Department of Modern Languages
Why become a foreign language major?
Studying a foreign language offers opportunities for both work and travel. Click here to investigate Careers for Foreign Language Majors.
Program Requirements
Majoring in a Foreign Language
The study of a foreign language and its cultures has traditionally been an important part of a full education in the liberal arts. For undergraduates preparing to live and work in the global community of the 21st century, foreign languages play an essential role in the intellectual training of many careers.
The Department of Modern Languages offers majors in French Studies, German Studies, Hispanic Studies, and International Literature and Culture. In addition, students may take introductory and intermediate courses in Arabic, Italian, and Japanese.
Your advanced proficiency in French, German, or Spanish will provide you with a marketable skill as you look beyond your college years to future employment. It will also expand your world to include new cultures, values and traditions. You will learn more about rich and varied literary and cultural traditions, at the same time that you become increasingly proficient in your target language. While your study of a foreign language is a worthy enterprise in its own right, many students chose to combine that study with a second major with the goal of pursuing a career in education, journalism, social services, business, economics, environmental studies, government, law, medicine, psychology, or a number of other fields.
Requirements for the Major
French, German or Hispanic Studies Major
To major in either French, German or Hispanic Studies the student must take at least eight courses at the 300 and 400 levels and fulfill the Senior Capstone Experience. The courses chosen for the major must include:
- Either 301 or 302 (or an equivalent taken abroad)
- Either 303 or 304 in French or Spanish 304 or 305 in German, to be taken on the Washington College campus.
- At least two courses at the 400 level, one of which must be taken during the senior year.
For a complete listing of available courses, please consult the Course Catalog.
In addition, the Department requires its majors in a foreign language to complete a semester of overseas study (or a summer program if previously approved by the Department) in the relevant language, and strongly recommends a year-long course of study. Through exchanges coordinated by the Office of International Students and Programs, Washington College offers many options for study abroad to majors and minors in this department. Students are expected to consult the faculty when planning their study abroad experience to insure that the program they choose meets the needs of their major and that they have a well-balanced course of study while abroad, including classes that complement their course of study on campus.
International Literature and Culture Major
For students interested in other languages or in combining languages, the International Literature and Culture Major (ILC) is an interdisciplinary major that emphasizes the acquisition of an advanced level of proficiency in a foreign language and its application to the study of the literary and non-literary cultural manifestations of a nation or region.
To major in ILC, students need to complete the following course of study:
- FLS /ANT 200 Introduction to Language
- ANT 105 AND one of the following: ANT 215, 235, 236, or 305
- At least four courses in literature and/or culture in a foreign language, of which at least two must be 400-level seminars.
- Three other courses chosen in consultation with the adviser from the ILC course listings and/or the course offerings of other departments as appropriate to the focus of the student's program.
The Senior Capstone Experience
All majors in the department must complete a Senior Capstone Experience (SCE) during their senior year. Students have several options to fulfill this requirement. Most will take comprehensive examinations, consisting of both written and oral sections. Those students with a GPA in the major of at least 3.4 who have the permission of the departmental faculty may choose to do a thesis on a literary or cultural topic or a translation of a work into English with an introductory essay written in the target language. Performances or exhibits with appropriate written documentation, as well as pedagogical or computer-related projects may also be considered in consultation with the faculty.
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