Chinese B.A. Learning Objectives and Outcomes

1. Develop competence in speaking and listening comprehension in Mandarin Chinese.
2. Command basic Chinese vocabulary. Refine grammatical structures and engage in critical thinking through a variety of tasks, activities, and assignments.
3. Read authentic material in Chinese for informative purposes.
4. Write in Chinese simple narration and description about given topics and events.
5. Develop understanding of the traditional Chinese culture in light of contemporary values.
6. Be able to compare systematically the ideas, values, images, or attitudes of people from various Chinese communities. Be able to identify the historical context of these ideas and cultural practices. Be able to explain how Chinese culture changes in response to internal and external pressures.
7. Critical reading of pre-modern Chinese prose, poetry, and drama.

French B.A. and M.A. Learning Objectives and Outcomes

French B.A.

1. Language & Communication. Written Expression. Develop advanced (ACTFL) skills in writing French.
2. Language & Communication. Reading Comprehension. Develop advanced (ACTFL) skills in reading French.
3. Language & Communication. Oral Expression. Develop advanced (ACTFL) skills in speaking French.
4. Language & Communication. Listening Comprehension. Develop advanced (ACTFL) skills in understanding French.
5. Literacy: Ability to use appropriate terminology in linguistic, cultural, or literary analysis.
6. Cultural Analysis and Comparison: Develop the students' ability to draw upon their cultural knowledge of France and the Francophone world to analyze and compare a wide variety of texts.
7. Literary and Cultural Texts and Traditions: Develop knowledge of major periods, genres, authors, movements of French and Francophone cultural history.
8. Connections to Other Disciplines and Language Communities
9. Technology: demonstrate information processing competency, use of appropriate technologies and tools for research, analysis, communication, and presentation.

French M.A.

1. Improve ability to undertake graduate-level coursework by analyzing cultural productions from the following three perspectives: Historical and cultural, Linguistic and stylistic, Literary and literary theory.
2. Improve ability to develop a thesis of a scholarly nature on a special topic.
3. Become more proficient in making scholarly presentations at public venues.
4. Become more proficient at using research tools for academic papers at graduate level and at processing collected data in compliance with academic standards.
5. Improve ability to use interdisciplinary approaches and make connections between cultures and languages.
6. Improve knowledge of the French-speaking world.
7. Become proficient using technology for scholarly research and presentations.

German B.A. Learning Objectives and Outcomes

1. Language & Communication. Written Expression. Develop advanced (ACTFL) skills in writing German.
2. Language & Communication. Reading Comprehension. Develop advanced (ACTFL) skills in reading German.
3. Language & Communication. Oral Expression. Develop advanced (ACTFL) skills in speaking German.
4. Language & Communication. Listening Comprehension. Develop advanced (ACTFL) skills in understanding spoken German.
5. Literacy: Develop the students' ability to use appropriate terminology in linguistic, cultural, or literary analysis.
6. Linguistics: Develop the students' ability to recognize the various components that make up the German language, to understand complex syntactical features, and to analyze and reflect on grammar.
7. Cultural Knowledge: Develop the students' ability to understand the cultural and intellectual development of German-speaking civilizations and societies within their socio-political contexts.
8. Literary Analysis and Traditions: Develop the students' knowledge of major periods, genres, authors, and movements of German-language literature within their cultural, intellectual and socio-political contexts.
9. Global Perspective and Comparisons: Develop the students' ability to relate the German-speaking civilizations and societies to events in other countries around the world, with a special focus on Europe and the United States since the 20th century.

Japanese B.A. Learning Objectives and Outcomes

1. To develop the students' four Japanese language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) in three modes of communication (interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational).
2. To develop the students' understanding of some aspects of Japanese culture, including the relationships among cultural products, practices, and perspectives.
3. To acquaint students with business manners and customs for developing communication skills useful in conducting business in Japanese.
4. To develop the students' understanding of not only traditional arts but also contemporary Japanese culture and society.
5. To develop the students' understanding of phonological, morphological, and syntactic structures of contemporary Japanese.
6. To develop experience and skills in reading and discussing Japanese modern literature from 1868 through the present.
7. To develop the students' understanding of traditional theater in Japan, as well as modern and post-modern Japanese drama.

Spanish B.A. and M.A. Learning Objectives and Outcomes, and Additional Experiences and Values

Spanish B.A.

1. Ability to produce and recognize grammatical structures in Spanish.
2. Ability to express oneself orally and in writing in different sociolinguistic milieus including formal and academic presentations.
3. Ability to appreciate literary texts of the Spanish-speaking world (Spain, Spanish America and the Hispanic U.S.) and the traditions that produced them.
4. Ability to recognize stylistic elements in the literature.
5. Ability to recognize and analyze cultural modes of behavior and socio-cultural patterns of the Spanish-speaking world.
6. Ability to develop and carry out research projects in Spanish, including term papers and bibliographical research.
7. Ability to analyze and develop texts other than literary: for example, informal and formal correspondence, applications for school or jobs, a C.V., brochures, etc.
8. Ability to understand and use appropriate academic and technical terminology.
9. Ability to produce, analyze and rationalize the sounds of Spanish (phonology) as compared and contrasted with the sounds of English.
10. Ability to analyze morphological, syntactic, and semantic components of Spanish.

Spanish M.A.

1. Ability to understand the historical development of the Spanish language in its external (history, culture) and internal development (morphology, syntax and semantics).
2. Knowledge of and familiarity with the linguistic variation of Spanish and its main dialects, including phonology, geographical variation, social dialects, and registers.
3. Ability to understand the complex relationships among culture, society, history, politics, religion, and economics in the creation of texts.
4. Knowledge of and familiarity with literature of the Spanish-speaking world (Spain, Spanish America and the Hispanic U.S.) and relevant literary criticism.
5. Ability to write and present orally in a scholarly fashion.

The Programs in Spanish Provide Enrichment for All Degrees:

• Close contact and consultation of students with faculty and personalized supervision in the classroom and in advisement.
• Extracurricular activities through several outlets, including the “Círculo Hispánico.”
• Peer projects in discussion groups, writing activities and presentations.
• Options to participate in local high school observations on teaching methods.
• Access to activities promoted by the Department of Foreign Languages and the University: Public lectures, films, music and dance performances, alumni dinners, etc.
• A foreign language Honor Society, Phi Sigma Iota, for qualified students.
• Scholarships and opportunities for Study Abroad.
  

Understandings, Interests, and Values for All Degree Programs in Spanish:

• The realization of being able to communicate in a language spoken in more than twenty countries.
• The awareness of being able to read from a vast corpus of literature spanning over one thousand years and encompassing Spain, Latin America and the United States, among other areas.
• The awareness of being able to access jobs as teacher, translator, interpreter, bilingual editor, and other professions.
• The sense of having expanded one's view of the world and society by virtue of knowing two languages and envisioning culture and language from a broader perspective.
• The realization of knowing one's own language by contrast and comparison with Spanish.
• A greater awareness of the Hispanic community in the area (San José, Bay Area) and state (California) where the student lives, studies, and works.
• The satisfaction and sense of achievement of being able to communicate in Spanish with members of that community and to better understand Hispanic culture.