COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES - DEPT OF LANGUAGES AND CULTURE STUDIES

Africana Studies  |  American Studies  |  Anthropology  |  Biology  |  Chemistry  |  Cognitive Science
Communication Studies  |  Criminal Justice and Criminology  |  English  |  Film Studies
Geography and Earth Sciences  |  Gerontology  |  Global, International, and Area Studies  |  History
Languages and Culture Studies  |  Mathematics and Statistics  |  Philosophy
Physics and Optical Science  |  Political Science  |  Psychology  |  Religious Studies  |  ROTC: Aerospace Studies
ROTC: Military Studies  |  Sociology  |  Urban Studies  |  Women's and Gender Studies

The Department of Languages and Culture Studies has designed its programs to develop language skills and to provide insights into foreign cultures through the study of language, culture, literature, and translation. The Department offers the Bachelor of Arts degree with majors in French, German, and Spanish, and minors in French, German, Japanese, Russian, Spanish and Western Antiquity and Classical Languages. Certificates are offered in Translating and Business Language. Chinese, Italian, and Portuguese are offered regularly, and Arabic, Greek, Hebrew, and other languages are offered on demand.

Students interested in foreign language study are encouraged to explore the following options:

• A single major in French, German or Spanish, based on the standard liberal arts model, with or without teaching licensure
• A double major in a foreign language and another discipline or in two languages
• A foreign language minor
• A concentration in one or more languages to complement a major in another academic area
• A concentration of courses leading to a Certificate in Translating or Business Language

Scholarships, Study Abroad, Awards. Scholarships for summer study and employment abroad are available to UNC Charlotte students of French, German, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish. As a rule, applicants are required to be language majors or minors, or students in a departmental certificate program, to be eligible, and they must have completed the equivalent of at least two years of study in the language they propose to use abroad. The Department strongly encourages all students to participate in a study abroad program and sponsors exchange programs with universities in Brazil, Chile, China, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, and Spain. The Department regularly presents the following awards: the Mary Jim Whitlow Award for Outstanding Student Achievement in Language Study; the Pierre Macy Award for Excellence in French; the Karl Gabriel, Robert Reimer, and Susan Cernyak-Spatz Scholarships for Excellence in German and Service to the German Program; and La Noticia Scholarship for Spanish. For detailed information, contact the Department of Languages and Culture Studies.

BEGINNING AND INTERMEDIATE SPANISH

Beginning and Intermediate Spanish language courses are offered for prospective majors and non-majors. SPAN 1201 and SPAN 1202 make up the first-year Spanish language sequence (first and second semester). A number of courses are then offered at the intermediate level (that is, the third and fourth semesters). The following courses satisfy the first semester of the Intermediate level: SPAN 2200 Spanish for Reading Knowledge; SPAN 2201 Intermediate Spanish I; SPAN 2105 Communication Skills Development I; SPAN 2210 Spanish for Commerce, SPAN 2211 Spanish for Criminal Justice Professionals, and SPAN 2212 Spanish for Health Care Professionals. All of these courses satisfy a first semester intermediate language course required by many majors in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences as well as some other Colleges. Different majors may require a specific course from those listed above. Students should check carefully with an advisor in their own major to determine which third semester course is preferred by their major. All students are also encouraged to study abroad to finish their intermediate language sequence.

BACHELOR OF ARTS

General Requirements for All Majors. All students are required to fulfill General Education requirements described in the Degree Requirements and Academic Regulations section of this Catalog, in addition to coursework specified below.

Note: Introductory language courses may not be taken on a pass/no credit basis if they are being used to fulfill a college or departmental foreign language requirement. Students majoring or minoring in Language may not take required courses in the Department on a pass/no credit basis.

Placement. All incoming students should take a UNC Charlotte Placement Exam in the language they wish to study if they have had previous experience with that language. Foreign language majors and minors are advised to take a placement exam to help them determine at what level they should begin studying their chosen language.

Writing-intensive courses (W). All foreign language majors must take at least one W course offered within the department. Such courses include, but are not limited to: LACS 3050, LACS 3160, FREN 2209, GERM 3160, RUSS 3050, RUSS 3203, SPAN 2009, SPAN 3009, and SPAN 3019.

