asking for help).

Presentational (speaking and writing): You will be able to present information, both orally and in writing, on most familiar topics using connected sentences. By the end of the semester, you will be able to:

Describe people, places, activities, events and experiences;
Express needs and wants;
Prepare materials for a presentation;
Present plans for an event or activity;
Express preferences on topics of interest;
Tell simple stories using the present, past and future tenses;
Formulate basic predictions;
Present the outcome of a hypothetical situation.

FREN III (FREN 220)

FREN 220 is the third-semester intermediate French course that will develop your ability to communicate effectively in French and to interact in Francophone communities with cultural competence. The course addresses the five goal areas of the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages established by ACTFL (communication, culture, comparisons, connections, communities) by incorporating themes related to sociology (the city, cultural diversity, identity), politics (immigration, globalization, external views of France) and the humanities (creativity in the arts) that provide a multidimensional view of French and Francophone culture.

Class discussions focus on cultural and social issues, and draw from authentic texts across genres (excerpts from literary and non-literary texts, poems, short films, songs, and a novel) as well as from students’ personal experiences and opinions. You will be working individually, in pairs, or in small groups, and will engage in meaningful activities that are communicative, contextualized, and function-based. Lessons are conducted entirely in French and you are encouraged to participate fully.

The latter part of the semester is devoted to the study of Albert Camus’ novel, L’Etranger. The novel isread and analyzed in French, and it provides a rich context for the discussion of France’s colonial history, existentialist philosophy, the justice system and an introduction to literary analysis and close-reading techniques that develop critical thinking skills.

French Course-Level Outcomes: Third Semester (FREN-220)

Interpretive (listening and reading): You will be able to identify the main idea in texts and presentations on a variety of familiar topics related to everyday life and personal interests and studies. You will be able to interact with longer and more complex literary and non-literary authentic texts (written and oral) and a book-length novel. By the end of the semester, you will be able to:

Summarize the main idea and some supporting information of texts on a broad range of topics dealing with French and Francophone culture;
Collect straightforward information from texts about events and experiences in various time frames;
Ask and answer factual as well as more nuanced questions about texts;
Reconstruct a storyline;
Identify the point of view in texts on issues related to cultural attitudes in the French-speaking world;
Demonstrate a basic understanding of some important French and Francophone products, practices, and cultural perspectives (e.g., important authors and historic events, literary and non-literary genres, values) and compare with those of your own culture.

Interpersonal: You will show an increased ability to express opinions, develop arguments, and make cultural comparisons about oral and written authentic texts. By the end of the semester, you will be able to:

Converse about and ask questions to exchange information about a variety of familiar topics related to everyday life and personal interest;
Describe people, places and things;
Talk about events and experiences in the past, present and future with some accuracy;
Express opinions, needs and motivation;
Handle social interactions in everyday situations;
Use your language to handle a situation that may have a complication;
React to peers’ observations and opinions.

Presentational (speaking and writing): You will be able to make generally organized written and oral presentations using connected sentences on familiar topics (e.g., school, work, community) and topics related to the French and Francophone cultures that you have researched. By the end of the semester, you will be able to:

Make a presentation about personal and social experiences (e.g., school and academic topics, social events, past experiences, plans for the future);
Make short presentations on an aspect of French or Francophone culture that you have learned about and researched (e.g., historical events, famous persons, current issues);
Present your point of view and provide reasons to support it;

Write 1-2 page expository compositions about texts and topics discussed in class.