Foreign language skills are essential to some of today’s promising global fields, including tourism, translation, language interpretation, and international relations. Opportunities exist in education, business, government, social services, and more. Students at Southern can major or minor in Spanish, French, Italian, or German and are encouraged to enhance their coursework by studying abroad. Courses in Arabic and Chinese are also offered, as are options for students interested in teaching a world language (WLT); Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL); and Bilingual Education (BE), including a master's of science degree and cross-endorsement certification.
Department of World Languages and Literatures Programs
The Master of Science Degree in Bilingual, Multicultural Education and TESOL is designed for those who are interested in teaching English to speakers of other languages in the U.S. and abroad at any age and school level. The program provides students with a comprehensive introduction to linguistics, second language acquisition theory, bilingual education, methods of teaching English as a second and foreign language, immigration issues, and multiliteracy and multiculturalism. Upon program completion, graduates receive a credential in teaching Engilsh to speakers of other languages that is globally accepted and in-service teachers are eligible for additional certification in ESOL and/or Bilingual education.
MS in Bilingual, Multicultural Education and TESOL offers a Summer Residency Program to accommodate graduate students who live far from New Haven in Connecticut and in other states. The program offers intensive on-ground summer classes and online/hybrid fall and spring classes. Students form a cohort and have an opportunity to reside on Southern's campus in order to facilitate the intensity of summer study and eliminate travel.
The BS in French is designed for students interested in developing linguistic fluency and high levels of cultural proficiency in French who want to become teachers of the language at the high school level. All French classes develop students' ability to speak, read, write, and comprehend French, while increasing their understanding of French film, literature, history, geography, and culture. Concurrently, students will fulfill the courses associated with earning certification through the College of Education, and will do one semester of student teaching.
The BA in French is designed for students interested in developing linguistic fluency and high levels of cultural proficiency in French, while also refining their skills in critical and analytical thinking. Throughout the program, our students engage with French and Francophone cultures through the study of film, literature, art, popular culture, history, and geography. Our program prepares students to explore and investigate not only the French and Francophone world, but also to examine critically global issues like language, community, immigration, gender, sexuality, and social justice. Students selecting to complete a BA in French have many personal and professional opportunities available to them, including careers in business and finance, fashion, graduate study, public relations, engineering and science, tourism and entertainment, medicine and health professions, and government and non-government organizations, among others. Students seeking a career in education (grades 7-12) should select the BS in French.
The BS in Italian prepares students interested in teaching the language at the high school level. Classes are grounded in Italian authentic materials that include cinema, literature, food, music, art, and history among other areas and are designed to develop and enhance students’ ability to speak, write, listen, and comprehend Italian. The classes are devised to ensure that students achieve the highest levels of linguistic fluency and cultural competence. Concurrently, students will fulfill the courses required to earn a teaching certification through the College of Education; students will also complete one semester of student teaching.
The BA in Italian prepares students not interested in teaching the language for a variety of careers, including translating, marketing, business, fashion, arts, public relations, and foreign service among others. Designed to enhance learners’ cultural awareness through Italian cinema, literature, art, music, and history, classes also develop and hone students’ ability to speak, write, listen, and comprehend Italian.
This minor focuses on the culture and language of Chinese Mandarin as it offers knowledge and skills for those students in all disciplines who see themselves as having global involvement in Chinese discourse.
The minor in French is designed for students interested in developing linguistic fluency and cultural proficiency in French, while also refining their skills in critical and analytical thinking. Throughout the program, our students engage with French and Francophone cultures through the study of film, literature, art, popular culture, history, and geography. Our program prepares students to explore and investigate not only the French and Francophone world, but also to examine critically global issues like language, community, immigration, gender, sexuality, and social justice. Students selecting to complete a minor in French have many personal and professional opportunities available to them, including careers in business and finance, fashion, graduate study, public relations, engineering and science, tourism and entertainment, medicine and health professions, and government and non-government organizations, among others.
Students pursuing a minor in German will gain linguistic proficiency in German while learning about Germany's history, culture, customs, literature, and geography. Students will take 18 credits of German to complete the minor. All courses focus on building language skills, while increasing students' understanding of Germany and its culture.