Teacher Licensure. The Department, in collaboration with the Department of Middle, Secondary, and K-12 Education, offers a program to prepare students for K-12 teacher licensure in North Carolina. The student seeking licensure to teach a foreign language must fulfill the General Education requirements, the foreign language major, two foreign language teaching methods classes offered jointly between the Department of Languages and Culture Studies and the College of Education, and satisfy all other requirements specified by the College of Education. Students planning to specialize in foreign language education should apply through the Coordinator for Foreign Language Education during the first semester of the sophomore year to obtain appropriate advising. Licensure applications are the responsibility of the student and the Office of Student Academic Services in the College of Education.

BACHELOR OF ARTS IN FRENCH

The French major offers two options:

Option A: Requires FREN 2201, 2202, 2207, 3201, 3202, 3203, 3209, and four additional courses at the 4000 level. Related work is to be approved by the Department. Students seeking teacher licensure take this option.

Option B: For students with a double major, this option requires FREN 2201, 2202, 2207, 3201, 3202, 3203, 3209, two additional courses at the 4000 level, and all courses required for the second major.

Students majoring in French may substitute two TRAN-F courses for 4000-level French courses for Option A and one TRAN-F course for a 4000-level course for Option B.

BACHELOR OF ARTS IN GERMAN

A major in German leading to a B.A. degree requires GERM 2201, 2202 or 2210, 3201, 3202, 3030, 3050 (two courses under different topics; 3160 may be substituted for one 3050), 4203 or 4204, 4010 or 4020, and one additional 3000- or 4000-level German class. German majors must enroll concurrently for one hour of GERM 4050 for each GERM 3030 or 3050 course they take, unless that course was offered in the German language. In addition, 15 hours of related work (or a declared minor), approved by the German language staff, will be required. Candidates for teacher licensure must also take two foreign language teaching methods classes offered jointly between the Department of Languages and Culture Studies and the College of Education, and satisfy all other requirements specified by the College of Education.

Students majoring in German and seeking a Certificate in Translating in German must also take TRAN 3401, 4402, 4403, and 4404, but may eliminate two courses at the 3xxx and one course at the 4xxx level from the requirements for the major listed above.

Students majoring in German and seeking a Certificate in Business German must take GERM 2210, 4120, and 4121, but may eliminate one of the 3050 courses and one other course at the 3000/4000 level from the requirements for the majors listed above. Upon departmental approval, up to three credit hours earned for GERM 4410 Professional Internship may replace one of the 3000-4000-level courses.

BACHELOR OF ARTS IN SPANISH

The B.A. degree in Spanish offers two tracks: 1) literature/culture emphasis and 2) applied language emphasis (Business Spanish and Translating). Each track consists of 30 hours of courses in Spanish, plus a one-hour Senior Seminar (LACS 4690). Students majoring in Spanish are strongly encouraged to take courses in another language at least through the Intermediate level. Both tracks require a core of 3 classes:

• SPAN 3201
• SPAN 3202 or SPAN 3203
• SPAN 3208

The literature/culture emphasis then requires:

• SPAN 3209 or 3210
• SPAN 3211
• SPAN 3212
• 12 hours (4 courses) of Spanish at the 4000 level (at least three of these courses must be in literature/culture); for example: SPAN4201, 4202, 4205, 4206, 4210, 4211, 4212, 4213, 4214, 4215, 4216, 4217)
• LACS 4690

The applied language emphasis requires, in addition to the three core courses:

• SPAN 3209 or SPAN 3210
• SPAN 3211 or SPAN 3212
• SPAN 3220
• 12 hours (4 courses) of additional SPAN or TRAN 4000 level courses (at least three of these courses must be in applied Spanish; for example: SPAN 4120, 4121, 4122, 4231, 4232, 4233, TRAN 4402, 4403, 4404)
• LACS 4690

Teacher Licensure. The student seeking licensure to teach a foreign language must fulfill the General Education requirements, the foreign language major, two foreign language teaching methods classes offered jointly between the Department of Languages and Culture Studies and the College of Education, and satisfy all other requirements specified by the College of Education.

Spanish Honors. For those students who maintain a 3.5 GPA after 21 hours in either of these major tracks, the Department offers an Honors option. Students who choose to participate in the Spanish Honors Program must complete an additional 6 hours by having a 6-hour or longer study abroad experience or a professional internship experience of 6 hours (SPAN 4410) or both a 3-hour study abroad and a 3-hour internship or service learning experience. Honors students must also take SPAN 4400, where they will write an Honors thesis that must be defended before the departmental Honor’s Committee. In addition, students in the Honors option must also study another language at least through 2202 (the end of the Intermediate level).

