Foreign Languages Majors
Alfonso Abad-Mancheño, Assistant Professor of Spanish, ChairDavid J. Limburg, Professor of German
Sylvia Trelles, Professor of Spanish
Maria Park Bobroff, Associate Professor of French
Hiroko Hirakawa, Associate Professor of Japanese
Edith Lebrato Shepherd, Visiting Instructor of Spanish
Janet Starmer, Visiting Instructor of French
Teresa Rinaldi, Visiting Assistant Professor of Spanish
Mission Statement: Through courses in French, German, Japanese, and Spanish, the Department of Foreign Languages is integral to the College’s mission to produce creative and critical thinkers with the global perspectives necessary to promote positive change in the world. Our purpose is to graduate students who effectively use the four major skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing in the target language; who demonstrate familiarity with various cultures of the world where the target language is spoken; and who demonstrate the critical thinking, analytical and problem-solving skills necessary to function as global citizens. We likewise provide leadership in the internationalization of the College’s curriculum.
Introduction
The goal of the Department of Foreign Languages is to impart a sense of global community in all students. More so than ever before, students must be aware of other cultures and their multiple ways of understanding the world. To this end, the Foreign Languages Department considers the study of language and culture as integral to the formation of global citizens.
Beginning at the introductory level, our courses stress communication in the target language. Throughout our curriculum we emphasize culture broadly defined, from the political, social, and historical to the artistic and literary. Essential to the Foreign Language curriculum is study abroad, for no classroom can duplicate the experience of living in another land and interacting in another language. The Foreign Languages Department helps to prepare all students, not just majors and minors, for their study abroad goals. The department’s commitment to global understanding is evident in the many clubs, service projects, language tables, and film festivals we organize. A foreign language major is an excellent choice for any student desiring a career abroad or one that requires interaction with diverse groups of people. Students wishing to pursue careers in health care, human services, business, entertainment, or the government, will strengthen their portfolio by adding a double major in a foreign language.
Teaching Licensure
K-12 licensure is offered in French and Spanish.
Students can obtain K-12 licensure in French or Spanish by double majoring in the respective language and education studies. Students pursuing these double majors have the same requirements within the Foreign Languages Department as do other majors. The option of doing a senior thesis is not advisable for students receiving K-12 licensure in a foreign language. Note: Students interested in pursuing a teaching career in German may do so by completing the requirements for the language and literature track in German at Guilford, a minor in education studies, and then acquiring certification at a graduate institution.
Language Laboratory
Beginning language students gain additional language practice in the target language during weekly lab meetings. Students of French, German, and Spanish use Auralog’s Tell Me More software, a sophisticated language learning program that includes speech recognition.
Degrees Offered
The Bachelor of Arts degree is offered in French, German, and Spanish.
Major Requirements
Each major requires a minimum of 32 credit hours (eight courses) numbered 200 or above and including at least one 400 level course. All majors are expected to study abroad with an appropriate Guilford program before graduating. Approval of the department is necessary to either waive this requirement or to participate in another program abroad. Students may do a senior thesis (470) or departmental honors (490) on a topic approved by the department. This will count as one of the eight courses, but will not replace the required 400 level course. Students planning to attend graduate school are urged to choose the senior thesis. All majors must meet proficiency requirements. Foreign language majors should choose a related field in order to consolidate and complement their major field of study or to enhance career opportunities.
Course prerequisites: Language courses require a specific sequencing. The introductory sequence (100 level) is a prerequisite for the intermediate level; the intermediate sequence (200 level) is a prerequisite for the higher levels.
Note: Courses in English translation cannot count for the French, Spanish, or German language and literature majors.
French:
- Five French courses at the 200 level or above – 20 credits
- FREN 260, FREN 290, FREN 360, FREN 390, FREN 460 with departmental permission
- FREN 220 Intro to Literary and Cultural Analysis – 4 credits
- Any FREN 300 level course – 4 credits
- FREN 360 or FREN 390 with departmental permission
- FREN 400 Senior Seminar – 4 credits
Note: French majors must study abroad in an approved Francophone country. Courses taken abroad can count toward the minimum 32 credits. The department recommends that French majors take at least one course on Francophone Africa or the Caribbean.
Total credits required for A.B. degree in French – 32 credits
German:
Students choose one of two tracks: German language and literature or German studies. Each track consists of a five-course core taught in German.
German Language and Literature Track:
- Five German courses at the 200 level or above – 20 credits
- GERM 260, GERM 290, GERM 360, GERM 390, GERM 460 with departmental permission
- GERM 202 Intermediate German II – 4 credits
- Any GERM 300-level course – 4 credits
- GERM 360 or 390 with departmental permission
- Any GERM 400-level course – 4 credits
- GERM 460 with departmental permission
Note: German language and literature majors must study abroad in an approved Germanophone country. Courses taken abroad can count toward the minimum 32 credits.
Total credits required for A.B. degree in German language and literature track – 32 credits
German Studies Track:
- Three German courses at the 200 level or above – 12 credits
- GERM 260, GERM 290, GERM 360, GERM 390, GERM 460 with departmental permission
- GERM 202 Intermediate German II – 4 credits
- Any GERM 400-level course – 4 credits
- GERM 460 with departmental permission
- Three courses in Munich – 12 credits
Note: German studies track majors must participate in Guilford’s Munich semester abroad program. Students can count up to three courses taught in English toward this track.
Spanish:
- Four Spanish courses at the 200 level or above – 16 credits
- SPAN 260, SPAN 290, SPAN 360, SPAN 390, SPAN 460 with departmental permission
- SPAN 301 Advanced Grammar and Phonetics – 4 credits
- One course from: 4 credits
- SPAN 310 Contemporary Latin America
- SPAN 320 Culture and Society: Mexico, Central America and Caribbean
- SPAN 322 Culture and Society: South America
- SPAN 340 Film, Life, and Literature of Latin America
- SPAN 402 Senior Seminar: Latin America
- One course from: 4 credits
- SPAN 311 Contemporary Spain
- SPAN 321 Culture and Society: Golden Age of Spain
- SPAN 323 Culture and Society: Beginnings of a Nation
- SPAN 403Senior Seminar: Spain
- SPAN 390 Internship: 2 credits
- Any SPAN 400-level course taken senior year – 4 credits
- SPAN 460 with departmental permission
Note: Spanish majors must study abroad in an approved Hispanophone country. Courses taken abroad can count toward the minimum 34 credits. Students must complete their internship requirement after studying abroad.
Total credits required for A.B. degree in Spanish – 34 credits
