Language Studies Department Information

Language Studies Department Information

Academic Year 2005-2006

General information on the Language Studies Department's mission, course offerings,

and opportunities for learning languages and studying abroad while a midshipman.

Mission | Languages and Courses | Languages in the USNA Curriculum
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Department Data

Chairman Professor Audrey Gaquin
Associate Chairman LCDR Christian Johannsen, GN
Senior Academic Adviser Professor Elsa Gilmore
Telephone (410) 293-6350 (DSN 281-6350)
Fax (410) 293-2729 (DSN 281-2729)
Yard Mail Stop 10-C
Mailing address:
Language Studies Department
United States Naval Academy
589 McNair Road
Annapolis, MD 21402-5030

Mission

The mission of the Language Studies Department is to produce graduates who possess a fundamental understanding of foreign languages and societies from linguistic, literary, cultural and geopolitical perspectives. The Language Studies Department is committed to teaching midshipmen to:

1. communicate effectively in a foreign language and interact in culturally appropriate ways with native speakers of that language;

2. acquire insight into the heritage, cultural values and practices of the foreign country or countries studied;

3. develop disposition and cognitive strategies for lifelong studying of other languages and cultures.

The Language Studies Department emphasizes quality and professionalism in all its programs, beginning with introductory and intermediate language courses taught in the target language and extending through the minor program, with advanced courses in literature and culture. The department faculty is committed to excellence in the areas of teaching and research of the various languages, literatures and cultures it offers. It integrates the study of foreign languages into the overall mission of the Naval Academy and provides midshipmen with the means to access and analyze other cultures.

Within the Naval Academy curriculum, the study of foreign languages contributes to the understanding of different worldviews and symbolic systems of communication. It provides tools for analyzing how language and culture structure human consciousness, thereby enhancing the capacity of future officers to evaluate situations in a multicultural environment and to respond to them appropriately. In broad terms, the Language Studies Department aspires to provide the Fleet with linguistically skilled and culturally informed graduates who can be called upon to serve the needs of the Navy and Marine Corps.

Languages and Courses Offered

Courses through the fourth-year college level are offered in Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish. Course descriptions. Entry into the Arabic sequence is subject to review by the Language Studies Department Chair.
First and second year courses help midshipmen acquire proficiency in listening, speaking, reading and writing. In addition, they introduce cultural content.
Third year courses continue building language proficiency while emphasizing the culture and literature of the language area.
Fourth year courses presuppose a significant level of linguistic competence and concentrate on more specialized topics in the history, contemporary society, and literature of the countries where the language is spoken.
At all levels, classes are conducted and written work is done in the target language. Acquisition of language and culture is supported extensively by technologies like video and computer-based multimedia wherever appropriate.
Unless otherwise noted, courses with odd numbers are offered only in the fall term, those with even numbers only in the spring.
Language courses are taken 3 hours per week for 3 credits, except for 1 credit seminars.
Thanks to major funding from various sources, midshipmen who have demonstrated outstanding promise in foreign language courses have unparalleled opportunities to learn and practice languages in the countries where they are spoken. Each year over 100 midshipmen study abroad under the Language Study Abroad Program at minimal cost to the individual student.

Requirements for the Language Minor

French, German, Spanish: 12 credits at the 300-400 level.
Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian: 12 credits at the 200 level and above.
An average grade of 3.0 or better must be earned in all courses in the language of specialization for the minor.
Midshipmen who meet these requirements receive the minor automatically; there is no application procedure or designated adviser.
USNA does not offer a foreign language major.

Information Technology Major Second Discipline. For specialization in Language Studies as a second discipline, IT majors complete the Language Minor, take FL220 "Principles of Language and Linguistics" in the spring of the third-class year, and carry out a capstone course project in Natural Language Processing or related technologies in the spring of the first-class year.

Language Studies in the USNA Curriculum

Divisions I and II. Midshipmen majoring in Engineering, Mathematics or Science are not required to take a foreign language, but language courses fit into their matrices in several ways:

French, German and Spanish: one 200 level course and all 3 credit 300-400 level courses count toward the two-course Humanities and Social Sciences requirement. An additional course at any of these levels counts as a Free Elective.
Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian: the FL101 course counts as a Free Elective, and the FL102 course can be applied toward the Humanities and Social Sciences requirement.
A special waiver enables some Division I & II majors to complete the minor without overloading. They may apply to the Language Studies Chairman for a waiver from taking HH206. if they satisfy all these conditions:
1. validate the entire sequence of FL101-FL102-FL201-FL202 in French, German or Spanish, or else FL101-102 in Arabic, Chinese or Japanese.
2. have a CQPR of 3.0 or better.
3. have a B average in Humanities and Social Science core courses.
4. would have to overload to complete the language minor (i.e. have no other validation in core courses).
Waivers are granted on a case-by-case basis, contingent upon completion of the minor.

Division III. Midshipmen majoring in English, History, Economics or Political Science are required to take two years' coursework in a foreign language or to demonstrate equivalent proficiency by validation. Language courses at 300-400 level count toward the Humanities and Social Sciences Core Requirements (HUM/SS). Division III majors who validate at least 2 courses can complete the Language Minor without overloading.

Foreign Language Proficiency Pay in the Navy and Marine Corps