Robert Joe Cutter, Chair

Distinguished Scholars

Martinez Assad, Sefchovich

BACHELOR OF ARTS DEGREE

The faculty in the Department of Languages and Literatures offer majors in Asian Languages (Chinese/Japanese), French, German, Italian, Russian, and Spanish. Each major consists of 45 semester hours, of which 30 must be in one language and 15 in a second language or in closely related fields to be approved by the advisor in consultation with the student. Of the 30 hours required for the major, a minimum of 24 hours must be taken at the 300 or 400 level and must include at least nine hours at the 400 level. For French and Spanish, all courses counting for the major must be taken at the upper-division (300 and 400) level. Specific required courses for each major area are shown in this section and in a brochure available in the department. See College Graduation Requirements. Consult the Languages and Literatures Web site at asu.edu/languages for assessment requirements.

MAJORS

Asian Languages (Chinese/Japanese)—BA

Students majoring in Asian Languages (Chinese/Japanese) may select a course of study that focuses on either language. The major requires 45 semester hours.

Chinese

At least nine semester hours must be at the 400 level. In addition to the courses shown below, the student must meet with an advisor and choose at least 15 semester hours of courses. Choices include six semester hours of JPN prefix courses such as Japanese language and calligraphy, Japanese Literature in Translation (FLA 421), KOR prefix courses such as Korean language and/or Korean culture, three semester hours of approved course work that provides an overview of Chinese history, or six semester hours from appropriate courses in art, humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and business.

Japanese

At least nine semester hours must be taken from FLA 421, and JPN 321 and 414. No more than eight semester hours may be selected from JPN 309, 310, 311, and 312.

Asian Studies Certificate

Foreign language students majoring in Asian Languages (Chinese/Japanese) may elect to pursue an Asian Studies Certificate combining courses from the major with selected outside courses of predominantly Asian content.

Classical Studies

Any undergraduate major can earn a certificate in classical studies.

Latin American Studies Certificate

Foreign language students majoring in Spanish may elect to pursue a Latin American Studies Certificate combining courses from the major with selected outside courses of wholly Latin American content.

Russian and East European Studies Certificate

Any undergraduate major can earn a Russian and East European Studies Certificate by successfully completing one of the options mentioned in the section on Russian and East European Studies.

Scandinavian Studies Certificate

Any undergraduate major can earn a Scandinavian Studies Certificate.

Southeast Asian Studies Certificate

To earn a Southeast Asian Studies Certificate, a student must complete a minimum of 40 semester hours of course work related to Southeast Asia, including two years (20 semester hours) of a Southeast Asian language.

Translation Certificate (Spanish/English)

The Translation Certificate program is designed to provide the advanced training required for professional translation in both public and private sectors, preparation for the rigorous examinations required by national and international agencies, and training as an ancillary skill for professional fields, such as international business, public health and medicine, and law, in accordance with guidelines recommended by the American Translators’ Association. The certificate is a nondegree program consisting of 15 semester hours of course work and two hours of in-service practicum primarily into the receptor language of English from the source language of Spanish. It may be taken simultaneously with course work leading to an undergraduate degree, as a related area sequence, or as the sole program of study for members of the community who meet the admission requirements of the certificate program and are enrolled in the university. A complete brochure is available at the Department of Languages and Literatures in LL 440.

Admission Requirements

Since entrance to professional translation is through work, cultural experience, and examination, the entrance requirements to this certificate program are (1) a written proficiency examination in the source and the receptor languages at the level of completion of an advanced composition course in Spanish (SPA 412) and English (ENG 301), and (2) an academic year at a university in both a Spanish-speaking country and an English-speaking country, extensive work experience using Spanish and English, or demonstrated bilingual writing competence in English and Spanish.

Certificate Requirements

The certificate program consists of the following requirements:

French, German, Japanese, and Spanish

Each of the major teaching fields in French, German, Japanese, and Spanish consists of 45 semester hours, of which 30 must be in one language and 15 in a second language or in closely related fields to be approved by the department advisor in consultation with the student. Of the 30 hours required for the academic specialization, a minimum of 24 hours must be taken at the 300 or 400 level and must include at least nine hours at the 400 level. Specific required courses for each major area are listed in curriculum check sheets of the individual language areas available in the department or in the College of Education. FLA 479 Introduction to Teaching Foreign Languages and FLA 480 Methods of Teaching Foreign Languages are required courses.

