The French Language Sequence
If you have questions about which course to enroll in based on prior experience in French, please contact Dr. Rebecca Wilkin (wilkinrm@plu.edu). You may study away in Aix-en-Provence at any point in your French language study, but we recommend taking as many courses in this sequence as possible before going in order to take full advantage of your time there.
French 101 and 102: Beginning French I & II – GE
Develop basic communicative proficiency in French and learn about French-speaking cultures in Europe, Africa, Asia, and/or the Americas. French 101 (offered in the Fall semester and J-Term) is intended for true beginners. French 102 (Spring semester) is a continuation of FREN 101 or of a full year of high school French.
French 201 and 202: Intermediate French I & II – GE, VW
Achieve intermediate proficiency* in French by reviewing grammar, developing vocabulary, and improving oral expression, through cultural content emphasizing the diverse heritage of French-speaking societies. French 201 (offered in the Fall semester) is intended for those with 1 year of college French or 2 or more years of high school French. French 202 (offered in the Spring semester) is a continuation of FREN 201.
French 301: Advanced French – GE, VW
Work towards advanced proficiency** in French through advanced grammar study, conversation, and composition in various genres, while deepening knowledge of French and Francophone societies. French 301 is intended for those with 2 years of college French, heritage speakers of French, or high school students scoring a 5 on the French AP test. French 301 is offered in the Fall semester.
*Intermediate proficiency means that you can speak about familiar topics and recombine learned material to express personal meaning; comprehend discrete sentences about everyday subjects in one-on-one conversation; write in strings of thematically related sentences; understand simple texts whose format and vocabulary are familiar.
**Advanced proficiency means that you can speak with detail and organization in paragraph-length conversation in all major time frames; comprehend full spoken paragraphs on familiar topics and social, academic, and work-related subjects; write in organized paragraphs on familiar and some unfamiliar topics; and understand main ideas and supporting details on familiar and new topics from texts that have a clear, organized structure.
–Adapted from the American Council of Foreign Language Teachers Proficiency Guidelines, 2012.