International Languages Week
This is an annual event in which students participate in activities focusing on a specific theme. Themes from previous years have been: "The Power of Babble", "Language and Marginalization", Mightier than the Sword", "Language, Literature, and Revolution". Events usually include speakers, entertainers, seminars, and banquets.
Sigma Delta Pi: National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society
Monmouth College was granted a charter for Sigma Delta Pi in 1956 and the Delta Zeta Chapter is active today. John Stevens '00 won a scholarship from the national organization for summer study in Spain.
Faculty Backgrounds
The Modern Foreign Languages Department instructors are from Europe, the Caribbean, South America, and the United States. They hold advanced degrees in languages and literatures and they have traveled and/or lived in Eastern and Western Europe, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and the Orient.
Off-Campus Study
Monmouth College considers off-campus study, including both international and domestic experiences, to be an opportunity for students to enhance their liberal arts education. Such study may serve as a significant complement to the major or to the general education curriculum and to the mission of the college. Monmouth College makes available to its students programs that are intellectually challenging, aesthetically inspiring, and in diverse settings. The off-campus experience enables students to explore different perspectives on the human condition in a global community.
The Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM) offers an outstanding program based in San José, Costa Rica. Students live with Costa Rican families, engage in intensive language study, participate in seminars, and prepare an individual research project under the direction of a Costa Rican mentor. This is a rewarding experience for students of all fields of study.
The ACM Urban Studies Program provides students with an opportunity to live, study, and work in a Spanish-speaking area of Chicago.
French speaking students may apply for off-campus programs in France and Francophone countries.
The Department encourages students to incorporate off-campus study into their program of study and will assist in the application process.
Career Opportunities
Graduates of the Department of Modern Foreign Languages are employed in a variety of positions both in the United States and abroad such as: banking, managerial positions in production, teaching, school administration, and fund-raising for national organizations. Many graduates attest that language abilities in both professional and social situations have helped them advance their careers.
Knowledge of and the ability to use a foreign language can be of great benefit when seeking employment. Foreign language knowledge is particularly useful in business, accounting, commerce at all levels, communications (radio, television, print media, advertising), social work, medicine, law, school counseling, teaching, and in the travel industry.
Graduate School Opportunities
The study of foreign languages has enabled students to pursue graduate school in languages and literatures, school administration, international business, MBA programs, law, and medicine.
Spanish Major
A major in Spanish consists of a minimum of nine courses/28 semester hours beyond the 102 level. All Spanish majors must take SPAN 201 or equivalent, SPAN 210/220, and SPAN 212. Spanish majors must also take a proficiency exam following 210/220 and pass a comprehensive examination upon completion of the major before graduation.
Students planning careers in international business, government, or service should consult the department for specific course recommendations. The Modern Foreign Languages Department strongly encourages its majors to spend a period of time abroad in study and travel and helps those who wish to do so in every way it can.
Spanish Minor
A minor in Spanish consists of a minimum of five courses/16 semester hours beyond the 102 level. Spanish minors must also take a proficiency exam following 210/220.
Teacher Certification
Majors seeking certification in secondary education must complete a comprehensive major in Spanish as cited above. The State of Illinois will count SPAN 101 and 102 as part of the required 32 semester hours for certification although 101 and 102 do not count toward a major in Spanish. If students place out of 101 and/or 102 at Monmouth College, their transcript will indicate their proficiency at the 101 and/or 102 level. Thus, the proficiency test results will be allowed by the State of Illinois as the equivalent of having taken 101 and/or 102, for the sole purpose of counting courses since no credit will be given. Candidates must also complete the additional certification requirements described in the Education Department section of the catalog, and must include MFLG 460, Methods of Teaching Modern Foreign Language.