A minor in Italian enhances career opportunities in fields that include marketing, business, fashion, arts, public relations, and education among others. It consists of 18 credits and is designed to broaden students’ cultural awareness while developing their speaking, listening, writing and reading skills.
Linguistics is a science of language. It helps us understand how language is organized, how we are able to communcate with each other and encode our thoughts into a linguistic form. It explains how meaning is encoded in words, phrases, sentences, sounds, and letters. Linguistics has many areas of study, including sociolingusitics that tackles communication issues; psycholinguistics that examines the working of the brain in language acquisiiton and use; discourse analysis that explores our ability to produce cohesive and coherent texts; computational lingusitics that has become essential in the development of computer translations and speech recognition. Majoring in a related discipline and minoring in linguistics can prepare students for a variety of careers, including teaching, translating, foreign service, and social work, or graduate study in linguistics and any of its related sub-fields.
The Minor in Medical Spanish for Health and Human Service Professions is a sequence of courses designed to prepare future professionals to serve Spanish-speaking clients in a clinical setting by developing functional and technical Spanish language skills and cultural awareness. Although the minor is designed to complement programs such as nursing, exercise science, public health, psychology, social work, and communication disorders, any student interested in becoming proficient in conversational Spanish for health and human service is welcome to enroll in this minor.
Students pursuing a minor in Spanish will gain linguistic proficiency in Spanish while learning about the history, culture, customs, literature, and geography of the Spanish-speaking world, including the United States. Students will take 18 credits of Spanish to complete the minor. All courses focus on building language skills, while increasing students' understanding of Spanish speakers and their diverse cultures.
The Master of Arts degree in Romance Languages is designed for students interested in French, Italian, Spanish, or any combination of two of these. It provides advanced training for those who plan to complete their graduate studies in literature, language, literary, and cultural theory at the master's level, and for those who anticipate continuing graduate work up to the doctoral degree. The program is tailored to the needs of those who wish:
- To teach these languages at the elementary, middle school, or high school levels, whether they are seeking initial certification or cross-endorsement;
- To teach these languages at the college level;
- To work in related fields, such as foreign service, other government service, private industry, translation and interpreting, librarianship, etc.
The program is built on three premises:
- The teaching of language and culture requires mastery of cultural awareness in the target language, as well as, literary works from different periods and genres.
- Scholarly research and writing, such as is required in graduate courses, is essential for exploring and understanding such production. This kind of explorative activity culminates in a capstone experience (i.e., thesis, comprehensive exams, or special project).
- Use of the target language at all times in classroom discussion and the research and writing of examinations and papers, assures fluent, correct, and idiomatic mastery of the language.
The Master of Arts degree in Romance Languages is designed for students interested in French, Italian, Spanish, or any combination of two of these. It provides advanced training for those who plan to complete their graduate studies in literature, language, literary, and cultural theory at the master's level, and for those who anticipate continuing graduate work up to the doctoral degree. The program is tailored to the needs of those who wish:
- To teach these languages at the elementary, middle school, or high school levels, whether they are seeking initial certification or cross-endorsement;
- To teach these languages at the college level;
- To work in related fields, such as foreign service, other government service, private industry, translation and interpreting, librarianship, etc.
The program is built on three premises:
- The teaching of language and culture requires mastery of cultural awareness in the target language, as well as, literary works from different periods and genres.
- Scholarly research and writing, such as is required in graduate courses, is essential for exploring and understanding such production. This kind of explorative activity culminates in a capstone experience (i.e., thesis, comprehensive exams, or special project).
- Use of the target language at all times in classroom discussion and the research and writing of examinations and papers, assures fluent, correct, and idiomatic mastery of the language.
The Master of Arts degree in Romance Languages is designed for students interested in French, Italian, Spanish, or any combination of two of these. It provides advanced training for those who plan to complete their graduate studies in literature, language, literary, and cultural theory at the master's level, and for those who anticipate continuing graduate work up to the doctoral degree. The program is tailored to the needs of those who wish:
- To teach these languages at the elementary, middle school, or high school levels, whether they are seeking initial certification or cross-endorsement;
- To teach these languages at the college level;
- To work in related fields, such as foreign service, other government service, private industry, translation and interpreting, librarianship, etc.
