The Department of Modern Languages & Literatures
Dr. St. John Robinson, Chair
LA 700, (406) 657-2201
srobinson@msubillings.edu
www.msubillings.edu/cas/modlang/
Assistant Professor: Regele
Professors: Plank, Robinson
Professors Emeritus: Heidinger, Jensen
Undergraduate Degrees and Majors
Bachelor of Arts
Major: Spanish
Option: Teaching Certificate
Minors: Spanish, International Studies
Teaching Minor: Spanish (K-12)
Advising Information
Students are encouraged to meet with their advisor each semester to confirm that their Plan of Study is accurate and complete. If necessary, changes and updates should be made in order to ensure that program requirements can be completed in a timely manner. Faculty advisors work with students to explore appropriate internships, cooperative education placements and/or experiential learning opportunities which will enhance the student’s academic program. In addition, advisors provide assistance in selecting elective courses which support the student’s interests, career plans and Plan of Study.
Academic advising services for all freshmen Arts and Sciences majors are provided through the Advising Center in McMullen Hall, Room 100. Upon declaring a specific major, Arts and Science majors will be assigned to a faculty advisor in their department for upper-division advising. Advising files for all upper-division students are maintained in the departmental office of the program in which the student is majoring. Although advisors are available to assist students in designing their Plans of Study, students are ultimately responsible for meeting degree requirements.
Foreign languages, as currently taught in college and universities, take as their province the culture both old and new of the particular national groups as revealed in their languages and literatures. The culture—that is, the behavior, beliefs, customs, values, arts and mode of productivity—is an integral part of every foreign language course, from the elementary to the advanced courses in literature, civilization, and business. Recorded and computerized material and tutorial programs provide the “on location” experience of cultural authenticity. Through the fiber-optic network of MSU Billings, computer access to the world’s major newspapers, universities, museums and archives is available. The national language is the indisputable vehicle and the inseparable component of any particular culture, which becomes accessible only through its language. Thus are time and history, the self and the world structured and given expression.
The ability to communicate in a language other than one’s mother tongue has historically been the mark of an educated and successful person. Twenty centuries ago, Caesar read Greek in his tent at night; the Renaissance writer, Castiglione, required the knowledge of several languages for the polished courtier. Rapid communication has made neighbors of distant peoples, and the need for language study is greater than ever before if we intend to participate in the political, economic, scientific and cultural leadership of the planet. The monolingual will never be a traveler—merely a tourist.
The Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish is available for those interested in careers in government, companies with overseas branches, and international agencies.
Credit Examinations
Those students who have had previous training in a foreign language or who are native speakers of a language other than English may receive credit for their level of proficiency through a credit examination.
The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures administers national standardized credit examinations in Spanish. Depending on proficiency, students may receive from one semester to two years credit in a language. High school study of a foreign language thus may provide immediate college credit to students who have applied themselves in high school. Students who challenge out of the second year of Spanish, and who plan to major or minor in that language, must take at least one semester of advanced grammar in the language.
Upon request, the department will grant credit in a language other than those taught at MSU Billings, including Native American languages. Students must provide a qualified interpreter. They must show oral proficiency for first year credit, and generally both oral and reading proficiency for second year credit. This credit is awarded under the LANG prefix.
Prior to graduation, students must enroll in the course for which the credits will be awarded. Students may elect to enroll in the course in the semester after the challenge exam is taken, or they may enroll for the course in any semester after the successful completion of the challenge exam. Students will avoid any additional tuition and fee charges for the successfully challenged course if they elect to enroll for the course during a semester when they are planning to enroll in 12 or more credits. Additional tuition and mandatory fees are not charged for credits taken in the tuition “flat spot” between 12 and 18 credits.
Sequence Course Procedures
Courses in first and second year French, German and Spanish must be taken in sequence, that sequence being 101, 102, 201, 202.
Study Abroad
The University offers Spanish students the opportunity to live and learn in Spain, Costa Rica and other countries. Other fully accredited summer session, semester, and academic-year abroad programs may be arranged in cooperation with other American colleges and universities. Students should inquire at the departmental office or at the Office of International Studies (Cisel 202, 406-657-1705).
Internships
Internships (some paid) are available for students of French, German and Spanish, and students majoring or minoring in a foreign language are encouraged to participate in one of these programs.
Learning Outcomes for Spanish Major
Students will be able to use their language skills in daily life as well as possess:
- a general understanding (historical and contemporary) of the culture(s) of that language;
- an acquaintance with the literature of that language;
- a general understanding of the grammar (including dialects) of that language;
- (for teaching majors and minors) an acquaintance with traditional and current methodology for teaching modern languages and familiarity with on-going issues in modern languages
NEXT: Bachelor of Arts Degree Major in Spanish
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