Modern Languages and Literatures
Majors offered: French, German, Spanish, or Multi-Language
Minors offered: French, German, Spanish

The department of modern languages and literatures offers the latest teaching technology, including sound systems, Internet access and video and computer data projection. Two fully equipped computer classrooms in the Language Resource Center double as teaching spaces and language laboratories where students conduct their oral comprehension practice via our new VirtuaLab digital video/audio delivery system. The department also subscribes to foreign language television, which is available in all classrooms and student rooms on campus.

Foreign languages and literatures free the individual to discover the content and value of other cultures, to enrich personal experiences through contacts with others on their own terms, and to enter into worlds of thought and expression that would otherwise be inaccessible. Languages thus play a key part in reducing -ethnocentricity.

In an age when almost instant communication links the peoples of the world, when the relationships among nations are evolving rapidly and when Americans are increasingly aware of the riches of their diverse cultural heritage, the ability to use a second language acquires a new importance. Any level of proficiency in a foreign language supports both international -understanding and basic contacts with various language groups in the United States. High-level ability promotes meaningful, accurate communication.

St. Lawrence graduates with foreign language skills have found positions in fields such as banking, education, government, law, retailing, industry and social service. Many now live abroad or have spent time working in other countries.

The department offers courses at several levels in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and Swahili. Language courses are oriented toward achievement of oral and written proficiency. Classes are small to facilitate the acquisition of language skills. Study of the various literatures is also available; these classes are conducted wholly in the language. Some courses in foreign literatures are also taught in English. A seminar-discussion approach is commonly used. Many courses fulfill the foreign language distribution requirement; others fulfill the humanities or diversity requirement.

Advanced courses foster development of high-level language and analytical skills through study of literature, culture and film, and the media. Advanced language courses enable students to gain a deeper understanding of the written and oral expression of a foreign culture.

The department sponsors foreign language films, guest lecturers and other activities. Chapters of the principal language honorary societies are also under departmental sponsorship.

The department encourages all students with sufficient skills to participate in a St. Lawrence University program in Austria, Costa Rica, France, Kenya, Italy or Spain. Residence abroad enables students to achieve language fluency that leads to a solid understanding of the host culture and a deeper understanding of their own.

The department employs students with advanced language skills as teaching assistants in the language laboratories and as tutors in the Spanish Writing Center and the French Writing Center. Students with an interest in technology may work in the Language Resource Center as instructional technology interns.

Entering students who continue language study begun elsewhere are assigned to the appropriate course on the basis of their high school record.

A student who has offered two years or more of foreign language study for entrance credit may not repeat these language courses for credit -toward graduation.

Requirements for Majors and Minors

Francophone Studies

Francophone studies majors are strongly encouraged to spend a year, or at least a semester, studying in Rouen with the University’s France program. The fall program is for students with a good command of French (at least one 200-level French course); it begins with a two-week homestay in the Norman countryside, before moving to the city. At the Université de Rouen, students may take courses in art history, economics, French literature, government and African studies; all courses are taught in French. The spring program is for students who do not yet possess a good command of French; it begins with two weeks of French immersion at Université Laval in Québec. In Rouen, intensive language training continues while other courses are taught in English.

Students in France traditionally take four courses (4.5 credits) each semester. Students in the fall may receive three credits toward the Francophone studies major; those in the spring receive two credits. Students who remain for the year receive five credits for the major.

A Francophone studies major consists of nine courses: five electives at the 103-104 level or above, two electives at the 300 level or above, and two electives at the 400 level. Courses at the 300 level are offered only in France. Students who do not participate in the France program must therefore take at least four courses at the 400 level.

A Francophone studies minor consists of six courses at the 103-104 level or beyond. French minors are encouraged to spend a semester or a year on the France program. Students on the France program may count three courses (semester program) or five courses (year program) toward the Francophone studies minor.

German Studies

Students majoring in German studiesare required to complete nine units starting with 101 or eight units starting with 103. Majors are expected to take at least one seminar (either 423, or 424) and to participate in an international program either in Austria or Germany. The center for international and intercultural studies will help students enroll in an appropriate program. Up to two approved literature or culture courses per semester taken abroad and taught in German count toward the major.

The German studies minor is designed to offer students an introductory knowledge of the German language and culture. This minor can be obtained by a combination of language and culture courses on campus and abroad. The minimum language proficiency is the completion of the intermediate level (104) and the minimum number of courses is six. Typically students will complete four courses on campus and two abroad.

Japanese Studies

All students must earn six credits to qualify for the minor, in either of two ways:

(1) Minor with study abroad: Students take Japanese 101 and 102 on campus, then apply for a semester program in Japan at one of St. Lawrence’s exchange universities, Nanzan University in Nagoya or International Christian University (ICU) in Tokyo, receiving three credits for a semester or up to five credits for the year-long program. Additional courses in Japanese language, literature in translation, drama and culture from the department of modern languages and literatures or other designated courses in humanities and social sciences on campus may also count toward this minor.

(2) Minor without study abroad: Students must take Japanese 101, 102, 103 and 104 along with at least two more courses on campus as described above.

