Exploration Courses

World Languages

Revised August 22, 2006

 

 

Introductory Statement

 

Languages are the foundation of human understanding and cultural experience.  They are more than words; they include the structures, sounds and symbols individuals use internally to think, feel, discover, remember, learn, and externally to communicate, create and work with others.  As humans, our first memories usually coincide with the acquisition of language.  This is because we need language to understand the world around us.  It organizes, explains, questions and creates meaning for us.  Being human requires language and a multitude of different languages exist to serve these purposes.

 

Why are Concordia students expected to study at least one year of a language other than English?

 

“The purposes and uses of foreign languages are as diverse as the students who study them.” (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages [ACTFL], “Executive Summary,” Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Preparing for the 21st Century.)  Those studying a second language to attain fluency need more than one year.  There are, however, intrinsic benefits that begin to emerge after one year of such study.

 

  1. Access to knowledge. Studying a second language provides greater access to the benefits of human wisdom, knowledge, religious reflection, artistic expression, social arrangements and political structures.  In addition to increased recognition and appreciation for difference, “learning languages provides connections to additional bodies of knowledge that may be unavailable to the monolingual English speaker.” (ACTFL)  The study of language is an inducement, an invitation to explore a broader world in both intellectual and geographic terms—to travel to lands where these very languages were born and developed.
  2. Insight into self.  The study of world languages provides an awareness and appreciation of other cultures while at the same time allowing insight into one’s self and one’s own culture.  Learning about language systems helps one understand one’s own language.  Language reflects how we see and experience the world.  Language, therefore, is how we know ourselves, our world and everything in it.  Studying another language allows one to recognize that the social and linguistic perimeters within which one operates are not universal.  This understanding of one’s place in the world may lead to an appreciation for the limitations and the contributions of one’s own culture and language. 
  3. Participation in another culture.  The study of world languages further allows opportunity to reflect upon one’s own place within a larger global community and serves as a springboard for active participation in other cultures and societies.  Individuals need to know how, when and why to say what to whom within acceptable socio-linguistic and cultural environments.  This knowledge enables them to communicate and interact with others in culturally appropriate ways.  As people discover different patterns among language systems and cultures, they are able enrich their own cultures with new ideas and ways of knowing.
  4. Connections between disciplines.  Languages are also foundational in the liberal arts, developing critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and discipline of thought and expression.  Humans are innately curious, wishing to extend their knowledge of all matters.  Languages are the vehicle for this investigation.  The study of a second language creates a pliancy and agility of mind which makes it adaptive and receptive to other academic disciplines.  Moreover, second language study provides connections between disciplines and peoples, ways of thinking and the cultures which inform them.  For this reason, language classes at Concordia are more than grammar and vocabulary.  They explore the culture, geography, history, literature, art, music, religious experiences and politics of the peoples and places where those languages shape life.
  5. Responsible engagement in the world.  In the process of learning a second language, students discuss current issues important to the target culture, exchange ideas, and become aware of their own culture’s inclinations and preconceptions relative to these issues.  Eventually, as they begin to master the second language, they form a broader base from which to understand their place in the global community.  Engagement occurs when individuals are able to communicate in a meaningful way with another human being.  Learning a second language allows individuals to participate more fully in the world with a deeper understanding of the cultural mores and linguistic significance around them.  They ideally will have the curiosity, confidence and competency to work effectively with others.  Students who study languages are better prepared to become globally integrated citizens. 

 

Intended Instructional Outcomes

 

The intended instructional outcomes of the World Language Exploration Courses correspond to the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning, which have been established by ACTFL, American Association of Teachers of French, American Association of Teachers of German and American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese.

 

Communication:  Communicate in Languages Other Than English

 

Note: Oral proficiency is not expected for classical languages and Hebrew.

 

Standard 1.1: Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.

Standard 1.2: Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics.

Standard 1.3: Students present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics.

