Counting Specific Foreign Language Courses toward Requirements

CONTENTS

199, 299
Conversation courses
15-credit intensive language programs
Heritage courses
Foreign language sequences of less than 15 credits
Notes about specific courses
      Asian Languages and Literature
      Classics
      Germanics
      Near Eastern Languages and Civilization
      Romance Languages and Literature
      Scandinavian Studies

199, 299		199 and 299 are used as numbers in some language departments for credit earned in study-abroad programs. Occasionally, other numbers are used as well. 199 (foreign study) credit in a foreign language (such as FRENCH 199) is always language instruction. If the student completes at least 12 credits with a grade of at least 2.0, the credit satisfies the foreign language requirement. DARS has been programmed to recognize this. If a student has earned credit for first-year foreign language courses, the first 15 credits of these courses and foreign study 199 combined (all in the same language, of course) should be counted toward the A&S foreign language requirement. Any credits in excess of 15 can be counted toward VLPA. For example, if a student who has completed FRENCH 101, 102 also has 12 credits of FRENCH 199, FRENCH 101, 102 and 5 credits of the FRENCH 199 should count toward the foreign language requirement, and the remaining 7 credits of FRENCH 199 can count toward VLPA. 299 foreign study credit is usually, but not always, second-year foreign language study. It is usually posted as VLPA in the Course Catalog but will not count as second-year foreign language unless the adviser for the department offering the course makes or requests a DARS exception, after discussing course content with the student. The department adviser may also flag 299 credit as I&S or even NW, if appropriate.


Conversation courses		First-year foreign language conversation courses (e.g., GERMAN 150) count toward VLPA only if the student completes the third quarter of regular language instruction in the same language. Foreign-language conversation courses beyond the first-year level (e.g., GERMAN 250, FRENCH/ITAL 327, FRENCH 237, FRENCH/SPAN 337) may be used for VLPA even if no other courses in the language are taken. They may not be used, however, to establish proficiency for the foreign language requirement, or to qualify for UW advanced placement credit.


15-credit intensive language programs		A student who has completed first-year language courses in addition to a 15-credit intensive course is allowed only 15 credits total in first-year language instruction. In the past, exceptions were made for SPAN 134 and FRENCH 134 that are no longer in effect. See below.


Heritage courses		Some language departments at the UW offer "heritage" language courses for students who have spoken the language in the home or have other formal or informal background in the language. These courses more-or-less parallel the regular language courses. A placement test may be required. In general, the heritage courses are appropriate for students who have some experience speaking the language but need to work on grammar, reading, and writing. Students should contact the department offering the courses for more information. The heritage Chinese sequence is an accelerated sequence. The second-quarter of the sequence, CHIN 112, is at an equivalent level to the third-quarter of the standard sequence. Therefore, completion of CHIN 112 with a grade of 2.0 or higher will satisfy the Arts and Sciences foreign language requirement. CHIN 113 is treated the same as a second-year language course. Therefore, completion of CHIN 113 with any grade will satisfy the foreign language requirement and the credits can apply towards the VLPA requirement.


Foreign language sequences of less than 15 credits		The UW offers a few foreign language sequences in which each course is 3 credits rather than 5. In a few languages we offer only one or two 5-credit courses. To satisfy the Arts and Sciences foreign language requirement, a student must complete at least 12 quarter credits of one language (or complete the last course in a sequence of at least 12 quarter credits). If the UW offers fewer than 12 credits in a language, those courses cannot be used to satisfy the foreign language requirement. In some cases we offer additional coursework in the same language that can substitute for the remainder of the first-year sequence. Elementary and intermediate Akkadian, for example, is offered as a sequence of six 3-credit courses (AKKAD 401, 402, 403, 421, 422, 423). Completion of 12 credits, or AKKAD 421, will satisfy the requirement. Biblical Hebrew is offered only as a sequence of two 5-credit courses (HEBR 414, 415), but we also offer several Biblical Hebrew literature courses for students who have completed HEBR 415 (HEBR 426, 427, and 428). One of the literature courses can be taken to complete the foreign language requirement. When an intermediate or advanced course is used to substitute for the final quarter of an elementary language sequence in this manner, the course is treated as if it were part of the first-year language sequence. A grade of at least 2.0 is required, and the course does not count toward VLPA. (Note that this is different from a situation in which the student skips the third quarter of a language and successfully completes the next course. For example, a student who completes FRENCH 101 and 102, skips 103, and successfully completes 201, has satisfied the foreign language requirement and is allowed to count FRENCH 201 as VLPA.)


