Foreign Languages

Students who have taken some German or Spanish before coming to WPI should attend the foreign-language placement session during New Student Orientation to determine the appropriate level at which to begin their language study. Most students complete the foreign language by passing six courses in the language. Students who begin language study at WPI at intermediate or advanced levels have additional options (see below).  Students also may complete their Humanities and Arts Requirement in another language at a Global Project Center.

Students interested in a language other than German and Spanish can complete a Foreign Language sequence in that language by taking courses offered by the colleges in the Worcester Consortium. Foreign languages that students have taken at local colleges include Japanese, French, Russian, Italian, and Chinese. For further details see Prof. Angel Rivera.

Foreign Languages: Practicum or Seminar

Students in foreign languages may complete the Humanities and Arts Requirement in one of the following three ways:

  1. practicum in the sixth and final course in a foreign language.  The practicum will include evaluative components or exams to demonstrate overall language skills in four areas: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.  The practicum will require students to demonstrate breadth of cultural knowledge of the language area.  (Examples of practicum courses: GN 3512, GN 3515; SP 3522; SP 3527)
  2. advanced language seminar after five previous courses in the foreign language.  The seminar will explore a thematic topic and provide opportunities for individual inquiry.  (Seminar examples: GN 3513, GN 3514; SP 3523, SP 3524, SP 3525, SP 3526, SP 3528, SP 3529, SP 3530, SP 3531)
  3. advanced language seminar after advanced-level language courses combined with courses from other areas of study.  Students who demonstrate basic oral, written, and cultural knowledge of a foreign language in a placement test at the advanced level may combine courses from other areas for their requirement.  (Seminar examples are the same as option 2.)

Option 1 and 2 require students to take six courses in a foreign language.  For example, in option 1, a student without prior language training might begin with GN 1511 Elementary German I and conclude with a practicum in GN 3512 Advanced German II.   In option 2, for example, a student might start with SP 2521 Intermediate Spanish I followed by five Spanish courses which culminate in one of the designated seminars.

In option 3, students who demonstrate knowledge of the foreign language at the advanced level may mix courses from other areas in their course sequence.  For example, a student might take two courses from history, philosophy, music, etc. along with four advanced Spanish courses which would culminate in a designated seminar.  Students in all three options for foreign languages would be required to submit the same materials to demonstrate completion of the requirement as students whose culminating experience was an inquiry seminar or practicum in another area of the Humanities and Arts.

For further details on foreign language courses and programs, see Prof. Rivera or Prof. Dollenmayer.

 

Guidelines for granting transfer credit to U.S. Students for foreign language study:

  1. Credit for study on the high school level:
    1. Transfer credit of 1/3 unit is given for Advanced Placement with a score of 4 or 5.
    2. Students with three or more years of foreign-language study in high school, but who have not taken the Advanced Placement examination in that language, may receive 1/3 unit credit for their high school language study upon satisfactory completion of two courses in the same language on the intermediate level or above. (Note: Courses in German and Spanish in addition to those offered at WPI, as well as courses in other languages, are available at other colleges in the Worcester Consortium.)
    3. In either case 1. or 2. above, in order to receive 1/3 unit credit, students must begin their WPI course sequence at the Elementary II level or above.
  2. Credit for study at other colleges and universities:
    1. Language study which is done at other universities and colleges prior to entering WPI, or done with the prior written permission of the student's Humanities and Arts Consultant (not the Department Head) as part of an agreed-upon Sufficiency sequence, transfers on a course-for-course basis.
    2. Language study which is done at foreign universities, language institutes, cultural institutes, etc., prior to entering WPI, or done with the prior written permission of the student's Humanities and Arts Consultant (not the Department Head) as part of an agreed-upon Sufficiency sequence, is assessed by the Foreign Languages Consultant on the basis of matriculation papers and the level or work accomplished.
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    Last modified: January 24, 2007 17:58:26