2018-2019 Undergraduate Catalog/Handbook 
    
    Mar 19, 2024  
2018-2019 Undergraduate Catalog/Handbook [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Language and Culture Studies


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The Department of Language and Culture Studies offers a B.A. and a minor in Spanish, as well as minors in French and Francophone Studies, Latin American & Caribbean Studies, and U.S. Latino/a Studies. We also offer courses in other languages such as Italian, Chinese, American Sign Language, and Arabic in support of college programs with multiethnic and international components, and students’ pursuit of opportunities for international study and travel or graduate education. In addition to language study, the department offers courses in world literatures and culture studies taught in English, which provide students with insight into the creative spirit of other peoples, as well as their perspectives on past and contemporary issues, and support college general education requirements.

The Spanish major at Westfield is structured as a liberal arts major with a strong practical emphasis. It is intended to prepare students to take their place in a globalized economy and world through a focus on language proficiency and cultural competence, along with a knowledge and appreciation of the Spanish-speaking world in its historical, political, literary and artistic dimensions. The Spanish major, with its optional concentration in Translation and Interpreting, may be successfully combined with a number of professional majors offered by the University, as students learn to function knowledgeably and confidently in bilingual and multicultural settings, with an appreciation both of masterworks of the past and of contemporary popular culture.

The minors in French and Francophone Studies and Spanish consist of 18 credit hours, beginning with the intermediate (0103 and 0104) level courses in the respective language sequences. Upon completion of this level students may choose from a variety of elective courses. Like the Spanish major, these programs are designed to afford students a working knowledge of another language along with cultural competence which will serve them in careers in government, social services and business, or for advanced study.

The Spanish Translation and Interpreting concentration prepares students for a career in translation and interpreting, in which advanced-level proficiency in both Spanish and English is required. Students take a range of advanced courses on a variety of topics in order to acquire a diverse set of specialized vocabularies, in addition to specialized courses on the art and skill of translation and interpreting. The goal is to produce a truly proficient professional with cross-cultural and inter-cultural competency and specific translation and interpreting skills. All classes are conducted exclusively in Spanish, providing ample opportunity to practice language skills.

Programs

Courses

    Courses Taught in English: Language and CultureForeign Languages/ArabicForeign Languages/ChineseForeign Languages/FrenchForeign Languages/SpanishLatin American and Caribbean StudiesCourses Taught in English: LiteratureAmerican Sign Language

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