Spanish

The Spanish major is designed to provide an understanding of the principal aspects of Hispanic culture as well as proficiency in the language at the advanced level according to American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language guidelines. The Spanish major consists of 10 units beyond the 104 level: five electives at the 200 level or above, three electives at the 300 level or above, and two electives at the 400 level. Except for 350, courses at the 300 level are offered only in Spain and Costa Rica; 400 level courses, including Independent Study and Honors Project, are offered only on campus.

Students who begin Spanish at St. Lawrence at a level higher than 201, 202 are exempt from two major units. Introduction to Spanish Literature and Introduction to Hispanic American Literature are required courses for the major.

Students wishing to major in Spanish are urged to participate in the Costa Rica (San José) or Spain (Madrid) programs. It is possible to earn four credits toward the major during a semester in Spain or Costa Rica; students who remain a year in Spain may earn seven credits toward the major.

A Spanish minor consists of six courses at the 201-202 level or beyond. Spanish minors are encouraged to spend a semester or a year on the Spain or Costa Rica programs. Students on the programs in Spain or Costa Rica may count three courses (semester program) or five courses (year program) toward the Spanish minor.

The Multi-Language Major

To meet the requirements for the multi-language major, students must have four credits in each of three different languages. (Students may not choose Swahili or Italian as one of the three languages for this major.) In one of these languages, designated the language of concentration, the student must complete at least four units beyond the 202 course. To improve skills in the language of concentration and to deepen cultural understanding, multi-language majors are expected to study abroad. Students who major in multi-language may minor in Francophone studies or Spanish only when the minor language is not one of the three languages of their multi-language major.

Caribbean and Latin American Studies Minor

Students who take Spanish or French may want to consider the interdisciplinary minor in Caribbean and Latin American studies, which consists of six courses and includes an introductory core course (CLAS 104) as well as five additional Caribbean and Latin American studies courses from at least three different departments.

International Programs

St. Lawrence study abroad opportunities in Costa Rica, France, Italy, Japan and Spain support the work of the department and are designed for students with significant background in the language. The program in France is also open to students with elementary French. Students with strong German language skills may obtain information on study opportunities in Austria and Germany from the Center for International and Intercultural Studies. Those with little or no prior knowledge of German can choose the St. Lawrence semester program in Vienna. Similarly, students with little or no Italian may choose the program in Florence. There is also a program in Kenya for students studying Swahili.

Certification to Teach a Foreign Language

Students seeking initial certification as a 7-12 French, German or Spanish teacher in New York must major in the language and also complete the certification minor in education. Francophone studies, German studies and Spanish majors intending to complete student teaching after graduation in the University’s Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Certification Program must complete the Francophone studies, German studies or Spanish major and the educational studies minor in education (or its equivalent) as undergraduates. To qualify for the professional semester (student teaching), students must spend at least a semester studying abroad in a country where the student’s major language is the primary language. Consult the Education -section of this Catalog and/or speak to the coordinator of the teacher education program as early as possible.

Honors

Students who wish to be candidates for honors in the department should register for French, German or Spanish 497 (fall) or 498 (spring). A proposal for the honors project should be submitted to the department prior to the final examination period of the semester preceding the one in which the project is to be carried out. A grade point average of at least 3.5 in all major courses is required and a grade of 4.0 must be earned in the honors course for the student to be recommended for honors at graduation. The honors course carries one unit of academic credit and is taken in addition to the eight (German), nine or 10 (French) or 10 (Spanish) units that constitute the basic major. (See also Honors in the ­Curriculum chapter of this Catalog.)

Faculty

Gudrun B. Brokoph, B.A., Oberrealschulte Mühldorg (Germany), Missouri; M.A., Ph.D., California ( Davis) Harriet Lewis
Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures (German)

Joan Elizabeth Dargan, B.A., Anna Maria; M.A., Ph.D., Princeton
Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures (French)

Steven Forsythe White, B.A., Williams; M.A., Ph.D., Oregon
Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures (Spanish)

Roy Chandler Caldwell Jr., B.S., Rensselaer; M.A., Ph.D., North Carolina ( Chapel Hill)
Associate Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures (French) and Coordinator of Film Studies

Ilia J. Casanova–Marengo, B.A., Puerto Rico; M.A., Rutgers, Ph.D., Rutgers ( New Brunswick)
Associate Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures (Spanish)

Yoko Chiba, B.A., Tsuda, Tokyo; M.A., Dublin; M.A., Ph.D., Toronto
Associate Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures (Japanese)

Anne A. Csete, B.A., SUNY Oswego; Ph.D., SUNY Buffalo
Associate Professor of History and Coordinator of Asian Studies

Marina A. Llorente, B.A., Spain; M.A., Ph.D., Kansas
Associate Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures (Spanish) and Chair of Department

Ingrid Christa Stipa, B.A., Whitman; M.A., Ph.D., California (South Berkeley)
Associate Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures (German and French) and Director of the France Program (2005-2006)

Marcella Salvi, Laurea, Istituto Orientale de Napoli ( Italy); M.A., Ph.D., Oregon
Assistant Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures (Italian and Spanish) and Director of the Spain Program (2005-2006)

Jenna P. Torres, B.A., B.S., Pennsylvania State; M.A., Ph.D., Cornell
Visiting Assistant Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures (Spanish)

Susan Bantu, M.A., Ohio State University
Swahili Teaching Fellow