Overview
Foreign Literature and Languages

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What it is
What you study
Careers and further study
Honors and awards
Facilities
Opportunities

What it is
UMass Dartmouth offers Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Spanish and French. Minors are offered in each of these languages, and in German.
Courses in Italian and Latin are regularly offered. Besides fundamental language courses, the department offers a variety of courses on the literature and culture of a variety of countries. Masterpieces of French Literature, Major Currents of French Thought, German Drama, History of the German Language, Cuban Music, and Culture and Civilization of Latin America are just a few of the courses available.
In addition, courses in linguistics, teaching methods, and language for professional purposes are taught, including Origin and Evolution of the Romance Languages, Concepts of Foreign Language Teaching, Business Spanish, and Medical Spanish.
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What you study
Students need to take at least 30 credits (27 of them in the same language) at the intermediate level or above, and 120 credits total, for a B.A. degree.
In selecting their courses, students gear their studies toward either literature or an overview of foreign languages, business, and culture.
In addition to taking the courses required for a foreign language major, students meet the college's requirements for a well-rounded liberal arts education. They take a variety of elected and required courses in subjects such as natural science, the humanities (history, philosophy, art, and music), and the social sciences (economics, political science, psychology, sociology, and anthropology).
A typical freshman year includes courses in a foreign language, Critical Writing and Reading, and several electives from the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.
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Careers and further study
Graduates with a degree in foreign literature and languages can enter a wide range of career fields, including teaching, journalism, social work, politics, business, government work, diplomacy, advertising, library science, law, and international affairs.
Individuals who wish to teach at the elementary or secondary level may participate in the teacher certification program. Students take education courses (in addition to their major requirements), and three language instruction courses offered by the foreign literature and languages department. Qualified students may also participate in the University's Teaching Intern Program. Graduates are then certified in Massachusetts as novice teachers, completing the first of a two-level teacher certification process that continues in graduate school. Many other states have already adopted a similar program, or are moving towards it.
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Honors and awards
Each year, outstanding foreign literature and language students are recognized at the University Honors Convocation.
Foreign literature and language majors may participate in the departmental Honors Program. Students complete a one or two semester project which involves an extensive reading list and a final term paper.
Students in the departmental Honors Program may also complete the University Honors Program. To achieve this, they maintain a grade point average of at least 3.2 and complete 30 of their credits at the honors level (either by enrolling in designated honors courses, or developing their own program within a course through "honors contracts"). Upon graduation, successful candidates receive the distinction of "Commonwealth Scholar."
Outstanding Spanish majors may also enter the Mu Phi Chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the Spanish honor society. The organization recognizes exceptional students of Spanish and Hispanic literature, and strives to make Hispanic contributions better known to the American people. Sigma Delta Pi also promotes friendly relations between our country and Spanish-speaking nations.
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Facilities
The foreign language student's greatest resource is the language laboratory. The campus lab provides instructional tapes and supplemental materials for the several hundred students who visit there weekly. It houses a variety of teaching tools, from a satellite dish that brings in live news, variety, and sports programs from 20 different countries, to sophisticated VCRs for playing tapes from other countries (even taping episodes of "Sesame Street" in Spanish). The equipment and materials enable students to learn foreign languages through a variety of ways - recording their own voices as they practice a language, reading books in foreign languages, or scanning newspapers from other countries.
Because foreign language students are constantly communicating in the written as well as the spoken word, computing is an integral part of the curriculum. At UMass Dartmouth, more than 200 computer workstations are available to students, and there is access to several computer networks. Basic training and assistance on all computers is provided by the university at no charge to students.
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Opportunities
Study abroad programs are an exciting way to perfect a foreign language and learn first-hand about a country's social and cultural climate. UMass Dartmouth has formal student exchange programs with, among others, the University of Grenoble in France, the Lycee du Gresivaudan just outside Grenoble, Nottingham Polytechnic University in England, as well as the Hessen Universities (www.Hessen.de) and the Baden-Württemberg Universities (www.baden-wuerttemberg.de/english) in Germany. Programs at these schools allow students to pursue studies in, or related to, the UMass Dartmouth major fields.
Individuals with a dual interest in business and French may apply for a certificate in International Marketing/French. To complete the program, a student would take a total of 24 credits in courses focusing on subjects such as elementary and intermediate French, French composition and conversation, economics, international trade and finance, European economic history, and marketing. The Certificate of Studies in International Marketing/French is awarded through the Omer E. and Laurette M. Boivin Center for French Language and Culture.
The Boivin Center for French Studies awards scholarships to students who excel in the French language.
The French Club and the Spanish Club are designed for students interested in the French and Spanish language and culture. Films, dinners, guest speakers, and other interesting events give students the opportunity to speak the language and improve their comprehension.
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 Last Updated On: 2/20/06