International Languages and Cultures

Maria Echenique, Ph.D., chair

Faculty: Booth, Castanette, Cinta, Chen, Hill, Looney, McLary, Regan, Warshawsky, White

The mission of the international languages and cultures program (Spanish, German, French, and Chinese) is to prepare and motivate students to understand, live, study, and work in international communities at home and abroad. In the international languages courses required of all B.A. students, as well as in those of its major and minors, the program:

1. Builds proficiency in speaking, listening, reading, and writing the target language.
2. Fosters appreciation for other cultures and the international global community.
3. Develops the critical thinking skills and humane values inherent in the University’s liberal arts tradition.

International languages and cultures faculty members guide and inspire students to experience other cultures through the study of language and literature, and through periods of total immersion abroad. In their teaching and in their research, faculty are dedicated to the study of language and literature for its own power and pleasure, and as a means of promoting understanding and enjoyment of cultural differences. They are committed to student-centered instruction, which develops the international language proficiency and confidence majors and minors need to be successful in graduate programs, as well as in a wide range of careers, such as business, government, education, social work, and health care.

The Department of International Languages and Cultures offers a German studies major, Spanish major, a French studies major, and minors in French, German, and Spanish. The international languages and cultures program offers courses in Chinese language and in French, German, and Spanish language, literature, and culture. Students interested in an international languages and cultures major or minor should consult with the department chair.

All students beginning their study of French, German, or Spanish at the University of Portland are encouraged to take a free online placement test. After taking the test, the student will receive information indicating which course will provide the best fit for the student’s level of proficiency. Students should contact the chair of the international languages and cultures department for information on how to access the exam.

Learning Outcomes for Language Majors

Oral Proficiency 

Students graduating from the University of Portland with a B.A. in French studies, German studies, or Spanish are required to take the computerized Oral Proficiency Interview (OPIc) before graduation.  Majors will be contacted to take the exam during the spring semester.  The OPIc, based on standards set by the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and administered by Language Testing International (LTI), is individualized to the test taker and is designed to elicit twenty to thirty minutes of ratable speech via the Internet.  The student’s digitally recorded speech is double rated by an ACTFL Certified Rater according to one of seven possible proficiency levels ranging from Novice to Advanced.  By the time they graduate, German Studies majors should demonstrate intermediate-mid speaking proficiency; French Studies and Spanish majors should demonstrate intermediate-high speaking proficiency. The 2012 ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines for the intermediate level are described in general terms here, and all the levels are described in full on the ACTFL website: http://actflproficiencyguidelines2012.org/.

Intermediate Level

Speakers at the Intermediate level are distinguished primarily by their ability to create with the language when talking about familiar topics related to their daily life. They are able to recombine learned material in order to express personal meaning. Intermediate- level speakers can ask simple questions and can handle a straightforward survival situation. They produce sentence-level language, ranging from discrete sentences to strings of sentences, typically in present time. Intermediate-level speakers are understood by interlocutors who are accustomed to dealing with non-native learners of the language.

Intercultural Competence

Language proficiency is the key to interacting with and understanding a culture, therefore, students completing a major in French studies, German studies, or Spanish are uniquely prepared to engage with the target cultures.  Study abroad and other immersion experiences can result in a transformative process in which one develops greater awareness of cultural differences and how they relate to one’s self.

Before they graduate, language majors will demonstrate intercultural competence by means of an electronic portfolio, consisting of coursework, which each student is required to compile and maintain from the time the major is declared.  Each course syllabus will state which assignments to place in the electronic portfolio and offer direction as to the compilation and maintenance of the electronic portfolio.  During the final semester before graduation, students will be randomly selected to reflect on their electronic portfolios through a final reflection paper designed for this purpose.  The final portfolio will serve to demonstrate the student’s intercultural competence as described by these learning outcomes:

1. Knowledge.
   1. Demonstrates knowledge of the target cultures, especially cultural practices, and identifies current as well as past major social and political issues.
   2. Demonstrates in target language knowledge of target cultures through samples of course assignments in the eportfolio including exams, papers, presentations, and performances.
2. Skills.
   1. Uses the target language, in written and spoken form, as well as experiential knowledge, to work with a variety of cultural products in order to engage with, reflect on and compare the target cultures.
   2. Demonstrates engagement with a variety of cultural products and experiences, and the ability to reflect on this engagement through course assignments in the electronic portfolio including exams, papers, presentations, and performances, as well as the final reflection paper.
3. Transformation.  
   1. Realizes that differences exist between behaviors in one’s own culture and that of the target cultures.  Recognizes the social complexity of culture including differences according to age, gender, ethnicity, socio-economic background, religion, and region in the target cultures. While the understanding of differences may still be developing, accepts challenges to explore ideas and ways of knowing that are outside of one’s own paradigm of individual and cultural understanding.  Demonstrates a willingness to seek out international and intercultural opportunities.
   2. Shows curiosity towards and a growing understanding of the social complexity of cultural differences through a demonstrated willingness to challenge one’s worldview in the final reflection paper based on the electronic portfolio.