DEPARTMENT OF WORLD LANGUAGES AND CULTURES

Lucia Harrison, Department head

 

Foreign Languages and Literatures

The Department of World Languages and Cultures offers work in the fields of French, German, Italian, Latin, Mythology and Spanish. With the exception of Mythology, courses in these languages may be used to satisfy the language requirements of the curricula in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences and to offer a major and/or minor in these fields in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences and the College of Education. The curriculum leading to a major and/or minor in foreign languages is designed to meet the needs of students who wish to pursue further graduate training, who seek a variety of positions in which the knowledge of a foreign language is required and/or desirable, who wish to teach at the elementary and/or secondary school levels, and who, it is hoped, simply desire to acquire the knowledge of the language and of the cultural heritage of another country.

 

Entrance into Foreign Language Courses

Students who have taken two or more years of foreign language in high school or have grown up speaking a language other than English may seek entrance into foreign language courses numbered 102, 201, 202, and advanced level (300 and above) by receiving a passing grade on the appropriate departmental entrance test. These tests are offered at designated times during registration periods. Tests at each level in each language may be taken only once by a given student. Entrance tests are not credit exams and carry absolutely no academic credit. A student who is permitted to enter a course above the 101 level on the basis of entrance testing may receive a grade of "P" in the course(s) he or she is permitted to skip over, if and when the student receives a passing grade in the course into which entrance has been permitted.

 

Majors

For a major in a foreign language, the requirement is thirty (30) semester hours in advanced courses (300 and above) in one language. Students enrolled in FLAN courses will study the language in which they are pursuing their degree.

All foreign language majors are encouraged to do study abroad in a country where the foreign language they are majoring in is spoken. A minimum of six (6) credit hours out of the thirty (30) hours should be obtained through study abroad. Foreign language majors are, therefore, urged to do a minimum of one summer study abroad program. To gain desired fluency, they are encouraged to spend a semester or a year abroad. Course approval for study abroad programs other than Southeastern programs must be obtained from the Department Head before departure.

All students are required to choose from the following courses: Spanish 310, 311, 312 or 330, 319, 320, 423, 314 or 324; 325 or 326, 498, and FLAN 404.

 

Minors

A student who majors in Spanish is required to have a minor. Successful completion of a double degree or double major in another area will also fulfill this degree requirement. Students wishing to minor in foreign languages (French, German, Italian, Latin, or Spanish) are required to complete a total of twenty-one (21) semester hours, nine (9) of which must be at the 300-level or above.

In addition to a minor in French, Italian, German, Latin, or Spanish, the Department of Languages and Communication administers three interdisciplinary minors: Francophone and Creole Ethnic Studies, Hispanic Ethnic Studies and Native American Studies. These minors consist of eighteen (18) hours each and include the following course requirements.

 

1. Minor in Francophone and Creole Ethnic Studies:

Required Courses:
FREN 201: Intermediate French I
FREN 202: Intermediate French II
FREN 324: Francophone Civilization and Culture
Nine additional hours must be chosen from the following:
FREN 326: Francophone Literature
FREN 314: French Culture and Civilization
GEOG 432: World Regional Geography II
HIST 321: History of Louisiana
HIST 448: The Caribbean Area
HIST 488: Oral History Techniques
[Alternates for these courses must be approved by the Department Head]

2. Minor in Hispanic Ethnic Studies

Required Courses:
SPAN 201: Intermediate Spanish I
SPAN 202: Intermediate Spanish II
SPAN 314: Hispanic Civilization or
SPAN 324: Latin American Culture and Civilization
Nine additional hours must be chosen from the following:
ANTH 405: North American Indian
GEOG 432: World Regional Geography II
HIST 446: History of Latin America to 1820
HIST 447: History of Latin America since1820
HIST 449: History of Mexico
HIST 321: History of Louisiana
HIST 488: Oral History Techniques
MYTH 204: Mesoamerican Mythology
MYTH 205: South American Mythology
SOC 411: Race and Ethnic Relations
SPAN 423: Special Topics (when content is appropriate)
[Alternates for these courses must be approved by the Department Head]

3. Native American Studies

Required Courses:
ANTH 405: Indigenous Peoples of the Americas
ENGL 392: Studies in Native American Literature
MYTH 204: Mesoamerican Mythology or MYTH 205: South American Mythology
Nine additional hours must be chosen from the following:
ANTH 101: Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 301: Exploring Archeology
AHTH 403: Archaeological Studies
CRMP 431: Arts Administration of Non-Profit Organizations
CRMP 491: Field Training
GEOG 401: Historical Geography of the United States
GEOG 410: Cultural Geography
HIST 478: The American Frontier
HIST 488: Oral History Techniques
SOC 411: Race and Ethnic Relations
SPAN 324: Latin American Civilization
[Alternates for these courses must be approved by the Department Head] 

 

Honors Diploma in the Discipline

For information on earning Sophomore Honors Distinction, Upper Division Honors Distinction, or the Honors Diploma, please consult The University Honors Program section of this catalog, the Director of the Honors Program, and/or your Department Head. 

 

Foreign Study Opportunities

The Department of Languages and Communication maintains ties with institutions of higher education in many countries. Summer course work through Southeastern Louisiana University is offered regularly in a variety of international locations.

 

Foreign Language Resource Center (FLRC)

The Foreign Language Resource Center, a state-of-the-art digital facility located in D Vickers Hall, provides an inviting environment for the study of foreign languages. Housed in the FLRC are 35 new computers with Internet access and the Microsoft Office package, which can stand alone for individual work and/or be controlled by a teacher console. Students and faculty working in the FLRC can also take advantage of satellite programming in French, Italian and Spanish; a growing collection of VHS and DVD movies and documentaries; all materials that accompany current textbooks; and supplementary instructional materials on CD-ROM. Staff members are available to assist both students and faculty as needed.