Foreign Language Associate Professors Stevenson (chair) and Lefter Mission Statement The mission of the Foreign Language Department at University of Jamestown is to help prepare the liberal arts student as a citizen of our global community. We seek to expose students to other languages and cultures, thereby broadening their concepts of language, civilization, culture, philosophy, government, religion, geography, art, aesthetics, and literature with a firm anchoring in a Christian perspective and academic excellence. In order to determine student progress toward these ends, the department assesses student learning and departmental effectiveness on a regular basis. Foreign Language Department Overview
The Foreign Language Department of the University of Jamestown offers a wide range of language learning opportunities that allow students to continue to learn languages they began in high school or begin to learn new languages they first encounter at the university level. Majors are available in German, French and Spanish to students who pursue a semester or two summers of study abroad; language minors in German, French, and Spanish can be completed on campus by students majoring in other subjects, and the interdisciplinary Italian Studies minor offers a combination of language, history, art and study abroad to students majoring in other subjects as well. Courses in Portuguese, Romanian and Latin are also offered on demand. Intended Student Learning Outcomes for the Foreign Language Major
Every course offered through the Foreign Language Department is designed to develop language proficiency in reading, writing, speaking and listening in the target language as well as presenting aspects of the cultures where the target language is spoken. The four major skills of language acquisition form the core outcomes for students majoring in German, French and Spanish: 1. Reading: The student will be able to read unedited target language texts in his/her field of interest. 2. Writing: The student will be able to express him/herself in writing in the target language on a wide variety of topics of personal interest and will be able to produce simple to complex academic texts. 3. Speaking: The student will become a more effective oral communicator in the target language and will be able to speak on a variety of personal topics with accuracy of tense usage and will be able to give opinions on abstract topics of personal interest. 4. Listening: The student will be able to follow the gist of conversations among native speakers and will be able to understand broadcasts and films in the target language with adequate help and preparation. In addition, students who complete target-language majors will address the following additional outcomes: 1. Literature: The student will have read and discussed selected poems, novels, short stories, and dramas from a variety of periods and peoples in the literature of the target language. 2. History: The student will be able to discuss important historical events and trends in the country/countries of the target language, including developments in art, music, science, architecture and/or technology.
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