Foreign Language

The Foreign Language program in the Languages and Literatures Department offers French, German and Spanish majors and minors, in both the College of Letters & Sciences and the College of Education, as well as two years of Arabic, Chinese and Japanese language study.

Courses stress not only the development of language proficiency but also the cultural and historical context(s) of each language. Foreign language study complements many other majors or minors and is required for the International Studies and General Business-International majors, and the Teaching English as a Second Language minor.

The College of Education is fully accredited through the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

Foreign languages alone or in conjunction with other disciplines allow students to choose from numerous career paths. UWWhitewater has long been a training center for foreign language teachers in the state, and high-level language proficiency can lead to work in the fields of interpreting and translation as well. Working knowledge of a foreign language, when combined with another major, also makes the job candidate more marketable in diverse areas such as:

• Governmental service
• Law
• Social work
• International business
• Librarianship
• Journalism
• Health professions

The Foreign Languages faculty at UW-Whitewater is diverse, with a mix of native speakers and highly qualified nonnative instructors in each language. In addition to expertise in foreign language instruction, each brings other experiences to the program, be it in literature, civilization or linguistics. No classes are taught by teaching assistants.

Many foreign language majors and minors have had previous coursework in a foreign language, while others enter UW-Whitewater with good communication and writing skills in English and an interest in learning about another language and the people who speak it. Advanced Placement (AP) credit is available, and the \"retroactive credit\" program offers students the possibility of earning up to 16 university credits per language for previous foreign language learning experiences.

UW-Whitewater hosts chapters of both Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, and Pi Delta Phi, the National French Honor Society.

The Bertha Lefler Scholarship rewards a junior-level woman majoring in foreign language education, and the Aldo and Adriana Busot Scholarship is awarded to students who excel in Spanish. The Roger and Sally Ludeman Scholarship, several college scholarships, and Wisconsin Grants for Study Abroad support foreign study experiences.

The Foreign Language Program strongly encourages students to take part in language immersion experiences, either domestic or foreign. Faculty are familiar with various educational opportunities and can help students choose the most appropriate program. The program will also aid students who prefer to investigate paid or volunteer internship possibilities both at home and abroad.

Students with high school foreign language study (French, German, Spanish) must take the appropriate UW System Foreign Language Placement Exam to determine their initial course level at the university. Transfer students, students with Advanced Placement (AP) credit or those with other types of prior foreign language learning experiences (e.g. heritage speakers and native speakers) should instead seek the advice of the Foreign Language Coordinator regarding placement.

Students continuing foreign language learning at the university who complete their first university-level foreign language course with an A or B will receive retroactive credits (up to 16 credits per language) equivalent to the previous courses in the language sequence in recognition of their prior language learning. Advanced Placement (AP) credit is also available in French, German and Spanish.

Spanish students with a strong academic record are encouraged to become members of the local chapters of the national French and Spanish honor societies. Student-led French, German and Spanish clubs also provide opportunities for further language practice, cultural exploration and interaction among students outside the classroom.

After completion of the first and second year language program through coursework at UW-Whitewater or previous experience, foreign language students select from courses in literature, civilization, language for business, and phonetics as well as conversation and composition. The exact distribution will depend upon course rotation and student interests.