GRADUATE PROGRAMS

The faculty in the Department of Languages and Literatures offer programs leading to the MA degree in French, German, and Spanish and the PhD degree in Spanish. See the Graduate Catalog for requirements.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT

All BA degrees in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences require knowledge of one foreign language equivalent to the completion of two years of study at the college level. This normally includes a sequence of courses numbered 101 and 102 and 201 and 202 or 107 and 207. However, important exceptions exist in Greek, Latin, Portuguese, and Romanian.

Greek

To satisfy the foreign language requirement, students must take GRK 301 and 302.

Latin

Students must take LAT 201 before entering LAT 202 or must have completed at least three years of high school Latin before entering LAT 202 to satisfy the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences foreign language requirement.

Portuguese

To satisfy the foreign language requirement, students must take POR 314 or a higher numbered POR course.

Romanian

To satisfy the foreign language requirement, students must complete ROM 314.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE PLACEMENT

Students who transfer from other postsecondary institutions with foreign language credits below the 202 level are placed in a course at the level directly above the work completed.

Students who have completed their secondary education at a school in which the language of instruction was not English are considered to have satisfied the foreign language requirement. Certification of this status is made at the time of admission to ASU. Questions should be addressed to the International Admissions program within Undergraduate Admissions. For more information, call 480/965-2688, or visit the Web site at www.asu.edu/admissions.

The foreign language requirement can be met in languages not taught at ASU either by transferring credit from another institution or by passing a proficiency examination. When possible, the Department of Languages and Literatures recommends to the college an appropriate source for such examinations and proctors them. Grading is done by the institution that provides the examination, and the student pays any costs incurred. The examination can be used only to demonstrate proficiency; it does not produce semester hours of credit.

Students desiring placement above the 101-level course in French, German, or Spanish should take the placement exam for that language in the Computer Language Laboratory in LL 65, or online at www.asu.edu/languages.

Students who wish to continue studying languages for which high school credits have been earned are also encouraged to take the placement exam. Students should be guided by the following principles of equivalency: (1) one unit (one academic year) of high school-level study is considered, for placement purposes only, to equal one semester of study of the same language at the university level. Thus, students with one year of high school study would enroll in the second semester course (102); students with two years of high school study, in the third semester course (201), and so on. (2) Students who feel that their high school language preparation was inadequate may choose to place themselves in a lower level, but not lower than 111 with two or three years of high school study and 201 with four years of high school study.

Students with prior knowledge of a language may meet the college foreign language requirement in any one of the following ways:

 1. by satisfactory results in a nonrepeatable college-approved proficiency examination;

 2. by achieving a grade of at least “C” (2.00) in the last course of the required sequence; or

 3. by achieving a grade of at least “C” (2.00) in a course taught in the language for which the last course of the required sequence is a prerequisite.

Students are expected to follow the progressive sequence of 100, 200, 300, or 400 level. Once a grade of “C” (2.00) or higher is earned in a 300-level class in a language, students may not earn lower-division credit in that language. Moreover, once a grade of “C” (2.00) or higher is earned in a 200-level language course, students may not earn credit in any 100-level course in that language.

First-year foreign language courses taught by the Department of Languages and Literatures are not open to students who have spent one or more years in a country where that language is the predominant language. Individual language areas may have different policies. Students with questions about this policy should check with the appropriate language coordinator in the department.

If transfer students are uncertain about course equivalencies, they should contact the Department of Languages and Literatures.

LANGUAGE LABORATORY REQUIREMENT

All students enrolled in 101, 102, 201, and 202 language courses are expected to spend a minimum of one hour per week in the language laboratory or in other assigned audio-lingual tape exercises in addition to the regular class periods.

Omnibus Courses. For an explanation of courses offered but not specifically listed in this catalog, see Omnibus Courses.

Graduate-Level Courses. For information about courses numbered from 500 to 799, see the Graduate Catalog, or access www.asu.edu/aad/catalogs on the Web. In some situations, undergraduate students may be eligible to take these courses; for more information, see Graduate-Level Courses.