Undergraduate French, Literature, and Culture Programme

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Important Notice:

New enrollments into French, Literature, and Culture (Honours) and French, Literature, and Culture, for September 2025, have been paused, noting that current students in French, Literature, and Culture (Honours) and French, Literature, and Culture will continue, as will the remainder of French, Literature, and Culture programmes. Determination on the future status of these paused programmes for Academic Year 2026-2027 is ongoing.

General Information

The Department of French, Literature, and Culture offers a programme that focuses on French literature in the francophone world and other aspects of French, literature, and culture such as civilization and language (linguistics and stylistics). The department offers a B.A. (Honours) French, Literature, and Culture and a B.A. French, Literature, and Culture. French is the only working language within the department. All students possessing the required knowledge and ability may take most courses. The course instructor, with the approval of the Department Head will make the final decision on eligibility.

Programme Objectives

The French, Literature, and Culture programme is intended to provide students with a university education, promote their intellectual development and give them the knowledge and abilities that can be gained through the study of literature and language.

The courses offered by the department have four main objectives:

  1. to teach students how to express themselves clearly and accurately, orally and in writing, and how to discuss various subjects rigorously and at length;
  2. to make students aware of interference from the second language;
  3. to draw students' attention to the importance of cultural and social values in the evolution of civilization and the contemporary world, particularly the French-speaking world; and
  4. to develop students' intellectual faculties, especially the ability to think and to analyze. These skills are often required in the exercise of their profession, particularly in the areas of human relationships and problems.

Ability to communicate:

While the mastering of oral and written communication is emphasized in the 100 and 200-level courses, these skills are also stressed in the 300 and 400 level courses, particularly for students doing the B.A.(Honours) French, Literature, and Culture or the B.A. French, Literature, and Culture.

The analytical study of literary works helps to assess situations with a critical mind. The analysis of literary texts is useful in developing a critical mind; knowledge of critical and analytical methods leads to a better appreciation of language's potential and limitations.

Perceptual development:

Literary studies enable students to fully understand and appreciate the cultural and social values of a people or community and help them to recognize the forces that shape the evolution of a society. The French, Literature, and Culture programme demonstrates, at all levels, that the influence of cultural and social forces is as important as the influence of political, economic, strategic and historical realities in understanding the past evolution of societies and the complex nature of the contemporary world.

Intellectual development:

French, Literature, and Culture, like studies in other disciplines, enable students to acquire the methods involved in logical analysis and evaluation. However, because of the very nature of literature, the programme also helps to promote less Cartesian forms of thinking, such as intuition, imagination and a sense of aesthetics. These kinds of thinking are particularly useful for resolving human problems.

A literary work generally deals with human problems, and the measures taken to resolve them. These problems require intellectual flexibility and an ability to analyze. Such abilities are extremely useful for people in management and other positions of responsibility.

Programme Structure

100-Level Courses

Courses designed to improve the student's composition, style, and understanding of French literature in general and French-Canadian literature in particular.

200-Level Courses

Courses designed to perfect the student's style and to teach an appreciation of the most important French literary works of the 19th and 20th centuries. These courses can also serve as a foundation for future studies in the humanities, social sciences or administration.

300 & 400-Level Courses

Courses designed mainly for students completing the B.A. (Honours) French, Literature, and Culture or the B.A. French, Literature, and Culture. Students enrolled in other programmes may also take these courses.

The courses cover two main areas:

  • literature and
  • linguistics

There are three categories of literature courses:

  • French literature,
  • French-Canadian literature and
  • literature by French-speaking authors from other cultures.
Note: Most of the courses offered are given every two years. It is highly recommended that students choose their courses in advance, seek advice from the professors and discuss their choices with the Head of the Department.

Physical Conditioning and Second Language Courses

Important: The physical conditioning courses and the second language courses are part of the four-pillar degree and apply to all RMC degree programmes except the 30-credit general degree programmes.
LCF: Based on the result of a placement test, students will be registered in LCF courses at the 100, 200, 300, or 400-level. Students will automatically be exempt from applicable lower level LCF courses once placed in the appropriate course. Students who attain a Second Official Language (SOL) proficiency level of at least BBB or higher on the Public Service Commission (PSC) Second Language Evaluation (SLE) will be exempt from LCF courses at RMC.
  • ATE101: Foundations of Fitness, Health and Sports (UTPNCM & non-ROTP take ATE102)
  • ATE301: Unarmed Combatives, Military Skills and Individual Sports (UTPNCM & non-ROTP take ATE302)
  • LCF100 : Compétence de base – partie I
  • LCF200 : Compétence de base – partie II
  • LCF301 : Compétence intermédiaire – partie I
  • LCF302 : Compétence intermédiaire – partie II
  • LCF400 : Compétence intermédiaire - partie III
Note: The PSC SLE is the only SOL certification-testing instrument currently accredited and used by the CAF to assess the SOL proficiency level. (DAOD 5039-8, Canadian Armed Forces Second Official Language Certification Testing)
 

Programme Requirements

B.A. (Honours) French, Literature, and Culture

Note: To earn a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) a student must meet the requirements of Academic Regulation 3.1.

