Prepare for teaching or graduate studies through the Honours program, taught in French, at UBC Vancouver.
This program is highly specialized and designed for students with at least a B+ average in both their French courses and their overall degree program. It provides the necessary background for graduate study and a particularly strong preparation for those intending to teach French at the secondary level.
Admission Requirements
Applicants must have:
- at least third-year standing, or be entering Year 3
- a B+ average in both their French courses and their overall degree program
- completed FREN_V 301 and FREN_V 302, or demonstrated a proficiency level of B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
Students wishing to enter the Honours program must apply by contacting the Major and Honours Advisor in French.
Degree Requirements
These requirements are applicable to students who declare the program after the 2025 Winter Session. Students who declared a specialization before then can refer to the former program requirements.
- FREN_V 311 (3) Introduction to Literature in French
- FREN_V 321 (3) Critical Writing
- FREN_V 352 (3) French Grammar
- FREN_V 401 (3) Upper-Intermediate French I1
- FREN_V 402 (3) Upper-Intermediate French II1
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1If you are a native or heritage French speaker, or have a proficiency level above B2, you may be exempt from FREN_V 401 and FREN_V 402. Please contact Student Programs Coordinator.
30 credits from the list of approved courses below, of which at least 6 credits must be taken from each of the Clusters A, B, C, D1:
Cluster A: French Literature and Culture from the Middle Ages to the Revolution
- FREN_V 331 (3) Arts, Cultures and Society from the Middle Ages to the Revolution
- FREN_V 407 (3) Medieval French Literature
- FREN_V 408 (3) Renaissance: Studies in 16th-century French Literature
- FREN_V 409 (3) Ancients and Moderns: Studies in 17th-century French Literature
- FREN_V 410 (3) Enlightenment and Revolution: Studies in 18th-century French Literature
- FREN_V 484 (3) History of the Book
- FREN_V 485 (3) Early Encounters: Travel Literature and Colonial Writing in French
Cluster B: French Literature and Culture since the Revolution
- FREN_V 341 (3) Arts, Cultures and Society from Romanticism to the Present Day
- FREN_V 413 (3) Tradition and Modernity: Studies in 19th-century French Literature
- FREN_V 414 (3) The Modern and Contemporary French Novel
- FREN_V 415 (3) French Digital Culture
- FREN_V 416 (3) Contemporary French Literature and Culture
- FREN_V 417 (3) Popular Fiction
- FREN_V 427 (3) French Cinema
- FREN_V 480 (3) French Theory
Cluster C: Francophone Literatures and Cultures
- FREN_V 330 (3) Introduction to Quebec Literature
- FREN_V 418 (3) African and Caribbean Francophone Literatures
- FREN_V 428 (3) Francophone Cinema
- FREN_V 430 (3) Quebec Literature and Culture
- FREN_V 431 (3) Indigenous Literatures of Francophone Canada
- FREN_V 440 (3) Francophonie: History and Current Debates
- FREN_V 441 (3) Francophone Literatures and Cultures of North America
- FREN_V 442 (3) Cultures of the Francophone World
- FREN_V 443 (3) Postcolonial Studies
Cluster D: Language and Linguistics
- FREN_V 353 (3) Advanced French Grammar
- FREN_V 357 (3) Translation
- FREN_V 370 (3) Introduction to French Linguistics
- FREN_V 450 (3) Old French
- FREN_V 451 (3) French Phonetics
- FREN_V 457 (3) Advanced Translation
- FREN_V 460 (3) History of the French Language
- FREN_V 470 (3) Studies in Modern French Linguistics
- FREN_V 472 (3) Morphology and Syntax of the French Language
- FREN_V 474 (3) Lexicology and Semantics of the French Language
- FREN_V 476 (3) French Language and Societies
- FREN_V 477 (3) Contemporary Varieties of French
- FREN_V 496 (3) Research Seminar in French Language and Linguistics
Special Topics
- FREN_V 395 (3-6) Special Topics Abroad
- FREN_V 419 (3) Women’s Writing
- FREN_V 420 (3) Selected Topics in French Literature and Culture
- FREN_V 455 (3) Creative Writing in French
- FREN_V 495 (3) Research Seminar in French Literature and Culture
- FREN_V 498 (3) Directed Reading
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1For any FREN 300/400 level courses (except 301, 302, 401, 402) that are not listed in the approved list above, please consult with an Advisor for approval to take those courses to fulfill program requirements.
- FREN_V 499 (3) Honours Essay
- Honours students are required to complete 3 credits of the Honours Thesis course as part of their degree, and it is recommended that they do so in the Winter Session in which they plan to graduate. Please submit the registration form (below) to the FHIS Student Programs Coordinator no later than two months prior to the start of the term.
- Students are responsible for finding a supervisor for their Honours Thesis course. Instructions and the registration form can be found here Honours Essay Registration Form. Please read the instructions carefully and obtain all required signatures. Once completed, submit the signed form to fhis.undergrad@ubc.ca for course scheduling and registration support. The thesis course may not be possible to scheduled in a summer session.
The Honours Essay represents an extended personal research project (in finished form usually about 20-25 pages typewritten) carried out under the supervision of two members of the FHIS Department’s Faculty: a supervisor who will meet regularly with the student and a second reader.
Program Diagram
Click on the diagram below to download the PDF.
