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College of Arts & Sciences
- Undergraduate
Placement | Degree
Progams | | Majors |
Minors | Departmental
Honors
Introduction
The study of languages is integral to education in a global
university. In addition to providing access to various cultural
perspectives, multilingualism fosters success in business,
economics, law, medicine, education, social sciences, politics,
the arts, and literature. Language study most effectively
enriches academic as well as personal experiences when students
choose a language based on its relevance to possible careers,
to research in particular fields, to personal heritage, or
to the understanding of unfamiliar cultures. At the University
of Miami, students can choose courses in Arabic, Chinese,
French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and
Spanish.
Many students combine advanced modern language study with
majors in other fields. Students majoring in a modern language
often choose second majors in programs such as International
Studies, Communications, History, Political Science (and other
pre-law fields), Biology (and other pre-med fields), English,
Finance, Latin American Studies, Anthropology, Psychology,
Computer Science, Sociology, and Philosophy.
The Department has Undergraduate Advisors for each language.
You are encouraged to consult with them for placement, and
must consult with them if you plan to major, minor, or study
abroad (contact the Department office for names and office
hours). If you plan to double major, you must have an advisor
from each of your fields.
Students may qualify for a wide range of departmental awards
for excellence in linguistic and literary achievement. The
Modern Languages and Literatures Awards Reception takes place
annually during graduation week. Awards are designated for
students studying any language as well as for advanced majors,
and many include cash prizes or scholarship funds. Some awards
are conferred through nomination by professors; others require
an application. Students may obtain information on specific
awards in the Department office. The annual deadline for applications
is usually in early March.
Placement
PLACEMENT GUIDELINE FOR MLL COURSES
Most students studying a second language can determine their
appropriate level by following these guidelines:
• If you have not studied Arabic, Chinese, French,
German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, or Spanish in high school,
or have completed one to two years of high school instruction,
take 101; for Portuguese, take 105.
• If you have taken 101 or its equivalent at another
institution, take 102.
• If you have completed three years of high school
instruction in French or Spanish, or scored a 3 on the AP
language exam take 105. If you have had three years of high
school Arabic, Chinese, German, Hebrew, Italian, or Japanese,
take 102.
• If you have taken four years of high school French
or Spanish, scored a 4 on the AP exam or a 4 on the IB exam
in French or Spanish, or took the equivalent of 102 or 105
at another university, take 211. If you have taken four
years of high school German, Italian or Portuguese, take
211. If you have taken four years of Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew,
or Japanese, take 201.
• If you had five to six years of high school French,
German, Italian, or Spanish, take 212.
• If you have taken the equivalent of 211 at another
university, or scored a 5 on the AP exam, you have completed
your language requirement. If you wish to continue your
studies, take 212.
• If you took the equivalent of 212 in French or Spanish
at another university or scored a 4 on the AP literature
exam, you have completed your language requirement. If you
wish to continue your studies, take 214. If you took the
equivalent of 212 in German, Italian or Portuguese at another
university, you have completed your language requirement.
If you wish to continue your studies, take 301.
• If you scored a 5 on the AP literature exam in French,
Italian or Spanish, you have completed your language requirement.
If you wish to continue your studies, take 301.
The Department offers courses for native speakers of French,
German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. Native speakers
may not enroll in 101, 102, 105, 201, 202, 211, 212,
214, or 301 in their language. If you are a native speaker
of French, German, Italian, Portuguese, or Spanish and graduated
from a high school where that was the official language of
instruction, you may take any course above 301 (consult with
the respective Undergraduate Advisor).
The Department of Modern Languages & Literatures identifies
as heritage learners of Spanish those students who begin their
university studies of the language with little or no prior
instruction in Spanish but who, because of family background
or social experience, can already understand much casual spoken
Spanish and have a passive knowledge of the language (though
they may not usually speak the language themselves). In the
great majority of cases, they have been born and fully educated
in the United States, and may have grown up speaking principally
English (or a ‘mix’ of Spanish and English, i.e.
‘Spanglish’) in the home with their grandparents,
parents and siblings. Heritage learners may or may not consider
themselves as “bilinguals” or “native speakers”,
since both of these terms carry very different connotations—linguistic,
social, and psychological—for different individuals.
Some state that they “do not really speak Spanish”
even though they are able to comprehend much spoken language
(i.e., they are “passive bilinguals”). In the
great majority of cases, they self-identify as “Hispanic”
or “Latino/a”.