The B.A. (Honours) French, Literature, and Culture requires completion of 40 credits, including the core courses for arts programmes, with at least 20 credits selected from the offerings of the Department of French, Literature, and Culture in accordance with the following:

Mandatory courses

  • FRF152: Culture littéraire, grammaire et rédaction I (2 credits)
  • FRF262: Littératures et cultures francophones (2 credits)
  • FRF344: Analyse des discours et introduction à la stylistique (1 credit)

Optional courses

At least two credits from each of following four sections:

Section A – Jalons culturels
  • FRF332: La guerre : expression, narration et représentation
  • FRF358: Dix-neuvième siècle : émergence des grands mouvements de l'époque contemporaine
  • FRF367: Poésie française du Moyen Âge à la Révolution
  • FRF369: Poésie d’expression française depuis la Révolution
  • FRF383: Leçons du Grand Siècle
  • FRF391: Les Lumières, assises d'aujourd'hui?
  • FRF414: Théâtre non francophone en traduction
  • FRF420: Roman épistolaire
  • FRF438: Rétrospective sur un auteur
  • FRF440: Vie et mort des grands héros de l’Antiquité
  • FRF473: Théâtre français du XVIIe au XIXe siècles
Section B – Lire et penser le monde aujourd’hui
  • FRF355: Roman français du XXe siècle
  • FRF363: La « vérité », entre fiction et désinformation
  • FRF375: Le théâtre des XXe et XXIe siècles
  • FRF412: Littératures non francophones en traduction
  • FRF428: L’essai au XXIe siècle : crise, terreur, paranoïa et sécurité intérieure
  • FRF429: Combat, trauma et dépendances
  • FRF432: Le surréalisme
  • FRF436: L'absurde
  • FRF466: Poésie canadienne-française des origines au milieu du XXe siècle
  • FRF468: Poésie francophone au Canada depuis 1948
  • FRF471: Théâtre québécois et franco-canadien
  • FRF474: Littérature française de 1945 à 1980
  • FRF476: Littérature française de 1980 à aujourd’hui
Section C – Diversité et altérité
  • FRF324: Littérature francophone subsaharienne des Indépendances aujourd’hui
  • FRF326: Littérature francophone du Maghreb et du Moyen-Orient, de la colonisation à nos jours
  • FRF336: Raconter l’Afrique: exploration, conquête et colonisation
  • FRF365: Expériences de pensée: éthique et fiction
  • FRF389: De l’influence de la littérature anglaise en France à l’époque des Lumières
  • FRF402: Orient-Occident, écritures croisées
  • FRF404: L’imaginaire de la Route de la Soie de Marco Polo à aujourd’hui
  • FRF414: Théâtre non francophone en traduction
  • FRF422: Littérature de voyage
  • FRF427: Fanatisme, tolérance et religion
  • FRF461: Écrire au féminin
  • FRF479: Discours et pouvoir
  • FRF493: Littérature canadienne-française hors Québec
  • FRF495: La francophonie dans le monde
Section D –Rédaction, argumentation et communication
  • FRF342: Grammaire et rédaction avancées
  • FRF364: Création littéraire
  • FRF379: L'art oratoire
  • FRF410: Imaginer l’intelligence artificielle
  • FRF434: Témoigner
  • FRF443: La rhétorique antique
  • FRF444: La rhétorique moderne
  • FRF479: Discours et pouvoir

The remaining credits can be selected from any section and/or include:

  • FRF426: Études dirigés avancées (2 credits)

B.A. French, Literature, and Culture

The B.A. French, Literature, and Culture requires completion of 40 credits, including the core courses for arts programmes, with at least 16 credits selected from the offerings of the Department of French, Literature, and Culture in accordance with the following:

Mandatory courses

  • FRF152: Culture littéraire, grammaire et rédaction I (2 credits)
  • FRF262: Littératures et cultures francophones (2 credits)
  • FRF344: Analyse des discours et introduction à la stylistique (1 credit)

Optional courses

 

Programme Outline Tables

The following tables are examples of a typical outline, by year, of a B.A. (Honours) French, Literature, and Culture programme of study or a B.A. French, Literature, and Culture programme of study that would cover the required courses.

Note: Course offerings may vary from year to year. For planning purposes, students enrolled in this programme should access the official list of courses offered each semester through their My Services portal account.
Important: Students who started their 40-credit programme prior to Academic Year 2024-2025 will follow the old mathematics requirement MAE103, MAE106 and, MAE113. Students starting their 40-credit programme in Academic Year 2024-2025 and thereafter will follow the new mathematics requirement MAE107, MAE108 and, MAE109.

