Fact Sheet 07: Foreign Languages

Revised June 2007

Foreign Languages

Proficiency in foreign languages is today a major goal for pursuing diplomatic and teaching careers, as well as diverse job opportunities in banking, marketing, advertising, and other areas. Acquiring competency in a foreign language provides you, as a student, with the opportunity to develop skills that are marketable in a growing number of national and multinational businesses, as well as government service. The Department of Foreign Languages provides programs, including study abroad, that enable you to achieve fluency, cultural understanding, and knowledge of literature and history, as well as current business and economic climates. Meritorious students are eligible to apply for our foreign language scholarships and awards.

Career Opportunities

As a graduate of West Chester University's programs of study, you will be qualified to fill positions in any field that requires facility in foreign languages or an understanding of a foreign culture. Our graduates have taken positions in a variety of fields, including education, government, travel, commerce, law enforcement, international business, publishing, social services, and transportation.

For those who may desire to pursue advanced study, graduates of the program have attended the following institutions:

Harvard University
Middlebury College Language Schools
University of Delaware
University of Kansas
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
University of North Carolina
University of Pennsylvania
West Virginia University
Yale University

Many of the students enrolled in graduate programs have received scholarships, assistantships, and other awards.

Undergraduate Degrees

The major programs in foreign languages provide an advanced educational experience and establish a flexible basis for a variety of vocations that call for bilingual skills and cross-cultural understanding.

West Chester offers the following undergraduate degree programs:

Bachelor of Arts in French, German, Latin, Russian, or Spanish
Bachelor of Arts with Elective Certification (Pennsylvania state certification): French, German, Latin, Russian, or Spanish

Minors

West Chester also offers you the opportunity to study a language at an advanced level while majoring in another field of study, such as business, political science, social studies, music, or physical education. West Chester offers minors in French, German, Italian, Latin, Russian, Spanish, and Latin American Studies.

Additional Language Offerings

?Courses in Chinese, Greek, Italian, Japanese, and Portuguese are offered; however, a major is not available. Greek, Latin, and Hebrew (Classical and New Testament) are offered as part of the Classical language program.

Interdisciplinary Programs

?The department participates in the interdisciplinary programs in American studies, ethnic studies, film studies, Latin American studies, Russian studies, and women’s studies. These programs enable you to develop a synthesis of knowledge from several disciplines, including anthropology and sociology, art, economics, foreign languages, geography and planning, and political science.

Special Study Opportunities

?You will have the opportunity to devote a summer, a semester, or a year to study programs in France, Spain, Latin America, Europe, and Germany.

Facilities

As a student, you will have an excellent language laboratory at your disposal. The lab supports instruction in languages spoken in more than 30 countries.

Typical Courses

?Advanced Latin Prose Composition
Contemporary Spanish-American Literature
and Film
Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced Composition
French Theatre to 1900: In Context
French Film and Civilization
Grammar and Stylistics
Italian Culture, Italian Film
Russian Literature in Translation
Survey of German Film

Culture and civilization courses are taught in both the target language and in English, and occasionally involve faculty from other disciplines.

Related Student Activities

Alpha Mu Gamma (foreign language honor society)
French Club
German Club
Italian Club
Russian Club
Spanish Club

International Student Association

?In addition, the department sponsors awards and prizes for students, such as the Mary Ann Reiss Foreign Studies Award, the Lombardi–Peters Award, the Ethel Staley Award, the Alexander von Humboldt Foreign Languages Scholarship, the Alfred D. Roberts Foreign Languages Scholarship, the Robert Mejia Family Scholarship, and the Luis Garcia-Barrio award.

Advanced Degrees

Master of Arts in French or Spanish
Master of Education in French or Spanish

Faculty

?The faculty of the foreign languages program is active in a variety of professional organizations and has contributed widely to the professional literature, particularly in areas such as women’s studies, phonetics and linguistics, studies in culture and civilization, literature, literary criticism, and technology and pedagogy. Their research and development have led to the implementation of pilot programs in Pennsylvania, most notably in Chinese, Japanese, Latin, and Russian.

Furthermore, the department includes highly qualified part-time faculty members, graduate language tutorial assistants, and visiting faculty from other countries. We offer a graduate research assistantship.

You can obtain a complete listing of faculty and their academic qualifications for this program from the contact person listed below, or our Web site.

For More Information

Dr. Jerry M. Williams, Chairperson
Department of Foreign Languages
109 Main Hall
West Chester University
West Chester, PA 19383
610-436-2700
jwilliams2@wcupa.edu