To anybody who entered this course with Grade 12 Core French: did you find this a lot more difficult than you expected? I'm trying to decide on electives. I really like French, and I think I'm pretty good at it ... but I'm not sure if it'd be as enjoyable as Grade 12 french. :\ my other option is ITALIAN 1Z06 (Beginner's Intensive Italian) which does sound easier since I'd be learning a new language with some background knowledge (since French and Italian are somewhat similar). and maybe linguistics. But yeah, any input would be great.

Hey Shleyaa,
I entered with immersion french and found the course very easy. However, I know that many students struggled with the course material in my year (this was three years ago). From my understanding, the course curriculum has been modified quite a bit since that time to ensure an easier transition from grade 12 to the university level French course.

You could also send an email to the French Dept Coordinator, Dr. Jane Rush (her information is: Email: [email protected] Phone: 905-525-9140, ext. 24774
Office: TSH-522) to request a language assesment test as this will help both parties determine which course would be best suited to you.

Something you should know about taking a language course in university is that if languages or the language in question does not come easily to you, you should be prepared to spend at least 2 hours a day on studying it.

I took this course after completing Grade 12 Core and also found it pretty easy.

The grammar content, especially first term, is dead review from all the French you've learned before (at this point, there's very little grammar you don't already know...). But the ease of this course really depends on how strong your French is in the first place, and sometimes the prof.

I had grade 12 core french... but then entered it in my three years after having 2 to wipe my brain clean of all things non-english. I found the course hard! And, it is a lot of work... but if you enjoy languages, I'd recommend it. I was taking it more for fun but for some reason, I didn't enjoy it =(

I'm gonna be taking French 1Z06. I haven't taken French since grade 9 and I'm going into third year. Maybe not the smartest choice on my part...

I took this course last year when I was in 2nd year, and my french experience stopped after grade 9 french. in my expereince it wasn't extremly difficult, but you have to do the work and GO to class - it makes things a lot easier. The material moves really quickly and there is a lot of it (its called intensive for a reason!) but as long as you do the questions on the CD and go to class you should do fine - I was able to get an A and was able to learn quite a bit.
f.y.i - for a great opportunity in french immersion check out EXPLORE, a trip paid for by the government for you to learn french for 5 weeks at a canadian university in any province!

Hey,

I understand that French 1z06 is an intensive course and it is a lot of work but how many hours a week would you have to study for it? I'm a 2nd yr Science student and I havent taken French since Grade 9 .. but I definitely dont wanna take it and not do well.

I haven't taken it personally but usually when you go with Intensive Beginners language courses (I know this from taking Latin) you're looking at a minimum of 2 hrs a day on the course if you're not familiar with the language already. I would consider how comfortable you feel with the language before getting into it. Though, like Dreus mentioned you can contact Dr. Jane Rush (her info is give in his response) and have a language test done to see if you should consider doing French and which class would be best for you.

Thanks a lot! I shall do that

nh999, if I take french 1A06 as my first year elective, and I only need 6 units of electives, that's all I need to take as an elective, right?

Also, does 1A06 involve a lot of presentations, essays, etc...?

I took 1a06 a few years ago and if i remember correctly, they give you a good 10-15% just for showing up and participating. there is also a tutorial you have to attend once a week which is worth quite a bit as well. other than that, expect a midterm test and an exam, and maybe a few papers. i don't recall doing any presentations.

oh wow...thanks Christine...was the course easy though, and how was the workload?

And one more thing, who was your prof?

Thanks again for the reply...so many questions, so little time lol

denisa002,

Yes, if you only need 6 units of electives, you can take French 1A06 and you're done (that's what I did).

I wrote a few short essays and did one oral presentation. The course outline is here if you want to take a look: http://www.humanities.mcmast er.ca/...adcourses.html (under French 1A06, of course)