Foreign Languages and Literatures

Philip D. Sweet, Chair
www.radford.edu/~forl-web/

Undergraduate Program

The foreign languages program is designed to teach a command of a foreign language, to teach students to analyze language and literature, and to make students aware of the heritage of another culture. Students may earn either a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree; the degree programs prepare students to become language teachers or to work in business or government.

All majors in modern foreign languages are required to show satisfactory participation in an intensive immersion experience in the language of their major. This may be in the form of a study abroad program, a service project, or intensive upper-level language instruction in the United States. In all cases, this experience may not be less than four calendar weeks and must be approved by the department prior to departure. Radford offers a summer study program abroad in China, France, Mexico and Spain, and a semester or year’s study in China, Germany, Spain, Mexico, and France.

Credit Granting Policy Advanced Placement

Students who score three or four on an Advanced Placement examination in Spanish will receive six hours of credit; students who score a three or four in French, German, or Latin will receive eight semester hours of credit toward graduation; those who score a five in Spanish will receive nine hours of credit, and those who score a five in French, German, or Latin will receive twelve semester hours of credit. However, students are required to complete at least one three semester hour course on the second year level or higher at Radford University in order to satisfy the B.A. requirement.

Students who have taken a foreign language in high school and who begin their college-level study of that language above the first eight hours of language instruction (above the first nine hours in Spanish) will receive an additional six semester hours of elementary language credit in that same language if the following conditions are met:

The student’s first two college courses in that language at Radford University are completed on the above mentioned level or beyond.

A GPA of 2.4 or better is received for those two courses. Students already receiving AP credit for a foreign language are ineligible to receive this additional credit in that same language.

Eligibility for Enrollment in Language Courses

To provide the best learning environment in language classes, it is essential that students enroll in courses appropriately suited to their current abilities. Placement is determined by the faculty, based on the student’s previous learning, interviews, and placement testing. The decision of the Chair of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures is final. Students who have successfully completed four or more years of a foreign language in high school may not enroll in the first semester of that language for credit, and those who have successfully completed three or more years are normally placed above the first semesters of language instruction.

No student may take a first year language course for credit toward graduation after successful completion of a second year or higher level course in that language.

Academic Programs

Classical Humanities Minor

Foreign Languages, B.A.

Foreign Languages, B.S.

Foreign Languages Minor