Language and Culture Program

Continuing development of the fundamental aspects of the modern Chinese language as in CHI 101, with additional vocabulary/expressions and analysis of grammatical constructions.

Aims at further developing students’ Chinese language proficiency in the six aspects of listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, and cultural understanding.

Continuation of CHI 201 while further enhancing students’ proficiency level in listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, and cultural understanding. Necessary linguistic, cultural, and sociolinguistic orientation for Study Abroad studies is included.

This course is primarily geared for students who have completed CHI 202 and are preparing to study abroad in the following semester. Emphasis is on strengthening speaking skills, while promoting integration of those skills with listening, reading, and writing for a more effective study abroad outcome.

Continuing development of the fundamental aspects of modern French as in FRN 101, with more emphasis on vocabulary/ expressions and grammatical structures.

Aims at further developing students’ French language proficiency in the six aspects of listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, and cultural understanding.

Continuation of FRN 201, while further enhancing students’ proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, and cultural understanding. Relevant linguistic, sociolinguistic, and cultural information to prepare students for Study Abroad programs is included.

This course is designed for students who are preparing to study abroad. It will enhance students’ oral fluency and comprehension in French while at the same time increase their own intercultural awareness. The target language of their study abroad, French, is used as a vehicle to promote and challenge students’ awareness of key concepts related to sociolinguistic and interculturality (e.g., essentialism, stereotyping, otherising). Each student will be invited to reflect on different types of intercultural encounters and how these encounters shaped or will shape them: real ones (from students’ own experiences meeting new people), mediated (through videos, narratives, readings), and improvised (through roles plays and improvisations).

This course is a one-semester advanced language course primarily designed to further develop listening and speaking skills and to increase writing ability, with particular attention to advanced syntax and to vocabulary expansion. Class will be conducted entirely in French.

Designed to bring students to an advanced level of proficiency in grammar and composition, the course puts the emphasis on experiencing and producing the language in context through a multi-media approach. An intensive review of grammar is integrated into the writing practice. A good knowledge of basic French grammar is a prerequisite (French 202 or equivalent is recommended). Conducted entirely in French, the course will study selected grammatical difficulties of the French verbal and nominal systems including colloquial usage. It will also guide the students through the different rhetorical modes of writing in French. Class will be conducted entirely in French.

Introduction to the basic structure and function of the modern Japanese language, covering the basic sound system, grammatical constructions, writing system, and basic vocabulary/expressions. Important cultural aspects of the language are discussed as well.

Continuing development of the fundamental aspects of the modern Japanese language as in JPN 101 with more Kanji characters and grammatical constructions.

Aims at further developing students’ Japanese language proficiency in the six aspects of listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, and cultural understanding.

Continuation of JPN 201 while further enhancing students’ proficiency level in listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, and cultural understanding. Necessary linguistic, cultural, and mental preparations for Study Abroad studies are included.

This course is geared primarily for students who have completed JPN 202 and are preparing to study abroad in the following semester. Focuses on developing listening and speaking skills for conversations in various situations where the appropriate use of grammatical constructions and knowledge of language functions/sociolinguistics are required.

Aims at further developing listening and speaking skills while learning more advanced language functions and sociolinguistics.

Intends to develop reading and writing skills while strengthening the mastery of vocabulary, expressions, Kanji characters, and grammar. Main reading materials are short essay and expository readings. Writing activities include message, letter, and journal writing.

Aims at achieving more advanced-level reading and writing skills. Main reading materials are extended discourse of expository, journalistic, and literary readings. Writing focuses on expository and essay writing.

Introductory survey of Japanese culture in the ancient, medieval, and (pre-war) modern periods. Significant aspects of each period are discussed while shedding light on its culture (everyday life of the Japanese) and Culture (including thoughts, values, religions, aesthetics, political and economic circumstances). The main medium of instruction is Japanese.

Exploration of socio-cultural aspects of contemporary Japan through analysis and translation of literature and film. Thematic messages represented in the works are discussed in the scope of their social and cultural significance. The main medium of instruction is Japanese.

Introduction to practical aspects of Japanese linguistics, including comparisons to other languages. The main medium of instruction is Japanese.

Survey of modern Japanese culture and in-depth analysis of crucial issues in contemporary Japanese society and popular culture. The main medium of instruction is Japanese.

Continuing development of the fundamental aspects of modern Spanish as in SPA 101 with more emphasis on vocabulary/ expressions and grammatical structures.

Aims at further developing students’ Spanish language proficiency in the six aspects of listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, and cultural understanding.

Continuation of SPA 201 while further enhancing students’ proficiency level in listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, and cultural understanding. Relevant linguistic, sociolinguistic, and cultural information to prepare students for Study Abroad studies is included.

This course is designed to enhance students’ oral fluency and comprehension in Spanish while at the same time increasing their own intercultural awareness. In addition, it is specifically tailored to prepare students for their study abroad (SA) semester. As such, the main objective of the class is to use Spanish as a vehicle to promote their awareness of key concept related to interculturality (e.g., essentialism, stereotyping, otherising). In each class students will be invited to reflect on different types intercultural encounters and how these encounters shaped/will shape their upcoming SA experience: these encounters will be real ones (from students’ own experiences meeting new people) mediated (through videos, narratives, readings) and improvised (through roles plays and improvisations).

This sociolinguistic course expands understanding of the historical development of Spanish and awareness of the great sociocultural diversity within the Spanish-speaking world and its impact on the Spanish language. It surveys Spanish as a language which has undergone a series of transformations since its birth in the Iberian Peninsula, and as the offspring of Latin, in order to explain the diversity and regional variety that exists across the Spanish-speaking world today. In addition, this course revises traditional narratives and explores the notion of ‘Spanish’ as a collection of speaker-based language systems that have been shaped historically by many different forms of multilingual and multidialectal language settings.