Foreign Languages and Literatures

Chairperson: Edward Malinak
Professors: Carrasco, Ph.D., Malinak, Ph.D., Hopkins, Ph.D., Pereda, Ph.D., and Vitti-Alexander, Ph.D.; Associate Professor: Naulleau, M.A.; Assistant Professor: Chacón Ph.D.; Lecturers: Alas, M.S., Capes-Bettin, M.A., Dabbagh, Ph.D., Evangelista, Ph.D., Hogan, M.A., Kuzmich, M.A., Master, D.A., Plutino-Calabrese, M.S., Shino, B.S., Shusteff, M.A., Silvers, M.A., Soubotin, M.A., Sun, M.S., Vrooman, M.A., Wilder, M.S., and Youboue, M.A.

Major programs are available in French, Spanish, German and Italian. A student may elect either a major in one foreign language or a Modern Foreign Languages Major, i.e., the study of two or more languages. The department also offers courses in Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian. and Swahili. Courses may be taken at other colleges in the Rochester Area Colleges consortium with the approval of the department chairperson.

Students majoring in a single foreign language usually present three years of appropriate high school study. All majors must complete a minimum of 30 upper-division credits in the language (200-level and above), and are required to spend at least a semester of their junior year in a locale where the language they are studying is the native tongue. All language majors are strongly encouraged to spend their junior year abroad. (See Study Abroad, page 65, for details.)

The Foreign Languages and Literatures Department has developed two special programs for students who want to work with foreign languages in the business world: a major in one or more foreign languages with any minor in business, or a major in business with a concentration in a foreign language.

Commercial French, German and Spanish courses prepare the student to take international examinations for official certification granted by the German International Chamber of Commerce and by the Chambers of Commerce of Paris and Madrid.

The college provides the facilities of La Maison Française, Casa Hispana, Casa Italiana, and the German Cultural Center where language students have the opportunity of contact with native speakers of the target language. All resident French majors are required to spend at least two years in the Maison Française (exceptions must be approved by the chairperson of the department). One of these must be the year following their academic year in France to maintain fluency in the language skills acquired abroad.

The Casa Italiana on the Nazareth College campus is a center for Italian studies in the area and offers a series of lectures, films, and mini-courses. It is also the site for an Italian Elderhostel and other Italian-related cultural activities.

Major Program Requirements

Single Language Major
(French, German, Italian or Spanish)
201-202 (Composition/Conversation); two culture courses in the language; Lan 300 (Study Abroad); three 300 level literature or language courses including 307, 308 for students with a Business Administration minor; two 400 level senior seminar courses; one additional advanced elective in the language or literature (300 or 400 level); Comprehensive Examination; strongly recommended: His 311 (Latin America) for Spanish majors.

Modern Foreign Languages Major
(2 Languages)
Minimum 24 advanced credits in one language and 18 advanced credits in another. For the first language: 201-202 (Composition/Conversation); two 200 level culture courses; Lan 300 (Study Abroad one semester); two 300 level courses; two 400 level senior seminar courses; Comprehensive Examination; two additional 200 level culture courses are strongly recommended.
For the second language, a minimum of 18 advanced credits, Language 300 (Study Abroad) and Comprehensive Examination are required.
The Senior Experience for students in the Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures Department includes two 400-level Senior Seminars and a comprehensive examination (which includes a written and oral component). Through their research papers and oral presentations in these two components, students are required to demonstrate not only a competence in their major field, but also a thorough integration of the Liberal Studies core of Nazareth College with that major.

Overseas Education Programs: Nazareth College Study Abroad Programs

Nazareth’s Study Abroad Programs include residential programs in France, Italy, Spain, and Germany. In many cases, students have the added benefit of living in the private homes of carefully chosen families, where they gain further proficiency in their chosen language as they experience all the benefits of a multicultural living environment. Most financial assistance is applicable to study abroad programs, and students earn valid college credits through class work and study.

Through partnership agreements with universities and the College Consortium for International Studies, Nazareth maintains a network of exchange programs around the world. This network enables students to study for a semester or a year at more than 80 universities in 30 countries on six continents. Whether learning a language, enhancing academic skills or participating in cultural immersion, these programs help students to develop an intercultural outlook, professional contacts in international networks, and employment opportunities.

In affiliation with the Université de Haute-Bretagne, Nazareth College offers an academic year in Rennes, France. The core program for French majors includes the following basic courses, which vary in degrees of complexity and intensity: language-composition; conversational-structural analysis and explication de texte; phonetics; literature; contemporary French civilization; history of art. Students may select elective courses from a wide area including such fields as history, English, fine arts, foreign languages (Celtic, German, Spanish, Russian) and literature and economics.

Nazareth College also offers its own Spanish study abroad program in cooperation with the Institute of Spanish Studies in Valencia, Spain. Spanish majors and non-majors alike may take advantage of the extensive program of courses offered during fall, spring and summer. Challenging courses such as Phonetics, Composition and Conversion, Medieval, Renaissance and Contemporary Literature, Analysis of Texts, Culture and Civilization courses, Commercial Spanish and Translation courses form part of the extensive curriculum available to Valencia Program participants.

In affiliation with the Università degli Studi `G. d’Annunzio, Nazareth College offers its own academic year abroad program in Pescara, Italy. Italian majors and non-majors alike may take advantage of the extensive program of courses offered during the fall and the spring. Courses taken at the Università may vary in intensity, and can be taken from any of the departments: Literature and Philosophy, Foreign Languages and Literatures, Economics and Political Science. Students are fully integrated into Italian life. Activities and field trips are organized and students in the program can expect to participate regularly in social and cultural events with Italian college students. Students interested in the combined study of Italian and business are encouraged to do a business internship in Pescara in a local business setting organized in conjunction with the Pescara Chamber of Commerce.

Upon successful completion of one of these programs, students earn a maximum total of 30 semester hours. To ensure that candidates meet graduation requirements and make the best choice of courses available, they should plan their academic program in consultation with their own department advisor. Individual guidance by a resident staff member of the Nazareth College faculty is available in Rennes, Valencia and Pescara.

Students majoring in German regularly study for a semester or a year in programs at the University of Wurzburg and/or the Goethe Institute. The College’s Nazareth-in-Berlin Program in the capital city of Germany, conducted by Studienforum Berlin e.V., is available each spring semester to eligible students at Nazareth College and to non-Nazareth students on a competitive basis. Courses are taught in English and students enroll in a German language course at the beginning, intermediate or advanced level. Additionally students take a credit-bearing professional internship with a corporation, international or governmental association, where they may also use the English language. Course credit (15 semester hours) is available in Economics, History, Literature, Political Science, Sociology, Theatre Arts and German. Activities are available to the students such as course field trips, museum and theatre visits, special tours of government and corporate headquarters, and weekend program trips.