Our Courses

Program Grids

For Students Taking ONE Language at the Advanced Level

For students taking TWO languages at the advanced level

Course Descriptions

Click here to see descriptions and details for all our courses.

Courses Breakdown

The aim of the Modern Languages Program is to provide students with a comprehensive background so that they will be well prepared for university studies and ultimately the job market.

The following courses are taken by all students in the program:

Cultural Currents I

All students in Modern Languages take two Cultural Currents courses providing them with a cultural and historical framework. Art, literature and music from classical times to the present are the major themes. Visits to art galleries, museums, theatre and concerts are an important part of the program.

Foreign Language Cinema

In Foreign Language Cinema students learn about cultures related to the languages they are studying by viewing and discussing foreign films.

The Story of Language

In The Story of Language students are introduced to basic notions of language and linguistics. Among the topics examined are phonetics, language change, word structure, sentence structure, sign systems, meaning, language and the mind, and child language acquisition. Students apply the notions learned to examine the development of a language studied in their program.

Languages and the New Technologies

In Languages and the New Technologies, students use our new multi-media computer lab in order to learn computer skills to aid them in writing papers, including their Integrating Seminar project. Students will learn to navigate the World Wide Web to communicate with people using their newly-acquired languages and to learn more about the cultures of the speakers of these languages.

Integrating Seminar

The Comprehensive Assessment (Épreuve synthèse de programme) will help students integrate information and skills learned in other courses. In the Integrating Seminar, students will choose a topic, learn how to research the topic and write a research paper. The Comprehensive Assessment is part of the Integrating Seminar. This is a ministerial requirement for students graduating from all programs.

In addition to the six courses listed above, students will take eight language courses. They may choose to study two or three languages. One of the strengths of the Modern Languages program at Vanier is the number of languages we offer, including German, Italian, Russian, Spanish and Mandarin.