When you enroll at Susquehanna, you’ll be paired with an advisor and application tool to guide you in your course planning and scheduling. The following is an excerpt from the complete course catalog. Enrolled students follow the requirements of the course catalog for the academic year in which they declare each major and/or minor, consult with their advisor(s) and the Academic Planning Tool.
Language Fellows
A special feature of language study at Susquehanna is the opportunity for students to interact with visiting instructors from other countries. The fellows teach introductory language classes, act as teaching assistants in upper-level courses, and join students in weekly language tables and club activities.
Language, Literature and Culture Studies
Learning Goals
- Students will demonstrate a high level of communicative proficiency in the target language. This proficiency encompasses interpretive, presentational, and interpersonal modes.
- Students will be able to interpret target language texts in a variety of modes (written, spoken, and visual) and in a variety of genres (narrative, poetry, nonfiction, etc.).
- Students will be able to present orally and in writing about a range of cultural and literary topics and issues related to the target language for a variety of purposes (e.g., to inform, explain, persuade, etc.).
- Students will be able to interact and negotiate meaning in spoken and written conversations for a variety of purposes.
- Students will thus use their language proficiency to develop critical insight into the cultures in which their language of study is widely spoken.
Language, Literatures and Cultures Majors
Students with a major in French Studies, German Studies or Spanish Studies complete at least 28 semester hours above the 201 level with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.00. Students placed at the 300 level complete 24 semester hours at the 300 and 400 levels with a minimum GPA. At least one course in the target language must be at the 400 level. The Independent Study (542) in all languages may also be counted toward the major and minor. French Studies and German Studies require one related history course. Spanish Studies requires one course in Latin American history. All majors complete the capstone, which is composed of two elements: (1) a 400-level course in the language of study to be taken after completing a semester abroad, typically during senior year; and (2) a language proficiency evaluation (FRNC-599, GERM-599, ITAL-599, SPAN-599), which they must pass in their final semester. This second part of the capstone is evaluated on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis.
All of the majors require one semester of study abroad in a country where the language of study is spoken. Most students majoring in a language also have a second major. Almost any other major on campus can be combined with language studies. After returning from a year or semester of study abroad, majors must take at least one regularly scheduled 300- or 400-level language course at Susquehanna before graduating.
Major in French Studies
For a major in French Studies students complete FRNC-205 or 208; FRNC-303, FRNC-306 (or approved equivalents during a semester abroad); a semester abroad in a French-speaking country, where courses taught in French count toward the major; and the capstone consisting of FRNC-460 + the language proficiency evaluation in their final semester. FRNC-310 courses (topics) also count toward the major. The French Studies major has a history requirement, which can be satisfied in several ways: through certain FRNC-310 or 460 courses; through approved history courses taken during the semester abroad; or through an approved course in the History Department. A course taught in English can satisfy the history requirement, but without contributing credits toward the French Studies major.
Double-counting restriction for interdisciplinary minors
Only 8 semester hours of this minor may be double-counted toward the student’s major.
Teaching Certification
Susquehanna offers teaching certification in French, German, and Spanish, and students preparing for such certification must maintain a minimum 3.00 GPA in the major. Coursework required by the state of Pennsylvania for admission to the teacher certification program includes successful completion of ENGL-100 Writing and Thinking or equivalent course, at least 3 semester hours in British or American literature, at least 6 semester hours of mathematics coursework (or other courses which satisfy the Central Curriculum Analytical Thought requirement), and at least one 40-hour externship.
Education course requirements for secondary education are EDUC-101 Introduction to Education and Society, EDUC-250 Educational Psychology, EDUC-260 Introduction to Special Education, EDUC-270 Instruction of Exceptional Students, EDUC-330 Technology in Education, EDUC-350 English Language Learners, EDUC-380 Instructional Design, EDUC-422 Methods of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment in Teaching Foreign Languages, EDUC-479 Principles of Learning and Teaching in Secondary Education, EDUC-483 Differentiated Instruction and Classroom Management in Secondary Education, and the EDUC-500 Student Teaching package (EDUC-501, EDUC-502, EDUC-503, and EDUC-600). In addition, students pursuing certification in French, German or Spanish satisfy all of the usual requirements for those majors.
Departmental Honors
The departmental honors option recognizes outstanding work in language, literary, and cultural studies. To graduate with honors, majoring students must do the following:
Receive an invitation to enter the program in the senior year,
Maintain a GPA of 3.50 in the department and 3.30 overall,
Declare an honors adviser by the end of the first week of the fall/spring semester of the senior year,
Develop and submit honors-quality senior research by April 15 (usually as part of a seminar, research or independent study course), and
Present their papers for discussion with faculty or at Senior Scholars Day.
Work not meeting the standards for departmental honors may be applied to the regular major.
Placement
Scores received on pre-enrollment language-proficiency examinations and nationally recognized achievement tests help determine placement level or exemption without credit from the university’s Central Curriculum language requirement. Students who score 4 or 5 on the National Advanced Placement examination receive the equivalent of four semester hours of course credit and are placed in a 300-level course in recognition of their accomplishment.
Language placement scores are valid for two years.
Chinese, French and Italian 102
Students who do not complete the course in which they were placed within two years must contact the language coordinator to determine their appropriate placement after the lapsed time.
Language coordinators
Chinese: Li E at eli@susqu.edu
French: Lynn Palermo at palermo@susqu.edu
Italian: Daryl Rodgers at rodgers@susqu.edu
The Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures encourages students who exempt the modern language Central Curriculum requirement to continue their language study by enrolling in the course into which they have been placed at the 201 level or above. Upon successful completion of that course with a grade of B- or above, such students will earn a total of eight semester hours of credit: four semester hours for the upper-level course and four semester hours of (ungraded) advanced study credit in recognition of their advanced achievement. This option is not available to students who are transferring equivalent language coursework from another college. Advanced study credit may not be used to satisfy the requirement for a major or minor program.
