Churchill 250
541-552-6435
Daniel Morris, Director

The Foreign Languages and Literatures Program is part of the Department of Language, Literature, and Philosophy. Foreign Languages and Literatures offers majors in French and Spanish; minors in French, German, and Spanish; and beginning and intermediate courses in Chinese and Japanese. Foreign language courses range from beginning language instruction to the study of literature, linguistics, and culture at the graduate level.

Through special arrangements, students may pursue courses in Native American languages working directly with tribal linguists.

Students may choose to major in Language and Culture with options in French or Spanish.  French, German, and Spanish each offer coursework leading to a minor.  The French or Spanish language and culture majors are also available through the Accelerated Baccalaureate program.

After earning a bachelor’s degree, students may earn a basic teaching license in French, German, or Spanish at the secondary level through the School of Education’s Master of Arts in Teaching. Graduate and undergraduate coursework supporting this interdisciplinary master’s degree in education is offered in French and Spanish.

In Spanish, the SOU Summer Language Institute offers an intensive graduate program for high school teachers leading to a master of arts in Spanish Language Teaching.  The program allows teachers to complete the master’s degree over the course of three summers.  The Spanish Summer Language Institute takes place in Guanajuato, Mexico.  A Master of Arts in French Language Teaching has been proposed, to be offered in Angers, France.  The French program is pending approval by the Oregon State Board of Higher Education.

Language Requirements

Southern Oregon Foreign Language Proficiency Program

High school students may obtain SOU foreign language credit through the Southern Oregon Foreign Language Proficiency Program, sponsored by Foreign Languages and Literatures and the Southern Oregon Foreign Language Association (SOFLA). Only approved schools and teachers are allowed to participate in the program. To receive the credit, students must be high school seniors enrolled in an advanced (third, fourth, or fifth year) high school language program. These students must successfully pass an Oral Proficiency Interview administered by a certified tester of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and demonstrate writing proficiency through the SOFLA writing proficiency exam based on the ACTFL scale. The following credits will be awarded:

1. 101, 102 for scores equivalent to novice high on the ACTFL scale in both speaking and writing;
2. 101, 102, 103 for scores equivalent to intermediate low on the ACTFL scale in both speaking and writing; or
3. 101, 102, 103 and 201, 202 for scores equivalent to intermediate mid on the ACTFL scale in both speaking and writing.

Students planning to enroll at SOU who place at the intermediate mid level on both assessments may receive additional credit for 203 upon recommendation of their high school teacher and successful completion of a 300-level class at SOU.

Advanced Placement/Credit by Examination

Students seeking credit for 100- and 200-level second language coursework are granted the following exception to the Credit by Exam policy: Students who place in a course beyond 101, enroll in the course within one year of taking the placement exam, and complete the higher-level course with a B or better may purchase credit for the lower-level courses. Students must apply for credit within one term of completing the higher-level course. The placement exam itself will not meet BA language requirements. In addition, students who place in the 300-level of Spanish may take an additional written exam to place into SPAN 312  , 322  , 323  or SPAN 412 . Students who place into one of those courses and successfully complete it with a B or better may purchase credits for SPAN 310  and 311 .

Minors

Students may minor in French, German, or Spanish by completing 24 credits in one of these languages.

Teacher Licensing

Students who would like to teach languages at the middle school or high school level in Oregon public schools must complete a bachelor’s degree before applying for admission to the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program at SOU. Interested students should consult the department chair for an appropriate advisor and the School of Education regarding admission requirements for the MAT program.

Students must prepare in advance to increase their chances of acceptance into this competitive program. Practica, internships, and volunteer experiences working with children in the public schools prior to application to the MAT program are required.

Study Abroad

The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures strongly recommends and encourages its students to participate in any of the study abroad opportunities available through SOU or the Oregon University System (OUS). There are OUS programs in Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Spain, and Tunisia. Southern Oregon University offers an exchange program with the University of Guanajuato, Mexico. For most yearlong programs, students must complete two years of study in the foreign language prior to participation.

Students may also participate in study abroad programs through the National Student Exchange program. This program allows students to participate in study abroad programs of other universities throughout the U.S. and in universities in Canada and Puerto Rico.

Credit earned for study abroad programs is transferred back to the home campus. Financial aid may be used for these programs. Students interested in these programs should consult the director of international programs or foreign languages and literatures faculty.

A language and culture major with an option in French or Spanish prepares students for a variety of careers in which cultural understanding, local or international work, critical thinking, and practical application of a second language play a significant role. It is an excellent complement to a second major in many fields, adding valuable foreign language and cultural competency and international or multicultural experience to knowledge in other disciplines and preparing students for careers in government or civil service, law and law enforcement, health and human services, travel and tourism, international business, and education. The foreign language program at SOU prepares majors to enter graduate programs leading to careers that require superior language proficiency in specializations such as linguistics, literature, culture studies, and translation.

The language and culture major in Spanish or French enables intermediate to advanced students to maximize their competency in language skills and cultural proficiency by focusing on communication, practical applications, research and analysis, language fluency, and cultural knowledge and understanding. Incorporating the most current models of instruction, a multidimensional program equips undergraduates with varying skills to reach their potential language and culture proficiency levels. The language and culture major in French and the international internship track of the major in Spanish require a full-time, ten-week work internship completed abroad. The language, literature, and culture track of the major in Spanish requires additional coursework and a minimum of 120 hours of work completed locally or abroad in a multicultural or international community. Both the international and local work experiences must demonstrate high language skills and good cultural knowledge.

The language and culture major is also designed to increase students’ integration of multidisciplinary knowledge into their specialization and their preparedness to enter the work world. To this end, foreign language and culture majors are required to complete a minor or a second major in another field.

Program Requirements

Programs

Major

• •  Language and Culture, BA
• •  Spanish Language Teaching, MA

Minor

• •  French Minor
• •  German Minor
• •  Spanish Minor