World Languages & Cultures

• Mission Statement

  The Department of World Languages & Cultures promotes global awareness and intercultural understanding by providing instruction in various languages. We prepare majors and minors to function effectively in a foreign language by offering courses in literature, culture, linguistics, pedagogy and language for professional purposes.

• Student Learning Outcomes
  • Certificates

    Students completing the American Sign Language, Chinese, German, French, Japanese, and Spanish Certificates will demonstrate the following outcomes:

    • Demonstrate speaking and listening proficiency in the language they are studying.
    • Demonstrate writing ability, including a command of grammar and appropriate usage to express their ideas.
    • Demonstrate the ability to write in different styles. (3000 level courses)
    • Write an analysis or a literary or cultural work in the language.  (3000 level courses)
    • Describe and explain aspects of the culture(s) of the language being studied.
  • Associate Degrees

    Students completing the Associate of Arts in American Sign Language will demonstrate the following outcomes:

    • Demonstrate speaking and listening proficiency in the language they are studying.
    • Demonstrate writing ability, including a command of grammar and appropriate usage to express their ideas.
    • Describe and explain aspects of the culture(s) of the language being studied.

     

    Students completing the Associate of Arts in Chinese, German, French, Japanese, and Spanish will demonstrate the following outcomes:

    • Demonstrate speaking and listening proficiency in the language they are studying.
    • Demonstrate writing ability, including a command of grammar and appropriate usage to express their ideas.
    • Demonstrate the ability to write in different styles.
    • Write an analysis or a literary or cultural work in the language.
    • Describe and explain aspects of the culture(s) of the language being studied.

     

    Students completing the Associate of Arts in Localization will demonstrate the following outcomes:

    • Demonstrate speaking and listening proficiency in the language they are studying.
    • Demonstrate writing ability, including a command of grammar and appropriate usage to express their ideas.
    • Explain the linguistic and cultural knowledge needed in adapting a product or service for specific locales associated with the language they are studying.
    • Explain the application of localization in global technology (such as software engineering, web development, digital media, programming, etc.).
    • Describe and explain aspects of the culture(s) of the language being studied.

  • Bachelor Degrees

    The Foreign Language Department has established five learning outcomes for Bachelors Degrees and made some changes to them in 2013-14; they are presented below with expected student documentation:

    Student Learning Outcomes Graduating majors will:	Evidence Students will:
    1. Demonstrate speaking and listening proficiency in the language they are studying.	Take an oral test administered on a computer.
    2. Demonstrate writing ability, including a command of grammar and appropriate usage to express their ideas.	(This skill will be evaluated based on documents submitted for outcomes 3, 4 and 5).
    3. Demonstrate the ability to write in different styles.	Submit at least three documents written in at least three different styles. Students will label each document with their determination of its style.
    4. Write an analysis or a literary or cultural work in the language.	Submit a written analysis of a literary or cultural work. (What qualifies as a “literary work” may be interpreted broadly).
    5. Describe and explain aspects of the culture(s) of the language being studied.	Submit one sample of their work (written paper, film, pamphlet, etc.) in which they describe or explain an aspect of a target culture.

     

    Students completing the Bachelor of Arts in French for Translation and Global Industry will:

    1.    Demonstrate speaking and listening proficiency in the language they are studying.
    2.    Demonstrate writing ability, including a command of grammar and appropriate usage to express their ideas.
    3.    Demonstrate the ability to write in different styles.
    4.    Describe and explain aspects of the culture(s) of the language being studied.
    5.    Demonstrate proficiency with technological tools and methodologies used to perform tasks within the context of specific professional fields, including translation, business, and international relations.

     

    Students completing the Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Translation will:

    Student Learning Outcomes Graduating majors will:	Evidence Students will:
    1. Demonstrate linguistic proficiency and cultural awareness in the language pair.	- Take an oral test administered on a computer, and - Submit a written analysis of a cultural practice or product from the Spanish-speaking world.
    2. Demonstrate writing ability in the language pair, including a command of grammar and appropriate usage to convey the intended message.	- This skill will be evaluated based on document submitted for outcome 1.
    3. Translate and interpret general and specialized texts in various domains and in a variety of translation and interpretation contexts from the source language into the target native language.	- Submit text translations from at least three various domains. Students will label each document with their determination of its domain. - Complete an interpreting simulation administered on a computer.
    4. Demonstrate understanding of translation and interpretation principles and of text features relevant in translation and interpretation practices.	- This skill will be evaluated based on documents submitted for outcome 3.
    5. Demonstrate understanding of the technical tools and computer applications used by translators, interpreters, and language industry professionals.	- Submit one sample of their work with technical tools and computer applications.

    
     

   

• Curriculum Grid

• Assessment Plan

  The Department of Foreign Languages has assessed its graduating seniors through FL 4990 – Senior Assessment since fall semester 2000. We have started using ePortfolio as a platform to have declared majors upload documents to be assessed as these are completed throughout a student’s academic career. However, this is in the early stage of implementation as we inform students, and they familiarize and get used to using this new platform. The Department assessment approach is outcome-based for graduating seniors. In addition, we have traditionally completed a course-based assessment of FL 2020 HU because (1) it is the last course in the lower-division sequence that students complete before they move on to the upper-level core courses; and (2) it is a General Education course.

  The department assessment committee continues to work closely with the department curriculum committee to achieve two main goals for the future:

  1. By the end of the spring semester 2023, we will create FL 2990, a one-credit hour course that will be used to evaluate students graduating from our AA programs. It will also serve as a pre-assessment of students declaring a minor or major in any of our programs. With this pre-assessment we intend to find out what the students know coming in so that, when they complete FL 4990 – Senior Assessment, we can identify more specifically the knowledge and skills they have gained during their studies at WSU. Therefore, the structure of FL 2990 will parallel that of FL 4990. We plan to start implementing FL 2990 in the spring of 2024.
      
  2. By the end of the spring semester 2023, we will develop a set of criteria, and their respective evidence, to assess the learning outcomes of students graduating from our applied and career–focused programs such as Localization, French for Translation and Global Industry, and Spanish Translation. We plan to start gathering data for the assessment of these programs in spring or fall of 2023.
      

  Overall, we will continue gathering data for the assessment of our General Education course (FL 2020 HU). Nevertheless, the department is considering significant revisions of its general education offerings and will inform the Office of Institutional Effectiveness of any changes.

  Data is typically collected via Canvas and the entire department faculty is engaged in the assessment and data review. Faculty in each language program is assigned to review a number of students’ senior assessment documentation using a common evaluation rubric. The results are given to the department assessment committee chair, who prepares a report and shares it with the chair.

• Program and Contact Information

  The Department of Foreign Languages promotes global awareness and intercultural understanding by providing instruction and study abroad opportunities in various languages. We prepare majors and minors to function effectively in a foreign language by offering courses in literature, culture, linguistics, pedagogy and language for professional purposes.

  Contact Information:
  
  Dr. Isabel Asensio
  Weber State University
  1395 Edvalson St., Dept. 1403
  Ogden, UT 84408-1403
  801-626-6777

  Foreign Languages Department Website

• Assessment Report Submissions

  2021-22
  2019-20
  2017
  2016
  2015

• Program Review

  2019-20

  2014-15
   

This information is part of the cyclical program review process. Details such as mission statements, learning outcomes, etc., are updated as part of the biennial assessment reporting process, an integral component of program review.