Modern Languages and Literatures
Features
Prepare yourself for tomorrow’s global world right here in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. Broaden your horizons as you explore other cultures and compare them with your own. Master the effective communication skills that you need to interact meaningfully with others. Challenge yourself to be creative, imaginative and critical as you develop linguistic competence and cultural literacy. Share your passion for languages, literatures and cultures with other highly motivated students. Be part of a diverse and dynamic community guided by scholars who are experienced teachers as well as active researchers.
To make yourself at home in the global community, you need to master another language. Students without any previous knowledge of a language can begin here with FREN-1100, GERM-1001, ITAL-1001 or SPAN-1001. Those with some prior knowledge can meet with a departmental advisor to select the appropriate level of course while those who are already fluent can enrol in upper-level courses in linguistics, translation, literature and culture.
In French Studies, we offer the 3-year BA (Major or Combined Major), the 4-year BA (Major or Combined Major) as well as the Honours BA. You can choose from a broad range of stimulating courses where you will discuss current events and contemporary issues, translate newspaper articles and other texts, read classics from the Enlightenment, enjoy well-known authors such as Voltaire, Flaubert, Proust, Simone de Beauvoir, investigate the evolution of the Quebec novel, discover the particularities of French-Canadian literatures and cultures, compare regional varieties of French in the francophone world, explore the phenomenon of bilingualism and multilingualism, learn modern French idioms and proverbs or analyse the sounds, structures and words that make up the modern French language. To enrich your experience, we strongly recommend that you spend a summer, a semester or a full academic year in a French-speaking environment through a program such as Explore (Quebec), the English Assistantship program in France, or the Student Exchange Programme to the Université de Tours (France).
FRENCH PLACEMENT TEST: Students with no or very little French are exempt from the test, and must instead contact the department for permission to register in FREN-1100(3). All other students registering for their first French Studies course must take the online Placement Test. The test results will assist in determining the appropriate first French course to be taken: FREN-1100(3), FREN-1102(3), FREN-1103(3), FREN-1104(3) or FREN-2105(3). For more details on the test, please visit the French Placement Test information page.
In German Studies,we offer the 3-year BA (Major or Combined Major) and a Minor with challenging courses where you will discuss topics of current interest, reflect on problems of the modern world, explore the culture of Germany, Austria and Switzerland and read short texts dealing with the social and political issues of our time. Advanced students are strongly encouraged to take part in our annual exchange program with the University of Bamberg in Germany.
In Italian Studies, we offer several courses: ITAL-1001 Introductory Italian; ITAL-2001 Intermediate Italian; ITAL-2201, Italian Food and Culture, a very popular course taught in English with some content and the possibility of assignments in Italian. These courses provide a solid foundation for further study and are an excellent complement to a major in French Studies or Spanish Studies.
In Spanish Studies,we offer the 3-year BA (Major or Combined Major). We offer a variety of relevant, up-to-date courses where you can discuss current events, issues and trends in the contemporary Hispanic world, explore the social and political history of Latin America through its short stories, translate newspaper articles and other texts, learn about the customs and traditions of Spain or read Don Quijote, the first modern novel of Western literature.
In the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, you will enjoy a stimulating learning environment, small class sizes and individual attention from faculty members committed to providing you with a high quality education. As you begin or continue your studies with us, we say: Bienvenue, Willkommen, Benvenuto, Bienvenido!
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