Modern Language Studies (B.A.)

Stage 3: Cultural Perspectives invites students to explore cultural perspectives of French-speaking countries and their own as they review and develop their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills and intercultural competence, thereby enhancing their ability to interact in French with more confidence on familiar topics.
Prerequisite(s): MFREN 1020 French Stage 2: Personal Connections or appropriate placement.

(Normally offered each fall semester.)

Stage 4: Global Connections invites students to enhance their intercultural and linguistic competence by exploring cultural, geographical, historical, and social perspectives of French-speaking countries as they develop their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills and intercultural competence, thereby allowing them to engage and interact more effectively with native speakers of French.
Prerequisite(s): MFREN 2010 French Stage 3: Cultural Perspectives or appropriate placement.

(Normally offered each spring semester.)

Stage 3: Cultural Perspectives invites students to explore cultural perspectives of German-speaking countries and their own as they review and develop their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills and intercultural competence, thereby enhancing their ability to interact in German with more confidence on familiar topics.
Prerequisite(s): MGRMN 1020 German Stage 2: Personal Connections or equivalent.

(Normally offered each fall semester.)

Stage 4: Global Connections invites students to enhance their intercultural and linguistic competence by exploring cultural, geographical, historical, and social perspectives of German-speaking countries as they develop their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills and intercultural competence, thereby allowing them to engage and interact more effectively with native speakers of German.
Prerequisite(s): MGRMN 2010 German Stage 3: Cultural Perspectives or equivalent.

(Normally offered each spring semester.)

Stage 3: Cultural Perspectives invites students to explore cultural perspectives of Spanish-speaking countries and their own as they review and develop their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills and intercultural competence, thereby enhancing their ability to interact in Spanish with more confidence on familiar topics.
Prerequisite(s): MSPAN 1020 Spanish Stage 2: Personal Connections or appropriate placement.

(Normally offered each semester.)

Stage 4: Global Connections invites students to enhance their intercultural and linguistic competence by exploring cultural, geographical, historical, and social perspectives of Spanish-speaking countries as they develop their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills and intercultural competence, thereby allowing them to engage and interact more effectively with native speakers of Spanish.
Prerequisite(s): MSPAN 2010 Spanish Stage 3: Cultural Perspectives or appropriate placement.

(Normally offered each semester.)

A "Core Skills" course designed to provide intensive practice in conversational Spanish. Students will prepare assigned discussion topics and/or readings and will make class presentations in Spanish.
Prerequisite(s): MSPAN 2020 Spanish Stage 4: Global Connections or appropriate placement.
Note: Students are encouraged to take two "Core Skills" courses (4 credit hours) concurrently.

This "Core Skills" course provides an introduction to the study and practice of the sounds of Spanish with an emphasis on practical exercises for improving students' pronunciation of Spanish.  In it students will study the major phonetic characteristics of regional varieties of the Spanish of Spain and Latin America. Topics to be covered in the course include the articulatory system, transcription and phonetic alphabets, and the similarities and differences between the sounds and pronunciation patterns of Spanish and English.
Prerequisite: MSPAN 2020 Spanish Stage 4: Global Connections or appropriate placement.
Note: Students are encouraged to take two "Core Skills" courses (4 credit hours) concurrently.      

In this "Core Skills" course, students will read a variety of materials using specific strategies designed to help them comprehend texts taught in traditional literature classes as well as other materials written in Spanish.
Prerequisite(s): MSPAN 2020 Spanish Stage 4: Global Connections or appropriate placement.
Note: Students are encouraged to take two "Core Skills" courses (4 credit hours) concurrently.

A "Core Skills" course that presents a sequenced review of the grammar of the Spanish language, with an emphasis on areas of particular difficulty for persons whose first language is English.
Prerequisite(s): MSPAN 2020 Spanish Stage 4: Global Connections or appropriate placement.
Note: Students are encouraged to take two "Core Skills" courses (4 credit hours) concurrently.

A "Core Skills" course, Spanish Language and Writing is a guided writing course designed to polish students' ability to communicate more effectively in Spanish. Students will enhance their vocabulary, review challenging structures and learn to self-edit to avoid common errors as they write formal and informal messages and letters, instructions, autobiographical statements, journal/blog entries and comments, informational documents, current events reports, reactions, descriptions and summaries.    
Prerequisite(s): MSPAN 2020 Spanish Stage 4: Global Connections or appropriate placement.

This "Core Skills" course provides guided practice in Spanish reading and a sequenced review of the grammar of the Spanish language, with an emphasis on areas of particular difficulty for persons whose first language is English. Students will read a variety of texts and will be introduced to strategies for interpreting and analyzing those texts.
Prerequisite(s): MSPAN 2020 Spanish Stage 4: Global Connections or appropriate placement.          

A course designed to develop composition skills in Spanish. Students will study the grammatical and stylistic structures of the Spanish language and will complete assignments in a variety of genres and styles in Spanish.
Prerequisite(s): Four credits from "Core Skills" courses (MSPAN 3010, MSPAN 3020, MSPAN 3030, MSPAN 3040, or MSPAN 3050) or permission of the department chair.

Stage 3: Cultural Perspectives invites students to explore cultural perspectives of Japan and their own as they review and develop their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills and intercultural competence, thereby enhancing their ability to interact in Japanese with more confidence on familiar topics.
Prerequisite(s): MJPAN 1020 Japanese Stage 2: Personal Connections.

(Normally offered each fall semester.)

Stage 4: Global Connections invites students to enhance their intercultural and linguistic competence by exploring cultural, geographical, historical, and social perspectives of Japan as they develop their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills and intercultural competence, thereby allowing them to engage and interact more effectively with native speakers of Japanese.
Prerequisite(s): MJPAN 2010 Japanese Stage 3: Cultural Perspectives.

(Normally offered each spring semester.)

This course will prepare students who are considering going abroad for study, work, or volunteer/service learning by investigating the many facets of facing life in another culture. Topics to be covered include practical travel information, intercultural communication, cross-cultural value systems, foreign academic systems, and cultural self-awareness. This course will give students the tools to make their experience more successful and rewarding. The course is designed for both the student who has already applied for a program and for the student just beginning to explore the idea of going abroad. P/F only.

This class is for students who have successfully completed a semester or year of study abroad and who would like to process that experience further by analyzing specific cultural and educational experiences and interacting with students who have had similiar experiences abroad. P/F only.

Prerequisite(s): One to two semesters of NWU study abroad experience and permission of instructor.

This course is designed to prepare students for the challenges and opportunities that are unique to language-learning abroad, to engage students in meaningful activities while abroad, to maintain a connection with students while abroad, and to foster continued development of skills and knowledge following the study abroad period. Students will be introduced to specific strategies in language and culture learning in the target culture to help students achieve an experience in the host culture that is meaningful and productive. Students take this course concurrently with their first-semester study-abroad experience.
*Registration at 0 hours available with permission of the department chair for students studying abroad through non-ISEP exchange program.

A senior-level research and writing seminar, this course complements and supports the student’s individual work on an approved Senior Project.  During this course, students complete their Senior Project (e.g. an internship project, a research paper, a translation project, or a creative work supplemented with a critical essay), present their work at a student symposium, and carry out an assessment of their academic career.
Prerequisite(s): Senior standing and permission of department chair.