Foreign Languages Programs

David J. Limburg, Associate Professor of German, Chair

Sylvia Trelles, Professor of Spanish

Hiroko Hirakawa, Associate Professor of Japanese
Alfonso Abad-Mancheño, Assistant Professor of Spanish
Maria Park Bobroff, Assistant Professor of French
Kathryn T. Bowers, Assistant Professor of Spanish

Olivia Elias , Assistant Professor of Spanish

Laura Ibarra, Visiting Instructor of Spanish
Janet Starmer, Visiting Instructor of French and Director of the Language Laboratory

Guilford’s Quaker heritage has assured a continuing interest in the study of language as an instrument of international understanding. Courses are offered in Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Spanish.

     

Entering students take a placement test upon arrival to determine their level in a previously studied language. Students may place out of the one semester (101) foreign language requirement by taking that placement exam. Students who do not take the placement exam will be required to complete one semester of language 101. Students who place out of the foreign language requirement and wish to continue with their studies of a language will be placed in the appropriate level course according to the placement exam score. Intermediate (201-202) level (or equivalent experience) is a prerequisite for higher-level courses.

 

Degrees Offered

The Bachelor of Arts degree is offered in French, German, German Studies, and Spanish.

Major Requirements

The department offers majors in French, German, German Studies and Spanish. Each major requires a minimum of 32 credit hours (eight courses) numbered  200 or above and must include at least one 400 course. For a French or Spanish major, 220 must be included among the eight required courses. Students may do a Senior Thesis (470) or Departmental Honors (490) on a topic approved by the department. This will be counted 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. French and Spanish courses in translation do not count towards the major.

A German Studies major requires participation in the Munich Semester Program. Students can count up to three courses taught in English toward the major and must also take at least five courses taught in German and selected from the German major curriculum.

Double majors in either French or Spanish and education studies, as well as K-12 licensure in these languages, are also offered. 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. Students interested in pursuing a teaching career in German may do so by completing the requirements for a German major at Guilford, a concentration in education studies and then acquiring certification at a graduate institution.

Course prerequisites: Except for courses in translation, a student is required to complete French/Spanish 220 or German 202, its equivalent or to obtain permission from the instructor before enrolling in a 300-level course. Further, students must complete at least one 300-level course before taking a 400-level course.

Spanish majors must take at least one course from the Spanish peninsular area and one from Latin America. All majors must meet proficiency requirements.

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. Guilford currently offers semester programs in Beijing, Guadalajara, Madrid, Seville, Alcala de Henares, Brunnenburg, Siena, Munich, Paris, Rennes, tokyo and Osaka, for which the appropriate language is either required or recommended.

Foreign language majors should choose a related field in order to consolidate and complement their major field of study or to enhance career opportunities. Majors in many other disciplines will find a minor in a foreign language (four courses at the intermediate level and above) of immense value in the pursuit of a career.

 

French:
1-5. Five French courses above 102	20 credits
excluding FREN 260, 290, 360, 390, 460
6.  FREN 220 Intro to Literary and Cultural Analysis	4 credits
7.  Any FREN 300 level course other than FREN 360 or FREN 390	4 credits
8.  Any FREN 400 level course other than FREN 460	4 credits
Total credits required for A.B. degree in French	32 credits

 

German:
1-5. Five German courses above 102	20 credits
excluding GERM 260, 290, 360, 390, 460
6.  Any GERM 400 level course other than GERM 460	4 credits
7.  GERM 202 Intermediate German II	4 credits
8.  Any GERM 300 level course other than GERM 360 or 390	4 credits
Total credits required for A.B. degree in German	32 credits

 

German Studies:
1.  GERM 202 Intermediate German II	4 credits
2-4. Three German courses above 102	12 credits
excluding GERM 260, 290, 360, 390, 460
5.  Any GERM 400 level course other than GERM 460	4 credits
6-8.  Three courses in Munich	12 credits
Total credits required for A.B. degree in German Studies	32 credits

 

Spanish:
1-4.  Four Spanish course above 112	16 credits
excluding SPAN 260, 290, 360, 390, 460
5.  SPAN 220 Intro to Literary and Cultural Analysis	4 credits
6.  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
7.  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
8.  Any SPAN 400 level course other than 460	4 credits
Total credits required for A.B. degree in Spanish	32 credits

 

Assessment of Foreign Language Majors

Speaking proficiency will be assessed in an oral exam in an intermediate course (201 or 202). The 202/220 final will be a language proficiency exam. The exam will test knowledge of grammar and explication of a text (for German: the literary portion will be given with the final for the fall 300-level course). Based on the results of the 202/220 test, students whose score is inadequate will likely be advised to A) discontinue as a language major, or B) study and retake the test when ready; at the latest before the beginning of the student's final 400-level course.

The following final project will be required for all seniors in their final 400-level course: a final paper or exam for the course, in the target language, in which students pull together the cultural knowledge they have acquired throughout the major, including material from the current 400 course. Students will write a paper on a cultural theme tracing its importance through historical, cultural and literary contexts. Along with the essay, students will turn in a three-question evaluation form, assessing their language major and outlining future goals.

Students will complete a study abroad self-assessment form.