Language Studies Course Descriptions

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General Information on 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 the language of their choice.
• Third-year courses continue building language proficiency while introducing midshipmen to 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.

Language Studies in Your Matrix

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  Only the FL101 course counts as a Free Elective, and the FL102 Chinese / Japanese course can be applied toward the Humanities and Social Sciences requirement. A special provision enables some Division I & II majors to complete the minor without overloading. If they satisfy all these conditions:
  1. validate the entire sequence of FL101 - FL102 - FL201 - FL202 in one language
  2. cannot complete the minor without overloading
  3. have a CQPR of 3.0 or better
  4. must have a B average in HH106, HE111, HE112, FP130 and HH205
  Division I & II majors may apply to the Language Studies Chairman for a waiver from taking HH206. 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.

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. The minor is noted in midshipmen's transcripts by Registrar.
• 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.

Arabic

Arabic joined the USNA Language Studies course offerings in Fall 2004. Select "Arabic" from the dropdown box above to read course descriptions.

Related Links

• Validation Exams: Description and Policy
• Foreign Language Proficiency Pay in the Navy and Marine Corps

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