 

Cultures:  Gain Knowledge and Understanding of Other Cultures

 

Standard 2.1: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of the culture studied.

Standard 2.2: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and perspectives of the culture studied.

 

Connections:  Connect with Other Disciplines and Acquire Information

 

Standard 3.1: Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the foreign language.

Standard 3.2: Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its cultures.

 

Comparisons:  Develop Insight into the Nature of Language and Culture

 

Standard 4.1: Students demonstrate understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of the language studied and their own.

Standard 4.2: Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and their own.

 

Communities:  Participate in Multilingual Communities at Home & Around the World

 

Standard 5.1: Students use the language both within and beyond the school setting.

Standard 5.2: Students show evidence of becoming life-long learners by using the language for personal enjoyment and enrichment.

 

The above standards underscore a sixth area which is important in the study of World Languages:  Curiosity.  The study of a second language should engender a curiosity about oneself and the world in which one lives.  The study of a second language should further influence students’ vocations as they go into society and influence the affairs of the world.

 

How the Intended Instructional Outcomes Address the Concordia Goals for Liberal Learning

 

  1. Love of Learning:  Goal for Liberal Learning 1 and ACTFL Standard 5.2 encourage students to show evidence of becoming life-long learners by using the second language and taking an on-going interest in other cultures beyond the classroom.
  2. Intellectual skills and transferable intellectual capacities:  ACTFL Standards 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 coincide with Goal for Liberal Learning 2, which challenges students to achieve “a level of linguistic proficiency in a language other than his/her own.”  (All quotations from this section are from Concordia’s Goals for Liberal Learning.)
  3. Understanding of disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and intercultural perspectives, and their connections:  Goal for Liberal Learning 3, like ACTFL Standards 2.1 and 2.2, challenges students to understand, appreciate and respect “the diversity of human experiences both within the United States and globally,” consider international “social and political forces that shape people’s experiences,” and extend “her/his perspective to include a language and culture not their own.”  Like ACTFL Standards 3.1 and 3.2, it encourages students to recognize and evaluate critically “multiple perspectives of a discipline” and the connections they hold to other disciplines.
  4. Examined cultural, ethical, physical, and spiritual self-understanding:  Through comparisons to other cultures, Goal for Liberal Learning 4 and ACTFL Standards 4.1 and 4.2 help students to know themselves and to be reflective about their identities.
  5. Responsible participation in the world:  As in ACTFL Standard 5.1, Goal for Liberal Learning 5 “cultivates understanding, ability, and sensitivity for thoughtful, informed, and active participation in the world.”

  

Criteria for Successful Completion of World Language Requirement

 

  1. Successful completion of a language at the second semester level.  This is typically 112 or higher for the modern languages and Latin.  In the case of Greek and Hebrew, students must successfully complete 212.
  2. Pass a departmental proficiency examination which tests both linguistic and cultural standards at a level commensurate with the second semester level.  The computerized placement test may not be used in place of the proficiency examination as a valid indicator of the completion of the World Language Exploration requirement.

 

Assessment

 

  1. Student self-assessment will be conducted at the end of 112 (212 for Greek and Hebrew).  Modern languages will use a Self-Rating Proficiency Inventory (SRPI) that measures basic language skills—speaking, listening, reading and writing—and cultural knowledge.  This instrument will also measure how students perceive their progress towards ACTFL’s five Standards and Concordia’s Goals for Liberal Learning.   This will allow for a uniform assessment instrument across the World Language Exploration courses.  Classical languages and Hebrew will use a modified version of this assessment instrument. 
  2. A component of the college-wide Alumni and Senior Surveys will ask students to describe ways in which the study of a second language and culture has influenced their lives and participation in communities at home and around the world.
  3. Direct measures of assessing the Intended Instructional Outcomes will be developed by individual departments as part of their regular departmental assessment plan.  This assessment only pertains to 112 courses (212 for Greek and Hebrew) and might be accomplished through a sampling of students.