Students who begin a Bachelor of Arts program in September 2024 or later must take a set of breadth credits from multiple “Ways of Knowing” categories.
Courses from the Department of French, Hispanic and Italian Studies (FHIS) are categorized as follows:
- Language as Meaning: FREN, SPAN, ITAL, PORT, CTLN
- Humanities and Creative Arts: RMST
- Place and Power: RMST 326
Since your major will automatically fulfill one of these categories (e.g. French/Spanish majors automatically fulfill the “Language as Meaning” category; Romance Studies major automatically fulfills the “Humanities and Creative Arts” category), you are required to take 21 credits from additional categories, to be distributed accordingly:
- 9 credits (in one course code) from a 2nd breadth area
- 6 credits (in one course code) from a 3rd breadth area
- 3 credits (in one course code) from a 4th breadth area
- 3 credits for Place and Power (which may also fall in one of the above or your major)
FHIS courses offered in the 2025-2026 Winter Session
Below is a list of courses that fulfill these breadth requirements, along with suggested course bundles.
We recommend using the ‘Ways of Knowing’ Course Planning Tool with this list to help you plan.
Humanities and Creative Arts
All RMST courses are taught in English and have no prerequisites (except for 400-level courses, which require students to have at least second-year standing).
Comparative Romance Studies: RMST 201 + RMST 202
Romance World Prose Fiction and Theatre/Poetry: RMST 301 + RMST 302
Romance Languages and sociolinguistics: RMST 300 + RMST 306
French and Francophone Literature: RMST 321 + RMST 324
Hispanic Literatures and Cultures: RMST 372 + RMST 374
RMST 400-level courses are only open to students with at least second-year standing. If you need special approval, please contact fhis.undergrad@ubc.ca.
Comparative Romance Studies (Required for Minor, Major and Honours): RMST 300 + RMST 301 + RMST 302
Italian Cultural Studies: RMST 140 + RMST 340 + RMST 345
Medieval and Early Modern Studies: RMST 321 + RMST 341 + RMST 455
Italian Film Studies: RMST 250 + RMST 347 + RMST 355
Or mix and match based on your interest!
Language as Meaning
French
To ensure that students are placed in the appropriate level of French courses given their previous experience with the language, students who wish to take FREN courses are required to complete the placement procedure.
If you are new to French:
Start from FREN 101
If you completed French 10 in high school:
Start from FREN 103 (This is a 3-credit intensive course that combines FREN 101 and FREN 102)
If you completed French 11 in high school:
Start from FREN 201
If you completed French 12 in high school:
Start from FREN 301
If you completed French Immersion:
If you are a near-native speaker:
- Introduction to Literature in French: FREN 311
- Critical Writing: FREN 321
- French Grammar: FREN 352
- Introduction to French Linguistics: FREN 370
If you are new to French:
FREN 101 + FREN 102
If you completed French 11 in high school:
FREN 201 + FREN 202
If you completed French 12 in high school:
FREN 301 + FREN 302
If you completed French Immersion:
FREN 401 + FREN 402
If you are near-native speaker of French:
- Reading and Writing: FREN 311 + FREN 321
- Grammar: FREN 352 + FREN 353
- Literary Studies: FREN 331 + FREN 341
Spanish
To determine which course level to begin with based on your previous experience with the language, use the Placement Questionnaire Tool.
If you are new to Spanish: SPAN 101
If you completed only Spanish 11:
- To advance to a higher level: SPAN 201
If you completed Spanish 12:
- To refresh and expand Beginner’s Spanish: SPAN 103
- To refresh and expand Elementary Spanish: SPAN 203
- To advance to a higher level: SPAN 301
- To learn how to use Spanish in a professional setting: SPAN 308
If you are a near-native speaker in Spanish:
- Introduction to Hispanic Literature: SPAN 221
- Tradition and Diversity in Spanish History and Culture: SPAN 321
- Further application of Spanish into the real world: SPAN 402
If you are new to Spanish: SPAN 101 + SPAN 102
If you completed only Spanish 11 in high school:
If you completed Spanish 12 in high school:
- To refresh Spanish language: SPAN 103 + SPAN 203
- To expand skills in Spanish language and culture: SPAN 301 + SPAN 302
If you are a near-native speaker in Spanish:
- Language application: SPAN 402 + SPAN 308
- Literature and Culture: SPAN 221 + SPAN 321
- Literature: SPAN 221 + one of SPAN 357, SPAN 358, SPAN 364, SPAN 365
If you are new to Spanish: SPAN 101 + SPAN 102 + SPAN 201
If you completed only Spanish 11 in high school: SPAN 201 + SPAN 202 + SPAN 301
If you completed Spanish 12 in high school:
- If you need to refresh your Spanish language:
- Introduction to Cultural Studies: SPAN 221 + SPAN 301 + SPAN 321
- Literature: SPAN 301 + SPAN 221 + one of SPAN 358 or SPAN 365
If you are a near-native speaker in Spanish:
- Recommended pathway:
SPAN 221 + one of SPAN 357, SPAN 358, SPAN 364, SPAN 365 + any of SPAN 400-level courses (except SPAN 401, 402) in 2025W
Italian
To determine which course level to begin with based on your previous experience with the language, use the Placement Questionnaire Tool.
If you are new to Italian: ITAL 101
If you have previous experience in Italian:
Please contact the Student Programs Coordinator (fhis.undergrad@ubc.ca) or the Italian Language Director, Luisa Canuto (luisa.canuto@ubc.ca).
If you are new to Italian:
If you are fairly new to Italian, but you are another Romance language speaker:
If you completed only Italian 11 or Italian 12 in high school:
- ITAL 201 + ITAL 202
- For more advanced, highly motivated learners:
ITAL 301 + ITAL 302 - Contact Italian Language Director, Luisa Canuto (luisa.canuto@ubc.ca) for a proper assessment of your level
If you are a near-native speaker in Italian or have spent a few school years in Italy:
- ITAL 301 + ITAL 302
- For more advanced, highly motivated learners:
ITAL 401 + ITAL 402 - Contact Italian Language Director, Luisa Canuto (luisa.canuto@ubc.ca) for a proper assessment of your level
If you are new to Italian:
If you completed only Italian 11 or Italian 12 in high school:
- ITAL 201 + ITAL 202 + ITAL 301
- Contact Italian Language Director, Luisa Canuto (luisa.canuto@ubc.ca) for a proper assessment of your level
If you are a near-native speaker in Italian or have spent a few of your school years in Italy:
- ITAL 301 + ITAL 302 + ITAL 401
- Contact Italian Language Director, Luisa Canuto (luisa.canuto@ubc.ca) for a proper assessment of your level
The Italian Studies courses that focus on literature and culture rather than language are available under Romance Studies (RMST). Please see our RMST information and contact fhis.undergrad@ubc.ca if you have any questions.
Portuguese
Additional resources
The “Ways of Knowing” breadth requirements are only applicable to new students beginning their degree in September 2024. Continuing students are not affected by this change and will keep navigating their degrees according to their original breadth requirements.