FR 296French Culture and Literature: Origins to 1715
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Arts
- Subject
- French Studies
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 4 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
This course is an introduction to French literature, culture, and history spanning from the Middle Ages to the early 18th century. Using a multidisciplinary approach that includes art history, architecture, and music, it delves into French literary works, analyzing various genres and texts within their sociocultural contexts through modernized and abridged corpuses. One of the major objectives is to train students in short essay writing and its methodology, enabling them to develop their own thoughts through structured analysis, enriched with pertinent examples from the corpus being studied.
Prerequisites
Antirequisites
- Not completed nor concurrently enrolled in any of the following:
- FR291 - French Civilization 1 (0.50)
Leads to
Winter 2027 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 4070 | 0 / 40 | MW 14:30–15:50 |
| LEC 701 | 1578 | 23 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
Reviewed on UW Flow
67% liked it25% easy44% useful
From 9 ratings and 3 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
I took it online in S25. There is A LOT of memorization and some information is glossed over, but in general it's a good course if you're interested in the content.
Aug 2025 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Very good context in this course as to French history and expanding French vocabulary. Felt really nice to read a couple pieces of literature that helped explain the social conditions at the time that they were written. Course does focus a lot on memorization of historical facts though.
Jun 2021 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
I took it online. It's insane. Weekly assignments where you need to write min. 100 words to answer a question, then you have to reply to another 2 responses in your group on Learn, similar length. There was also 2 quizzes, and 2 ESSAYS based on old French plays. The final exam (40% weighting) is 25 SHORT ANSWERS, 100 word-answer, and an ESSAY on one of the plays. I didn't know it would be this tough. (I only had FR 192A before this class though).
Jul 2018 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
8 posts and comments in 7 threads mention FR 296, October 2017 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.
Fall 2022
Doing 5 courses during remote full-time coop 5 points, 19 comments
“Can I do 5 courses during remote full-time coop? Or does the university not let u EDIT: thank you for everyone for the advice. I will not do 5 courses”
u/figuring_it_out33: “… My work is in-person, so it's different, but I'm taking just FR 296 (I just finished PD), and boy is hard to keep up with just that one course. …”
Which course would be best/useful to take in 2B if you are in Arch Eng or Eng in general? 2 points, 3 comments
“I need to take at least one so any help would be great. Thanks! https://preview.redd.it/hmayw61r6w2a1.png?width=698&format=png&auto=webp&s=8d37ed0bda3d29a4d4b2726601ae3f0708ffd310”
u/figuring_it_out33: “… I for example needed to take a complementary studies elective, so I took FR 296 (I took French in high school, and felt bad about put all that effort in to learn a language, all to potentially become worse at it by the time I graduated. …”
Winter 2022
FR296 at UW spring 2022 4 points, 2 comments
Fall 2020
Language Courses Online? 0 points, 4 comments
“Hi all, I'm thinking of taking a language course during W21 and I'll be on co-op. I'm thinking of taking Dutch 101, but I'm curious on how intense it be will (admittedly it is a 101 course though - …”
u/shib8: “I'm taking FR251, FR276, and FR296 right now and it is wonky compared to in class. All my classes are asynchronous so I have not had any opportunities to talk to any classmates or practice speaking aside from the self-recorded intro at the start. …”
Spring 2018
Should I minor in a language in engineering? Will it greatly conflict with my schedule? When should I start? 3 points, 7 comments
u/Frozen-Penis: “It is hard to plan out courses in engineering since your schedule is often so full and messy most things will just conflict Also minors are usually 8 courses but you would usually only have like 3-4 …”
u/flareon: “… For example, French has three mandatory courses for the minor; FR 276, 296, 297. The latter two are List-C CSEs. Additionally, some departments allow you to count two language courses as List-D instead of 1 if you're going on exchange. …”
Online FR Courses 1 point, 7 comments
u/Jo0203: “… Also, I'm taking FR 296 Online right now, but I'm so unprepared for the final... Any advice from those who've taken it? I know it's 25 short answers, a 100-word answer, and an essay on one of the plays... But I don't know how / what I'm supposed to study specifically. …”
u/Compiments: “oof yes I took 192A and 192B online, 192B was definitely a similar structure to 192A and just continued along in the same textbook (imaginez). …”
u/Jo0203: “… 'Cause in FR 296 Online, we have weekly discussions also, where there's a question and you have to post an 80-100 word answer then reply to at least 2 other group members' posts with similar length. Does that make sense? …”
Fall 2017
Any way to disable UWCourseLinker from posting? 16 points, 26 comments
“posting a reply to my comment I find the bot annoying.”
u/Jackhofmann: “PSYCH 483 PSYCH 484 PSYCH 485 PSYCH 486 PSYCH 490R PSYCH 499A PSYCH 499B PSYCH 499C PSYCH 621 PSYCH 630 PSYCH 677A PSYCH 704A PSYCH 704B PSYCH 707 PSYCH 710 PSYCH 714 PSYCH 717 PSYCH 720A PSYCH 721A …”
u/Jackhofmann: “… 695 FR 101 FR 151 FR 152 FR 192A FR 192B FR 203 FR 250 FR 251 FR 252 FR 255 FR 276 FR 291 FR 296 FR 297 FR 303 FR 351 FR 353 FR 363A FR 392A FR 393A FR 395A FR 424 FR 484 FR 600 FR 605 FR 606 FR 611 FR 681 FR 687 GBDA 101 GBDA 103 GBDA 201 GBDA 203 GBDA 229 GBDA 301 GBDA 303 …”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
- Undergraduate Calendar, 2026–27The official entry
- Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
- Schedule of Classes, Fall 2026Instructors, rooms, live seats
- Quest Class SearchWhere you enrol
- Course outlinesSyllabi from past terms (UW login)
- UW FlowStudent ratings and reviews
- WClassesPast sections back to 2004, and who taught them