HERITAGE LEARNERS OF SPANISH MUST BE PLACED IN
ONE OF THE FOLLOWING FOUR COURSES:
SPA 143 Basic Spanish for
Heritage Learners is for those students with little
or no prior instruction in Spanish who, because of family
background or social experience, can understand casual spoken
Spanish and have a passive knowledge of the language although
they do not usually speak the language themselves. Generally,
their abilities to read and write Spanish are very weak. CLOSED
TO STUDENTS WHO GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL IN A SPANISH-SPEAKING
COUNTRY.
SPA 243 Intermediate Spanish
for Heritage Learners is for those students WHO
HAVE ALREADY TAKEN AND PASSED SPA 143 or who have studied
Spanish for AT LEAST TWO YEARS IN HIGH SCHOOL. They can understand
casual spoken Spanish and have some functional ability in
speaking, reading and writing the language. CLOSED TO STUDENTS
WHO GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL IN A SPANISH-SPEAKING COUNTRY.
SPA 244 Advanced Spanish
for Heritage Learners is for those students who have
studied Spanish for four years in high school and who have
developed functional abilities in speaking, reading and writing
the language. Students who earned a score of 5 on the AP Spanish
Language Exam should register for this course. CLOSED TO
STUDENTS WHO GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL IN A SPANISH-SPEAKING COUNTRY.
SPA 343 Introduction to Literary
Studies for Native/ Heritage Speakers is intended
for those students who have completed secondary and/or
university studies in a Spanish-speaking country and for
those heritage learners who demonstrate an advanced level
of productive competence (in the written and spoken modes)
in Spanish because of prior formal study of the language.
Many heritage learners who place directly into 343 have taken
AP Spanish literature in high school and earned a score of
4 or 5.
>>> SPA 101, 102, 105, 211, 212 AND 214
ARE NOT FOR HERITAGE LEARNERS. ANY HERITAGE LEARNER WHO ENROLLS
IN ONE OF THESE COURSES WILL BE OBLIGATED TO SWITCH TO A HERITAGE
LANGUAGE COURSE (SPA 143, 243, 244 OR 343) DURING THE FIRST
WEEK OF CLASS.
Arts and Sciences Language Requirement
The College of Arts and Sciences requires all B.A. and B.S.
degree students to show competency in a language other than
English by successfully completing an approved college language
course at the 200-level or higher.
Humanities Literature and Writing Credits
The Department offers a variety of courses that fulfill these
Distribution Requirements for students in most majors (please
consult the guidelines of your School or College); students
can easily fulfill some or all of these requirements by majoring
or minoring in a foreign language. Any literature courses
in French, German, Italian, Portuguese or Spanish on the 300-level
or higher fulfills a Humanities Literature requirement and
counts as a writing credit. In addition, all 300-, 400- and
all 500-level courses, unless otherwise specified, are for
writing credit. NOTE: Courses may simultaneously fulfill the
Humanities Literature Requirement and Writing Credit, or the
Foreign Language Requirement and Writing Credit. A course
cannot simultaneously fulfill the Foreign Language Requirement
and the Humanities Literature Requirement.
Degree Programs
Students pursuing a single major in Arts and Sciences earn
a BA.
Major
Goals of the major: The major is designed
to allow students to gain advanced linguistic, literary and
cultural competence in the given language. Students will develop
analytical and critical skills. They will learn to build
coherent arguments orally and in writing; to develop tools
for the interpretation of various texts; to perform research
and write critical papers; to find and evaluate sources of
information; to heighten their sensitivity to contexts of
language, and to appreciate language as art. Students
will also acquire a broad, structured knowledge of the history,
literature and culture in the target language. Finally, they
will learn to carry out cultural comparisons and to view their
own culture with new eyes.
You do not have to be a student of the College of Arts and
Sciences to major in a modern language; you need only the
approval of your college or school advisor and to complete
the departmental requirements. If you wish to complete a double
degree, consult with an Arts and Sciences Advisor.
Students completing a major in a modern language are encouraged
to study abroad. The International Education and Exchange
Program (IEEP in Allen Hall, room 212) sponsors programs for
French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish.
It is also possible to fulfill some Arts and Sciences distribution
requirements abroad. In order to take full advantage of study
abroad, students should visit IEEP early in their university
careers, discuss course equivalencies with the Study Abroad
Advisor for their chosen languages (contact the Department
office for names and office hours), and consult with their
major advisors. Credit toward the major for courses taken
abroad will be determined on an individual basis.
