Overview
Every course offered through the Foreign Language Department is designed to develop language proficiency in reading, writing, speaking and listening in the target language as well as presenting aspects of the cultures where the target language is spoken.
A grade of C- or above must be earned in all courses that are required in a major or a minor.
Outcomes
Every course offered through the Foreign Language Department is designed to develop language proficiency in reading, writing, speaking and listening in the target language as well as presenting aspects of the cultures where the target language is spoken. The four major skills of language acquisition form the core outcomes for students majoring in German, French and Spanish:
- Reading: The student will be able to read unedited target language texts in his/her field of interest.
- Writing: The student will be able to express him/herself in writing in the target language on a wide variety of topics of personal interest and will be able to produce simple to complex academic texts.
- Speaking: The student will become a more effective oral communicator in the target language and will be able to speak on a variety of personal topics with accuracy of tense usage and will be able to give opinions on abstract topics of personal interest.
- Listening: The student will be able to follow the gist of conversations among native speakers and will be able to understand broadcasts and films in the target language with adequate help and preparation.
In addition, students who complete target-language majors will address the following additional outcomes:
- Literature: The student will have read and discussed selected poems, novels, short stories, and dramas from a variety of periods and peoples in the literature of the target language.
- History: The student will be able to discuss important historical events and trends in the country/countries of the target language, including developments in art, music, science, architecture and/or technology.
- Geography and Culture: The student will be able to identify important geographical, cultural, economic and demographic features of the country/countries in which the target language is spoken.
- Language Acquisition: The student will demonstrate knowledge about the theoretical challenges inherent in the acquisition of the target language and will demonstrate increased facility in understanding the structure of his/her first language.