Modern Languages
Faculty/Staff
Director: Monica Kowarsch Gonzalez
Adventist Colleges Abroad Coordinator: Elizabeth Bowser
Adjunct: Ruth DePaiva, Junyu Zhang
Aims of the Program
Southwestern Adventist University strongly encourages students to study a foreign language. Indeed, foreign language courses are a degree component of all B.A. programs at the University. Southwestern currently offers courses in Chinese, Portuguese, and Spanish.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, education in the United States should focus on languages that will give Americans an economic competitive edge. The top five languages recommended include Chinese and Portuguese.
The Spanish language has also gained importance and influence during the past two decades. More than 400 million people in twenty-five countries speak Spanish, and it has become the second most prevalent language in the United States.
A second language opens doors to both personal and professional development and can give recent graduates an advantage when seeking employment in both national and international organizations and corporations.
Program
- Minor in Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Arabic, Chinese, Italian and Hebrew
Minor in Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Arabic, Chinese, Italian and Hebrew
A minor consists of 18 hours, exclusive of the elementary course or its equivalent, 12 hours of which must be upper division and includes 3 hours of literary analysis. Most often requires at least one year abroad.
Adventist Colleges Abroad
The Modern Language Department offers all students, whether majoring in languages or not, the opportunity to study overseas as part of their university education.Normally this can fit into a four-year course of study without losing credits as a result. Southwestern is a member of Adventist Colleges Abroad (ACA), administered by the North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.Through this consortium, students are able to study a language in the actual homeland of that particular language. Overseas campuses affiliated with ACA that provide foreign language instruction include:
Universidad Adventista del Plata, Argentina (Spanish; academic year only)
Seminar Schloss Bogenhofen, Austria (German)
Bahia Adventist College, Brazil (Portuguese)
Campus Advetiste du Saleve, France (French)
Friedensau Adventist University, Germany (German; academic year only)
Instituto Avventista Villa Aurora, Italy (Italian)
Middle East University, Lebanon (Arabic; academic year only)
Escuela Superior de Espanol, Spain (Spanish)
Jerusalem Study Center, Israel (Hebrew; summer only)
Taiwan Adventist College, Taiwan (Chinese, summer only)
Study overseas is coordinated through the History and Social Science department.More information about application, courses, and logistics is available by visiting aca-noborders.com.The ACA Bulletin is also available at the Records Office and contains a listing of courses offered on each campus.
Chinese Courses
CHIN 111 - Elementary Chinese I (4 hours)
Focuses on cultivating student daily conversation abilities in the following situations: greetings, family, dates and time, hobbies, and visiting friends. Course builds students solid Chinese pronunciation system and introduces Chinese written system in terms of the number and order of character stroking and radicals. (Fall)
CHIN 112 - Elementary Chinese (4 hours)
Prerequisite: Completion of CHIN 111 with a grade of C- or better, or approval of the instructor.
Continues to develop listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills on the novice high level. (Spring)
CHIN 211 - Intermediate Chinese I (3 hours)
Prerequisite: Completion of CHIN 111 with a grade of C- or better, or approval of the instructor.
This course builds on CHIN 111 and 112, Elementary Chinese I and II, and is designed for students who have completed at least one year of Mandarin or equivalent to further develop speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. (Fall)
CHIN 212 - Intermediate Chinese II (3 hours)
Prerequisite: Completion of CHIN 211 with a grade of C- or better, or approval of the instructor.
This course continues to develop speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. (Spring)
Portuguese Courses
PORT 111 - Elementary Portuguese I (4 hours)
This course is designed to teach the Portuguese language in a fast, interesting and efficient way. Attention will be given to the structure of the Portuguese Language. This course does not assume prior knowledge of either Portuguese grammar or of grammatical terms. (Fall)
PORT 112 - Elementary Portuguese II (4 hours)
This course continues the elementary study of Portuguese begun inPORT 111. Admission to this course requires satisfactory completion of PORT111. (Spring)
PORT 211 - Intermediate Portuguese I (3 hours)
This course builds on PORT 111 and 112, Elementary Portuguese I and II. It provides an opportunity for students to improve their speaking abilities, gain greater fluency in the language, and acquaint them with terms and concepts that will help improve their comprehension of Portuguese. Satisfactory completion of PORT 111 and 112 is required for entry into this course. (Fall)
PORT 212 - Intermediate Portuguese II (3 hours)
This course completes the intermediate study of Portuguese. Satisfactory completion of PORT 211 is required for admission to this course. (Spring)
Spanish Courses
SPAN 111, 112 - Elementary Spanish I, II (4, 4 hours)
The sound and sentence patterns of Spanish are learned through drills, dialogues, readings and models, both live and recorded. Includes 1 lab hour. (Fall-SPAN 111, Spring-SPAN 112)
SPAN 211, 212 - Intermediate Spanish I, II (3, 3 hours)
Prerequisite: SPAN 112 or demonstrated proficiency
A thorough review of Spanish grammar through oral and written composition as well as cultural and literary readings. Attention is given to the history, customs, and traditions of the Spanish-speaking people. 3 Lec 1 Lab. (SPAN 211 Fall, SPAN 212 Spring)