The program is built on three premises:
- The teaching of language and culture requires mastery of cultural awareness in the target language, as well as, literary works from different periods and genres.
- Scholarly research and writing, such as is required in graduate courses, is essential for exploring and understanding such production. This kind of explorative activity culminates in a capstone experience (i.e., thesis, comprehensive exams, or special project).
- Use of the target language at all times in classroom discussion and the research and writing of examinations and papers, assures fluent, correct, and idiomatic mastery of the language.
The BS in Spanish with a concentration in Teacher Certification is designed for students interested in developing linguistic fluency and high levels of cultural proficiency in Spanish who want to become teachers of the language at the middle and/or high school level. All Spanish classes develop students' ability to speak, read, write, and comprehend Spanish, while increasing their understanding of Spanish film, literature, history, geography, and culture. Concurrently, students will fulfill the courses associated with earning certification through the College of Education, and will do one semester of student teaching.
The B.S in Spanish 7-12 - Concentration: MA Accelerated Pathway is designed for students interested in completing both their bachelor’s degree in Spanish with teacher certification and their master’s degree in Romance Languages (Spanish concentration) in only five years. This accelerated pathway program creates a bridge between the undergraduate-level teacher certification program and our M.A. in Romance Languages program by embedding seven credits of graduate coursework into the undergraduate degree and replacing seven credits of free elective undergraduate coursework with graduate-level courses. This program allows motivated undergraduate students to complete all the credentials required for regional teachers at one time. Students are expected to complete their bachelor’s and master’s degree requirements typically within five years, gaining a competitive advantage in their career, while saving time and expense.
The certificate in Spanish and Latino Cultures for Health Professionals is a 12-credit sequence of courses designed to prepare future professionals to serve Spanish-speaking clients in a healthcare setting by developing functional and technical Spanish language skills and cultural awareness about US Latinos. Students must take 9 credits from the following sequence of courses, depending on their level at the time they begin the program: SPA 220-Medical Spanish; SPA 210 - Spanish IV: Latino America; SPA 301- Spanish Conversation; SPA 305-Spanish Composition and Conversation for Heritage Learners, and SPA 410 - Theory and Practice of Translation. All students are required to take SPA 315-Spanish for the Professions.
Students may earn 3 waiver credits by proving an intermediate-low proficiency level on STAMP test and 6 waiver credits by proving an intermediate-mid proficiency level on STAMP test. An exit exam proving an intermediate-high level proficiency is required to earn the certificate.
This program is not eligible for financial aid (Title IV and/or State funds).
Please note: The certificate in Spanish and Latino Cultures for Health Professionals is not a VA approved program. This means that veterans or other eligible persons will not be able to use VA benefits to supplement the cost of this program.
The BS in Spanish with a concentration in Health and Human Service Professionals is designed for students interested in using their Spanish language skills and understanding of Latinx cultures to serve patients and clients in their future careers within the health and human service sector. Students will learn medical terminology in Spanish; complete an internship at a local health and/or human service agency where they will practice communicating with Spanish-speaking patients or clients in an applied setting; improve their understanding of Hispanic and Latinx cultures as they relate to the healthcare setting, and perfect their communication skills in Spanish.
The BS in Spanish with a concentration in Hispanic Studies is designed for students interested in exploring the languages and cultures of the Spanish-speaking world. Students will learn about historic and contemporary Latinx and Hispanic issues; read and analyze literary texts and cultural products form the Latinx and Hispanic world and will perfect their communication skills in Spanish.
The BS in Spanish with a concentration in Translation Studies is designed for students interested in pursuing a career in the field of English/Spanish translation. In completing this major, students will: become skilled in translation theory and practice; improve their cultural and linguistic sensitivity and understanding; perfect their communication skills in Spanish and English, and complete a major translation project under the instruction of a faculty member.