Latin American Studies. Students pursuing a degree in Latin American Studies should consult the Latin American Studies  program for a description of their language requirements.

MINOR IN FRENCH

A minor in French requires FREN 2201, 2202, 2207, 3201, 3202, 3203, and 3209. Students who wish to count FREN 2210 toward the minor may take it in lieu of FREN 2207 or 3203.

MINOR IN GERMAN

A minor in German requires 20 hours, as follows: GERM 2201, 2202, 3201, 3202 and six additional hours at the 3000 or 4000 level. A student waived from GERM 2201 and/or 2202 must take the equivalent number of hours in 3000- or 4000-level courses.

MINOR IN JAPANESE

A minor in Japanese requires six courses and at least 20 hours above the 1202 level, as follows: JAPN 2201, 2202, 3201, 3202, 3209, and 3800.

MINOR IN RUSSIAN

A minor in Russian consists of seven courses above the 1202 level, as follows: RUSS 2201, 2202, 3201, 3050, 3202, 3203, and 3800.

MINOR IN SPANISH

A minor in Spanish consists of 15 hours above the 2202 level as follows: SPAN 3201, SPAN 3202 or 3203, SPAN 3208, and 6 additional hours at either the 3000 or 4000 level.

MINOR IN CLASSICAL STUDIES

The minor in Classical Studies focuses a student’s interest in ancient Mediterranean history and provides a foundation for advanced work in other academic disciplines as well as professional programs in law, medicine and finance. The minor gives students an opportunity to develop a keener perception and better understanding of the cultural forces at work in the contemporary world. By presenting a broad selection of courses in the various disciplines of literature, philosophy and history, the minor provides students with a sound overview of Western antiquity.

Requirements. The minor requires a minimum of 18 hours of curse work distributed over at least three of the following five areas of study:

1) Languages: LATN 1202 or higher, or GREK 1202 or higher.

2) Ancient Material Culture: For example, ARTH 3320 – Egypt and Ancient near Eastern Art; ARTH 3322 – Ancient Greek Art; ARTH 3323 – Ancient Roman Art; ANTH 2152 – Introduction to Archaeology; ANTH 3152 – Early Civilizations; any pre-approved, structured tour of Italy or Greece granting official academic credit from a recognized post-secondary institution.

3) Ancient History: For example, HIST 3101 History of Greece, HIST 3102 History of Rome

4) Greek and Roman Literature: For example, RELS 3101 Greek Myths and Religion, ENGL 4111 Ancient World Literature

5) Greek and Roman Thought: For example, POLS 3171 History of Classical Political Philosophy, PHIL 3010 Ancient Philosophy, PHIL 3110 Medieval Philosophy.

This is not an exhaustive list of courses that may be applied to the degree. There are many LBST 2101 and LBST 2212 courses that may be appropriate for the Ancient History. Other courses, such as topics courses and private readings that focus on subjects from Western antiquity may be approved in any of the categories by the classics coordinator in the Department of Languages and Culture Studies. To make a request for course approval, submit the syllabus to the coordinator.

CERTIFICATE IN BUSINESS LANGUAGES

The Certificate in Business Language program (CBL) provides classroom, overseas (optional), and practical training in French, German, or Spanish for international business, which may also be recognized by international examinations. Beginning with an alternative fourth-semester course, the sequence continues with advanced-level course work that includes a two-semester component in advanced business French, German, or Spanish. In order to be awarded the CBL, each course that counts for the certificate must be completed with at least a grade of B. Majors in any field are welcome.

CERTIFICATE IN TRANSLATING

A Certificate in Translating (CT) in the French-English, German-English, Russian-English, or Spanish-English sequences may be earned by completion of TRAN 3401, 4402 F/G/R/S, 4403 F/G/R/S and 4404 F/G/R/S, with a grade of B or better in each course. The CT is not equivalent to a major in a foreign language; rather it represents a theory-based skill developed at the bachelor’s degree level. The CT may complement a major in any field, and is especially recommended for majors and minors in French, German, Russian, Spanish, International Studies, or International Business. All courses for the CT involve, but are not limited to, translating into English from the source text.

Page Maintained By:  Academic Affairs