Why study French?

French is the second most widely spoken language in the European Union. It is an official language in 29 countries. it is the spoken first language in France, Belgium, parts of Canada and Switzerland. More than 200 million people speak French on the five continents. French is both a working language and an official language of the United Nations, the European Union, UNESCO, NATO, the International Olympic Committee, the International Red Cross and international courts. French is the international language of cooking, fashion, theatre, the visual arts, dance and architecture. Estimates by 2050 denote that French will be one of the official spoken languages of the world.

Where is it spoken?

France, Belgium and parts of Switzerland in European Union. Canada and Haiti in North American continent. Western and North Western African Countries and Madagascar. Islands in the Pacific Ocean.

French Courses Offered at UTSA

FRN 1014. Elementary French I. (3-2) 4 Credit Hours. (TCCN = FREN 1411)
Fundamentals of French offering the opportunity to develop listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Emphasis on listening and speaking. Introduction to French culture. May be applied toward the Core Curriculum requirement in Language, Philosophy and Culture.
FRN 1024. Elementary French II. (3-2) 4 Credit Hours. (TCCN = FREN 1412)
Prerequisite: FRN 1014, the equivalent, an appropriate placement test score, or consent of instructor. Fundamentals of French offering the opportunity to develop listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Further study of French culture.
FRN 2013. Intermediate French I. (3-1) 3 Credit Hours. (TCCN = FREN 2311)
Prerequisite: FRN 1024, the equivalent, an appropriate placement test score, or consent of instructor. Continued opportunity to develop listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills. Grammar review and further study of French culture.
FRN 2023. Intermediate French II. (3-1) 3 Credit Hours. (TCCN = FREN 2312)
Prerequisite: FRN 2013, the equivalent, an appropriate placement test score, or consent of instructor. Continued opportunity to develop listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills. Grammar review and further study of French culture.
FRN 2333. French Literature in English Translation. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours. (TCCN = ENGL 2331)
Major works of French literature across time, genres, and movements. May be applied toward the Core Curriculum requirement in Language, Philosophy and Culture. (Formerly FRN 3333. Credit cannot be earned for both FRN 2333 and FRN 3333.).
FRN 3023. Advanced Language Skills. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Prerequisite: FRN 2023 or consent of instructor.Development of oral and written language skills using contemporary readings, media, and oral discourse. Emphasis on increasing fluency through vocabulary expansion activities and selective grammar review. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
FRN 3053. Business French. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Prerequisite: FRN 2023 or consent of instructor. Introduction to the basic context of the French economy and business world, with emphasis on development of practical language skills to deal with matters such as commercial correspondence, documents, reports, telecommunications, and conferences. Attention to vocabulary and style specific to French business. Practice in translation on business-related topics.
FRN 3413. Survey of French Literature and Culture. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Prerequisite: FRN 2023 or consent of instructor. Selections from French literature and culture studied as reflections and interpretations of central movements in French cultural history. Introduction to concepts of style, genre, and period. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
FRN 4003. Topics in French Literature. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Prerequisite: FRN 2023 or consent of instructor. Focus on a specific area of French literature, from the medieval period through the 21st century. Selected texts are studied as examples of representative movements, genres, or authors in French literary history. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
FRN 4213. Topics in French Culture and Linguistics. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Prerequisite: FRN 2023 or consent of instructor. Selected topics of cultural history or linguistics from medieval period through the 21st century. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
FRN 4913. Independent Study. (0-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Prerequisites: Permission in writing (form available) of the instructor, the student’s advisor, the Department Chair, and the Dean of the College in which the course is offered. Independent reading, research, discussion, and/or writing under the direction of a faculty member. May be repeated for credit, but not more than 6 semester credit hours of independent study, regardless of discipline, will apply to a bachelor’s degree.
FRN 4933. Internship in French. (0-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Prerequisite: Permission of Department Chair. Supervised experience in a setting that provides the opportunity to integrate theory and practice in language usage. May be repeated once for credit.
FRN 4953. Special Studies in French. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. An organized course offering the opportunity for specialized study not normally or not often available as part of the regular course offerings. Special Studies may be repeated for credit when topics vary, but not more than 6 semester credit hours, regardless of discipline, will apply to a bachelor’s degree.
FRN 4993. Honors Research. (0-0) 3 Credit Hours.
Prerequisite: Consent of the undergraduate advisor. Supervised research and preparation of an honors thesis. May be repeated once for credit, with approval.

Minor in French

All students pursuing the Minor in French must complete 18 semester credit hours at the 2000 level and above.

A. Required language skill courses
FRN 2013 Intermediate French I 3
FRN 2023 Intermediate French II 3
FRN 3023 Advanced Language Skills 3

Instructors:

Isabelle Hall (M.A.) and Molly Zaldivar (Ph.D.) lecturers for French.

photos courtesy of UTSA Dept of Modern Languages & Literatures and wikimedia commons