IMMERSION AT UNIVERSITY LEVEL

French immersion came to life in a primary school in the suburbs of Montreal in the 1960s. This was done to meet the needs of anglophone children who had to live in the new francophone context in Québec. While immersion spread rapidly in primary and secondary institutions in Canada, it remains, to this day, almost inexistant at the university level. However, Graham Fraser, the Commissioner of Official Languages - the federal spokesperson with regards to the promotion and protection of linguistic rights - recommended on multiple occasions that immersion continue at the post-secondary level. This volume revisits this recommendation; indeed, the title of this book alludes to the highly political nature of any linguistic accommodation, especially in a bilingual or plurilingual context. The preface by Graham Fraser places the concept of immersion in a historical perspective within the linguistic debates in Canada. The book presents linguistic policies and French immersion programs in higher education institutions through identification of the arrangements in Canadian universities, and more specifically those at the University of Ottawa. This is a frame of reference for higher education institutions in Canada and abroad.