Languages

Chair: Professor Susan Myers
Professors: John Westlie and Jane Woodruff
Assistant Professor: Jennifer Colón

The Languages Department offers programs in the core languages representing the peoples, cultures and literatures of the Western World and in languages critical to an understanding of the present world beyond the West. Committed to the College’s promise to provide “open, rigorous intellectual pursuit” in the discipline of languages, the department seeks to develop in our students the expertise of our discipline: cultural literacy, language competencies and cross-cultural experiential skills through established majors and minors. The department recognizes student achievement by nomination to and induction into Phi Sigma Iota, the international foreign language honor society.

The department offers two majors, French and Spanish. Both majors lead to a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree. Students who are interested in interdiscplinary studies in Classics or in Languages and International Business are invited to speak with the department chair about the process involved in creating a self-designed major. The department also offers five minors: Arabic Area Studies, Classical Humanities, French, Japanese Area Studies and Spanish. A grade of C- or higher is required in each course in all of the majors and minors.

Goals for Student Learning
Students who earn a BA in French or a French minor at William Jewell College will:

• understand French and Francophone literature through a study of representative works of major historical and cultural periods, paying special attention to the genres of theater, poetry, short story and novel;
• understand French and Francophone history and culture through a review of important historical events and a study of representative works of major historical and cultural periods, paying particular attention to the Middle Ages, the 17th,
  19th and 20th centuries;
• develop the competencies for life-long learning in French: appreciation of French Studies, literary criticism, presentation, investigation, identification of areas of personal interest, and creativity; and
• develop the language skills of listening, reading, speaking, and writing, working towards a proficiency rating of Independent User, level B2, on the Council of Europe’s Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

French majors must complete 24 hours of French courses numbered 300 or above, including FRE 315, Introduction to French Studies (4), and FRE 415, French Studies Capstone (4). It is required that students choosing French as a first major complete at least 6 hours of French study at the 300-level in a French-speaking country. It is highly recommended that students choosing French as a second or third major com- plete at least 6 hours of French study at the 300-level in a French-speaking country. Students completing a second major in French must complete the requirements for the BA degree.

Students who graduate with a major in Spanish will:

• know key historical and literary movements, figures and events that are part of the cultural heritage deemed important to an educated Spanish-speaking person;
• be able to connect literary works to their social context including economic, historical, and political realities;
• have listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills for effective communication in a work or social environment in Spanish, acquired through both classroom and study abroad experience that are adequate to achieve an Intermediate High rating on the American Council on the Teaching of Languages Oral Proficiency Interview (ACTFL OPI); and
• develop the skills of critical analysis in preparation and completion of research projects in Spanish.

Spanish majors must complete 24 hours of Spanish courses numbered 300 or above, including Spanish 315, Advanced Oral and Written Spanish (4), and Spanish 415, Senior Research Capstone (4). It is required that students choosing Spanish as a first major complete at least 6 hours of Spanish study at the 300-level in a Spanish-speaking country. It is highly recommended that students choosing Spanish as a second or third major complete at least 6 hours of Spanish study at the 300-level in a Spanish-speaking country. Students completing a second major in Spanish must complete the requirements for the BA degree.

Students may receive certification to teach French or Spanish in grades K-12 in the State of Missouri by majoring in either French or Spanish and also majoring in secondary education. Procedures to be followed in obtaining teacher certification are included in the Student Handbook for Teacher Certification. Specific course requirements for all certification programs may be found on check sheets available in the Education Department office.

The Minors

Arabic Area Studies
Goals for Student Learning
Students who graduate with a minor in Arabic Area Studies will:

• have an intermediate level of competency in the Arabic Language;
• know key cultural, historical and political facts about the Arabic-speaking world of North Africa; and
• have completed a semester abroad in Rabat, Morroco.

Requirements:
The minimum of semester credit hours is 19, including 4 hours of Arabic 212 at Jewell and 15 hours of study abroad completed in Rabat, Morroco. A grade of C- or better in all courses required for the minor.

Goals for Student Learning
Graduates with a minor in classical humanities will:

• develop at least minimal reading competency in either Latin or ancient Greek;
• acquire general knowledge of Roman history (for Latin readers), ancient Greek history (for Greek readers) or both; and
• pursue more in-depth knowledge of some aspect of classical culture, e.g., art or philosophy or politics (student’s choice).

The interdisciplinary Classical Humanities minor is intended to provide students interested in the ancient Greek and/or Roman world with the background and skills (historical and linguistic) necessary to pursue that interest, broadly or narrowly. Classical Humanities minors (16-18 hours total) comprise 8 hours of Latin or 8 hours of ancient Greek at the intermediate level or above, 3-4 hours of Roman and/or ancient Greek history, and 3-6 hours in a specialized area of classical studies chosen by the student from a discipline other than history or language (e.g., art or philosophy or political science). Up to 6 hours of credit may be earned from approved study abroad or exchange programs. A research project (GRK/LAT 312, 0-2 hours) approved by the coordinator concludes the minor. A grade of at least C- is required in all coursework and on the final project, with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.00 for all work done in the minor.

French
The French minor is designed for students who would like to add a French component to their other major, such as art, music, business, pre-engineering, international studies and other fields in which France and Francophone countries play a role. French minors must complete 16 hours of French courses, including FRE 212 Intermediate French II (4), FRE 315 Introduction to French Studies (4), and two other courses numbered 300 or above. The student may replace FRE 212 with another course numbered 300 or above, if the student, upon taking the placement test, is allowed to enroll directly into FRE 315. A grade of C- or higher is required in each course to complete the minor.

Japanese Area Studies
Students who graduate with a minor in Japanese Area Studies will:

• have an intermediate level of competency in the Japanese Language;
• know key cultural, historical and political facts about Japan and Asia; and
• have completed a semester abroad in Japan.

Requirements:
The minimum of semester credit hours is 19, including 4 hours of Japanese 212 at Jewell and 15 hours of study abroad completed in Japan. A grade of C- or better in all courses required for the minor.

Spanish
The Spanish minor is designed for students who would like to improve their communicative ability in Spanish, and to broaden their understanding of the Hispanic cultures. The ability to communicate in Spanish will enhance career possibilities for students who are considering working in a variety of human service fields, such as education, health, business and counseling. Spanish minors must complete 16 hours of Spanish courses beyond Spanish 211 Intermediate Spanish I (4), and a minimum of 12 hours of those must be on the 300 level. One 300 level Spanish course taken on campus is a requirement for completion of the minor in Spanish. A grade of C- or higher is required in each course to complete the minor.


Course Descriptions

Arabic
ARA 111 Elementary Modern Arabic (4 cr. hrs.)
A complete introductory course in college Arabic. Students learn to speak, read and write Arabic.

ARA 112 Elementary Modern Arabic II (4 cr. hrs.)
A continuation of ARA 111.

ARA 211 Intermediate Modern Arabic I (4 cr. hrs.)
Further practice in speaking, reading and writing Arabic. Prerequisite: ARA 112 or the equivalent.

French

Spanish