Christendom College Bulletin

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Modern Languages

• French
• Italian
• Spanish
  

The study of language itself–its grammatical structure, syntax, and lexicon–is essential to the discipline of the liberally educated mind. A knowledge of foreign languages provides the student with a greater understanding of his own language and aids him in developing greater precision and effectiveness in discourse. Furthermore, a knowledge of classical or modern languages opens vistas for the student of history, literature, philosophy, and theology largely closed to the monolingual student.

The study of foreign languages also is vital to the undertaking of any form of advanced scholarly work, important to many types of governmental and professional research, and valuable in the acquisition of knowledge of current events and new developments around the world. Most graduate programs leading to the doctorate require a knowledge of at least one ancient and one modern language in addition to English. Language study likewise puts the student in touch with some of the richest treasures of the Catholic heritage. Consequently, every student at Christendom College is required to develop a reasonable proficiency in at least one language other than English, by taking first and second years of Latin, French, Spanish, or Greek.

Audio-lingual, reading, and writing skills are developed in the modern language courses, including up-to-date conversations, translations into and from the language under study, memorization, readings, and intensive grammar study. The goal of each course is to make the student as intimately and totally conversant with the foreign language as is possible without living within the foreign culture itself. All courses earn three credit hours each semester, unless otherwise noted.

French

FREN 101-102 Elementary French I & II Introduction to French as a spoken and written language. Includes extensive oral and written practice of the basic grammatical structures.

FREN 201-202 Intermediate French I & II Continues extensive practice of grammatical structures and vocabulary building through directed conversations, readings, and compositions.

FREN 307-308 Conversation and Composition I & II Training in written and oral expression, emphasizing vocabulary expansion and expressive word choice.

FREN 361-362 Survey of French Literature I & II Presentation of the main literary currents from the epic period to the Renaissance, Classicism, Romanticism, and contemporary era. Reading and discussion of selected texts.

FREN 341-342 The French Drama I & II A study of the development of drama in France with emphasis on the seventeenth and twentieth centuries. Reading, discussion and reports on selected plays.

FREN 464-465 French Poetry I & II A study of the development of French poetry from the Middle Ages to the present. Reading and discussions of selected poems.

FREN 472-473 The French Novel I & II A study of the development of the French novel with emphasis on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Reading, discussion and reports on selected novels.

FREN 474-475 French Civilization I & II An overview of the dominant social, political, religious, economic, and cultural themes as expressed in French society from the medieval period to the present. Discussion and research projects on selected topics.

FREN 481 French Medieval Literature French literature from the eleventh century through the fifteenth century, including prose, verse, and drama.

FREN 484 20th-Century Catholic Literature in France Study of selected modern prose, verse, and drama. Special emphasis is placed on ways in which Catholicism has shaped the literature of writers such as Bernanos, Claudel, Montherlant, and Péguy.

FREN 490-99 Special Topics or Directed Studies in French Language and Literature Specially designed courses of readings in areas not sufficiently covered by another course already in the curriculum.

Italian

ITAL 101-102 Elementary Italian I & II Introduction to modern Italian as a written and spoken language, including written and oral practice of the basic lexicon and grammatical structures.

Spanish

SPAN 101-102 Elementary Spanish I & II Beginner's course with audio-lingual approach; fundamentals of language structure and sound.

SPAN 201-202 Intermediate Spanish I & II This course emphasizes reading, conversation, writing, and a review of grammar with drill on important structural and vocabulary problems.

SPAN 307-308 Spanish Conversation and Composition I & II Practice in written and oral expression, emphasizing vocabulary expansion and expressive word choice. Prerequisite: SPAN 202 or equivalent.

SPAN 361-362 Survey of Spanish Literature I & II Presentation of the main literary currents from the epic to the Renaissance, Baroque, Classicism, Romanticism, and contemporary periods. Reading and discussion of selected texts. Prerequisite: SPAN 202 or equivalent.

SPAN 475-476 Spanish Civilization I & II An overview of the dominant social, political, religious, and cultural themes as expressed in Hispanic society from the medieval period to the present. Discussion and research projects on selected topics.

SPAN 490-99 Special Topics or Directed Studies in Spanish Language and Literature Specially designed courses of readings in areas not sufficiently covered by another course already in the curriculum.

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