Majors: French, German, and Spanish
A major consists of at least 30 credits beyond the
200-level, which must include the following distribution:
• at least 9 credits must be at the 300 level;
• at least 6 credits must be above the 300 level; of
these, 3 credits must be at the 500 level (capstone course);
• Five writing intensive classes (W) in the department
are required of all majors.
• Spanish majors must take one full 3-course sequence
of survey courses in either Peninsular or Latin American
Literature, or a combination of both that covers all three
chronological periods. That is, Spanish majors must take
353 OR 363; 354 OR 364; and 355 OR 365.
6 credits may be taken in courses not in the target language
(in MLL or not) that are relevant to the course of study;
these course are determined in consultation with the advisor.
FLL 505 (taught in English) may count toward the 30 credits,
but cannot replace the capstone course in the target language.
Only one professional Spanish course (SPA 432 or SPA 433)
will count towards the Spanish major, although students are
free to take both. Students with transfer credits at the 300-level
must take at least 21 graded credits at or above the 300-level
at the University of Miami; i.e., up to 9 credits at the 300-
and 400-level may be transferred from another institution
or a study abroad program not administered by UM. Up to 12
credits taken abroad in a UM-administered program may count
towards any of the majors in the Department. Students must
earn a grade of C- or higher in every course counting toward
the major, and maintain a minimum overall average of 2.5 in
the major.
Capstone Courses
All students are required to take a 500-level capstone course
in residence during their last semester in the major.
This course will:
• Integrate the various skills acquired during the
course of study (linguistic, analytical, knowledge-based);
• Incorporate interpretive as well as presentational
modes of communication;
• Contain an over-arching and cohesive theme;
• Include an element of collaboration among students.
It will constitute a moment of recapitulation of, synthesis,
and reflection on a student's experience in the major as well
as a bridge towards graduate-level studies, should s/he decide
to pursue them.
Minor
You do not have to be a student of the College of Arts and
Sciences to minor in a modern language; you need only the
approval of your college or school advisor and to complete
the departmental requirements. If you wish to complete a double
degree, consult with an Arts and Sciences Advisor.
Students completing a minor in a modern language are encouraged
to study abroad. The International Education and Exchange
Program (IEEP in Allen Hall, room 212) sponsors programs for
French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish.
It is also possible to fulfill some Arts and Sciences distribution
requirements abroad. In order to take full advantage of study
abroad, students should visit IEEP early in their university
careers, discuss course equivalencies with the Study Abroad
Advisor for their chosen languages (contact the Department
office for names and office hours), and consult with their
major advisors. Credit toward the major for courses taken
abroad will be determined on an individual basis
A minor in one modern language consists of a minimum of 12
credits in that language on the 300-level or above, earned
according to the following guidelines: A minimum of 6 credits
must be earned in courses taught by MLL faculty (in residence
or abroad). Out of the remaining 6 credits, a maximum of three
may be transferred from another institution or from a study-abroad
program not administered by UM. The remaining 3 or 6 credits
may be fulfilled in the MLL department or in a UM-administered
study-abroad program. Students must earn a grade of C- or
higher in every course counting toward the minor, and maintain
a minimum overall average of 2.5 in the minor.
The minor in two foreign languages consists of at least 24
graded credit hours with 12 credits in one language on any
level and 12 credits in any other language, 6 of which must
be on the 300-level or above. For example: Arabic 101, 102,
201 and 202 along with Spanish 212, 214, 301 and 322 would
constitute a Minor in Modern Languages; so would French 212,
214, 301 and 332 along with Italian 101, 102, 211 and 212.
Many other combinations are possible. This minor must include
6 graded credits per language from the University of Miami.
Students must earn a grade of C- or higher in every course
counting toward the minor, and maintain a minimum overall
average of 2.5 in the minor.
Departmental Honors
Departmental Honors in Modern Languages are possible in the
three languages for which the major is offered: French, German
and Spanish. In order to request admission to Departmental
Honors, candidates must have completed at least twelve credits
at the 300 level or above. They must have a GPA of 3.5 in
all their major courses and a 3.5 overall average GPA. Both
GPAs must be maintained in order to graduate with Departmental
Honors.
During their junior year, candidates for honors will identify
an honors thesis supervisor and a second reader and request
admission to Departmental Honors. Admission to candidacy
must also be approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies
for the appropriate language.
In addition to fulfilling the regular major requirements,
students must register in their Senior year for FRE or GER
or SPA 594-595, Senior Honors Thesis. This is a two-semester,
six credit sequence: 594 for research and 595 for the actual
writing of the honors thesis.
The honors thesis advisor and the second reader will determine
whether the finished thesis merits Departmental Honors.
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