Fitness and Wellness Leadership

Department website: https://www.towson.edu/cla/departments/languages-literatures-cultures/

Liberal Arts Building 4210
Phone: 410-704-2883
Fax: 410-704-4290
Email: [email protected]

Programs of the Department 

• Major in Deaf Studies
• Major in Foreign Languages with concentrations in:
  • French 
  • French Education
  • Spanish 
  • Spanish Education
• Minor in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese or Spanish
• Minor in Deaf Studies
• Language Elective, for all students who wish to acquire a reading or conversational ability in one of the following languages:

1. Arabic
2. Chinese (Mandarin)
3. Biblical Hebrew
4. Modern Hebrew
5. Ancient Greek
6. Japanese
7. Latin
8. Portuguese
9. Russian
10. Swahili

Expansion of these non-major languages will be made in response to expressed student interest. Students who major or minor in Foreign Languages must declare their concentrations in the department and are required to have academic advisers in their major and minor field and maintain close contact with the faculty advisers in order to select and prepare their course of study. Majors should see their advisers at least once a term. It is recommended that the concentration be declared before or during the sophomore year.

Culture and Civilization Course Requirement

The requirement of 6 upper-division units of culture and civilization for Foreign Language majors in the Spanish Concentration is strongly felt by the Spanish faculty to be a necessity in the program. This is primarily because of the great diversity of Spanish-speaking countries in Europe, South America, Central America and the Caribbean, and the importance of the knowledge of this diversity for all who teach or otherwise use Spanish. French-language literature, culture, and civilization are an essential aspect of the French program and the study of Francophone cultures and civilizations, in all their diversity, cannot be separated from the study of the language and literature.

Double Tracks or Majors

The department encourages its majors to carry an additional concentration in either another language or to combine their language with another field of study. Interested students should consult the department.

Language Minor

The minor programs in French, German, Chinese, Italian, Japanese and Spanish provide majors in other disciplines with the educational language background necessary to enhance their career opportunities. Language minors may transfer up to 6 units toward a minor. Transfer students may then complete up to 6 units off campus through Towson University's study abroad and away or Maryland state inter-institutional exchange. All minors must complete at least 6 upper-level units as on-campus course work at TU. The minor should be approved by the student's department adviser. Minors in all languages need a C or higher in each completed course applied toward the minor.

Meeting B.A. Requirements 

Completion of the intermediate level of a foreign language (201 and 202) or its equivalent is required of all Bachelor of Arts degree candidates. This requirement may be met by:

1. completing two or more years of the language in high school plus intermediate levels I and II in college;
2. completing the elementary- and intermediate-level courses of the language in college;
3. successfully completing one term of any course beyond the intermediate level; or
4. successfully completing a Departmental Challenge Exam in any language offered at the 301–302 level at TU administered each November by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures.

Departmental Challenge Exam

This annual examination is for Native and Heritage speakers in the languages offered by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures at the 301–302 level only. There is no departmental exam offered to earn elementary or intermediate units in any language. An overall exam score of A is required in order to receive 6 units; an exam score of B entitles the student to 3 units. Every October, the application for the exam is distributed by the department to qualified students. Applicants are then advised of the date and time in November when the exam will be administered. The exam is not offered at any other time of the year.

Placement In Languages 

The department reserves the right to assess and place students in the language level appropriate to their prior learning and/or native or heritage speaking skills. Students wishing to enroll in Spanish classes who do not already have college credit for the language must take the online placement test. The department offers online placement testing in French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish, for all incoming freshman and transfer students who do not have college credit in the language. The link to the placement exam can be found on the department website. Students with previous knowledge of any other language offered by the department who wish to enroll in a language class should contact the appropriate language coordinator or the department chair.

Honors Program 

The department participates in the Honors College. Students interested in completing a language major with departmental honors should consult the departmental honors faculty coordinator no later than the first term of their junior year.

Special Departmental Programs 

The department sponsors the Eta Gamma Chapter of the National Spanish Honor Society, Sigma Delta Pi, and encourages all Spanish students to participate in the activities of the society. The department also sponsors the Kappa Pi chapter of the National French Honor Society, Phi Delta Phi and Gamma Kappa Alpha, the National Italian Honor Society.

The department offers an internship program through TU's Career Center.

Faculty-led study abroad and away programs are available for students interested in studying abroad in a variety of destinations around the world.

Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI)

As part of the requirements for graduation, teacher candidates in French and Spanish must complete the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI), administered by an interviewer certified by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). While candidates may take the OPI at any time during their course of study, the requirement should be completed no later than the end of the term in which the candidate is enrolled in SCED 499. Teacher candidates consult with their adviser in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures regarding OPI requirements, application procedures and testing fees.

Teacher candidates from TU who are seeking certification in Maryland are required to achieve a level of "Advanced Low" in the OPI. The Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures will provide numerous opportunities for candidates to meet the "Advanced Low" standard through its study abroad and away programs, service-learning opportunities, tutoring, language clubs and on-campus events such as film festivals and guest speakers. Students are also encouraged to seek out their own opportunities through volunteer work requiring their language skills, through the formation of practice groups with other language students and native speakers on campus, and through viewing films and television programs in the language they will be teaching.

Note for Foreign Language students: Courses at the levels of 101, 102, 201, 202, 301 and 302 in any language offered by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures are not open to students who have completed or tested at a higher level in the same language.

1. Develop discipline-specific knowledge and skills related to fitness, wellness, and sport coaching.
2. Demonstrate critical thinking and analytical competencies required for employment in the fitness and wellness profession.
3. Practice and apply sport leadership skills through professional experiences.

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