B.A. (Honours) French, Literature, and Culture

Semester Fall
year 1		 Winter
year 1		 Fall
year 2		 Winter
year 2
Courses
Semester total 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits
Semester Fall
year 3		 Winter
year 3		 Fall
year 4		 Winter
year 4
Courses
  • HIF271
  • 1 science credit Note 2
  • French, Literature, and Culture
    • 3 credits
  • ATE
  • LCF
  • POF205
  • French, Literature, and Culture
    • 3 credits
  • Elective
    • 1 credit
  • ATE
  • LCF
  • PSF401
  • French, Literature, and Culture
    • 3 credits
  • Elective
    • 1 credit
  • ATE
  • LCF
Semester total 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits

B.A. French, Literature, and Culture

Semester Fall
year 1		 Winter
year 1		 Fall
year 2		 Winter
year 2
Courses
Semester total 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits
Semester Fall
year 3		 Winter
year 3		 Fall
year 4		 Winter
year 4
Courses
  • HIF271
  • 1 science credit Note 2
  • French, Literature, and Culture
    • 1 credit
  • Elective
    • 2 credits
  • ATE
  • LCF
  • POF205
  • French, Literature, and Culture
    • 2 credits
  • Elective
    • 2 credits
  • ATE
  • LCF
  • PSF401
  • French, Literature, and Culture
    • 2 credits
  • Elective
    • 2 credits
  • ATE
  • LCF
Semester total 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits 5 credits
 

Minor in French, Literature, and Culture

The minor requires 8 credits in the discipline.

 

Minor in Culture et Diversity

Note: This is the link for the English version of the requirements for the minor in Culture and Diversity.

The minor requires eight credits:

  • Two credits from the Core Curriculum: HIF101 and POF116.
  • Four credits from identified courses (see list below) in English, Culture, and Communication and/or French, Literature, and Culture.
  • Two credits from identified courses (see list below) from two of the following disciplines: Economics, History, Management, Politics, and Psychology.

The minor, therefore, exposes students to diversity from a wide range of disciplinary perspectives and within different historical, cultural, and professional contexts. This multidisciplinary study of diversity equips students to think critically, systematically, and creatively about complex and non-linear cultural phenomena.

Mandatory courses (2 credits)

  • HIF101: Les origines historiques du monde contemporain
  • POF116: Introduction aux relations internationales

Optional courses (6 credits)

Four credits from the list below:

  • FRF324: La littérature francophone subsaharienne des Indépendances à aujourd'hui
  • FRF326: La littérature francophone du Maghreb et du Moyen-Orient de la colonisation à nos jours
  • FRF336: Raconter l'Afrique : exploration, conquête et colonisation
  • FRF363: La « vérité », entre fiction et désinformation
  • FRF364: Création littéraire
  • FRF365: Expériences de pensée : éthique et fiction
  • FRF389: De l’influence de la littérature anglaise en France à l’époque des Lumières
  • FRF402: Orient-Occident, écritures croisées
  • FRF404: L’imaginaire de la Route de la Soie de Marco Polo à aujourd’hui
  • FRF410: Imaginer l’intelligence artificielle
  • FRF412: Littératures non francophones en traduction
  • FRF414: Théâtre non francophone en traduction
  • FRF427: Fanatisme, tolérance et religion
  • FRF428: L’essai au XXIe siècle : crise, terreur, paranoïa et sécurité intérieure
  • FRF429: Combat, trauma et dépendances
  • FRF440: Vie et mort des grands héros de l’Antiquité
  • FRF461: Écrire au féminin
  • FRF479: Discours et pouvoir
  • FRF493: Littératures de la francophonie canadienne hors Québec
  • FRF495: La francophonie dans le monde

Two credits form the list below:

  • AAF314: Principes fondamentaux de la commercialisation
  • AAF466: Gestion de la santé et de la sécurité au travail
  • GOF472: L'Europe et l'Asie postsoviétiques
  • HIF301: Histoire des peuples autochtones au Canada
  • HIF305: L’Afrique dans l’histoire mondiale
  • HIF343: L’Europe occupée, 1938-1945
  • HIF350: Génocides et crimes de masse au XXe siècle
  • HIF354: Histoire du monde arabe et musulman
  • HIF392: L'impérialisme européen - les XIXe et XXe siècles
  • HIF394: A History of China: Origins and Identities
  • HIF403: Histoire sociale du Canada (1870-1980)
  • HIF444: Guerres et mémoire au XXe siècle
  • HIF452: La guerre, la paix et la société civile dans l’histoire contemporaine
  • HIF456: Femmes, guerres et société civile
  • HIF485: Les conflits en Afrique moderne
  • POF301: Affaires autochtones au sein des politiques canadiennes
  • POF421: Idéologies politiques
  • POF425: Politiques régionales comparées
  • POF434: Études comparées sur le développement
  • POF435: Terrorisme et violence politique
  • PSF324: Psychologie interculturelle
  • PSF334: Introduction à la sexualité humaine
  • PSF484: La psychologie du genre dans le militaire
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