• Total units 48 Units
  • Areas of interest Cultural Studies, European Languages, Language Studies
  • Major code FREN-MAJ
French Language and Culture Major

The French Language and Culture major aims at developing students' ability to understand, pronounce and speak standard French and to read and write French as it appears in newspapers, magazines, media, cinema and literature. All courses emphasise the importance of culture, history, politics and society, and draw on a variety of material from written, audio-visual and electronic sources. Students gain fluency in French and at the same time develop their knowledge of the French-speaking world, in both European and global contexts (e.g. Africa, Asia, North America and the Pacific). Students' entry level depends on their prior knowledge of French, and the exact sequence of courses leading to the major depends in turn on the point of entry.

Learning Outcomes

  1. communicate proficiently and confidently in French;

  2. identify the structure and uses of French;

  3. demonstrate an understanding of the societies and cultures of France and the Francophone world, and their socio-historical contexts;

  4. construct a schema of the connections between France and its geographical, social and cultural origins; and

  5. recognise the importance of intercultural communication.

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Requirements

This major requires the completion of 48 units, which must consist of:


A minimum of 12 units from completion of courses from the following list:

FREN3006 Intermediate French I

FREN3007 Intermediate French II

FREN3010 Advanced French I

FREN3011 Advanced French II


A maximum of 36 units from completion of courses from the following list:

FREN1003 Introductory French I

FREN1004 Introductory French II

FREN2024 Continuing French I

FREN2025 Continuing French II

FREN3012 Global Paris: Culture, History and Identity in the French Capital

FREN3021 Selected Topics in French Studies*

FREN3107 Voyages Littéraires: Modern Literature in French*

FREN3108 From Colonialism to Cinéma-monde: Films of the French-speaking World *

FREN3515 The Sounds of French: Phonetics and Pronunciation


A maximum of 6 units can be completed from courses outside the core language courses list above. These courses, listed below, must be completed on a French or Francophone topic:

ANIP3003 Australian National Internships Program A

ARTH2080 Art and Visual Culture of the Long Eighteenth Century, 1660-1815

ARTH2081 Art of the European Courts, 1500-1815

HUMN2004 Global Vietnam: Gender, Labour and Migration**

LANG3001 Translation across Languages: the Translation of Literary Texts

LANG3002 Translation across Languages: Specialised Material

LANG3007 Romance Linguistics

LING2013 Teaching Languages 

LING2029 Language, Assessment and Policy

PHIL2059 Love, Death and Freedom (20th Century French Phenomenology)

SCRN3001 Transnational Screens: Crossing Borders and Identities**


*These courses may be completed more than once if the topic is different each time.

** SCRN3001 Transnational Screens: Crossing Borders and Identities and HUMN2004 Global Vietnam: Gender, Labour and Migration must have all research and assessment completed in French.

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