Notes about specific courses		Asian Languages and Literature Indian 403 (Urdu) Since this course has a prerequisite of HINDI 313 (or, alternately, a speaking knowledge of Urdu), it counts toward requirements in the same way as HINDI 321 (that is, it counts as if it were the first quarter of the second year of instruction). Japanese 121 This course is no longer offered. It was similar to SPAN/FRENCH 110 (below), covering the material in JAPAN 111 and 112 in a one-quarter, 5-credit review. Vietnamese 214, Thai 410 These courses are designed to teach reading and writing skills to students who already have a speaking knowledge of the language. (See also SPAN 204.) For purposes of graduation requirements, these courses can be considered equivalent to second-year language instruction. The course establishes that the student is beyond the first-year level and thus satisfies the foreign language requirement; in addition, the credit for the course counts for VLPA. Placement into the course is not sufficient to satisfy the foreign language requirement; the student must actually complete the course (with any passing grade; a 2.0 is not required.) The student does not receive any advanced placement credit. Classics Latin/Greek 300, 301 This is not a 10-credit way to meet a 15-credit requirement, as the course descriptions in the Course Catalog make clear. The intention is that students would take 300 and 301 to get to 305 more efficiently, and then take 305. Thus 300 and 301 by themselves do not automatically satisfy the foreign-language requirement. Likewise, a student who has satisfied the foreign language requirement in another way may not use LATIN/GREEK 300, 301 for VLPA unless he/she also takes a more advanced course. In such cases - where the advanced course is substituting for the third quarter of the language, which is not offered by the UW - the student must earn a grade of at least 2.0 in the advanced course, and the course may not also count toward VLPA. In other words; for students who take LATIN/GREEK 300, 301; 305 is treated as if it were the third quarter of the language. Germanics German 104 GERMAN 104 is not currently offered. It is a self-paced first-year German course, for which the student can earn from 0 to 15 credits. An adviser should assume that the first five credits of 104 on a student's transcript are a duplication of 101 unless the German department has records to the contrary. German 111 This course is a one-quarter preparation for GERMAN 103 for students who are already familiar with German but are not prepared to take 102 without a review of the material presented in 101. Unlike SPAN and FRENCH 110, it is also available to highly motivated beginners with other language background who want to prepare for 103 in one quarter. Credit for 111 (in contrast with 101) is allowed for students who had two years of German in high school. Students may receive credit for 101 and 111, but not for 111 and 102. German 150; 121, 122 These conversation (150) and reading (121,122) courses are supplementary to the regular 101-103 program, offering additional (or alternative) practice. Credit is allowed for these courses over and above the credit earned in the regular language-learning program. These courses are subject to the restriction on other first-year language courses: they cannot be used for VLPA unless the student completes 103 or a course beyond the first year. Since they are supplemental to the regular first-year program, however, they may be used for VLPA even if the other first-year courses are being used for the foreign language requirement. GERMAN 121, 122 does not satisfy the foreign language requirement. Near Eastern Languages and Civilization Akkadian 401, 402, 403 Unlike most foreign language courses at the UW, AKKAD 401, 402, and 403, Elementary Akkadian, are 3 credits each. To satisfy the foreign language requirement, the student must complete AKKAD 421, Intermediate Akkadian. AKKAD 421 is also 3 credits; 12 credits is suffiecient to satisfy the requirement. Because AKKAD 421 is essentially substituting for the third quarter of the language, the student must earn a grade of at least 2.0 and may not also count AKKAD 421 toward VLPA. Altaic 401, 402, 403 ALTAI 401, 402, 403 (3, 3, 3) is an introduction to written Mongolian. The sequence does not satisfy the Arts and Sciences foreign language requirement, nor does it count toward VLPA. ALTAI 415, 416, 417 (5, 5, 5), spoken Mongolian, does satisfy the foreign language requirement. Arabic/Hebrew/Persian/Turkic/Turkish 471, 472, 473; Turkic 474, 475, 476; 481, 482, 483 These were first-year language courses (now numbered 411, 412, 413-and TKIC 414, 415, 416 and 417, 418, 419). The numbers were created to put the courses at the 400 level so they would be available to both undergraduate and graduate students; later the numbering system in Near Eastern Languages and Civilization was reorganized. See the Duplicate Courses list for details. Hebrew 414, 415 HEBR 414, 415 (5, 5) is a two-quarter sequence in Elementary Biblical Hebrew. The UW does not offer a third quarter. Students who wish to satisfy the Arts and Sciences foreign language requirement with HEBR 414, 415 must also take 426, a 5-credit literature course. Because 426 is substituting for the third quarter of the language, the student must earn a grade of at least 2.0 and may not also count the course toward VLPA. HEBR 427 or 428 (each list 426 as a prerequisite) may be substituted for 426. Romance Languages and Literature Spanish 104, 204 SPAN 104, which is no longer offered, can be counted toward requirements in the same way as SPAN 103. SPAN 204, also no longer offered, can be counted in the same way as 203, except that advanced-placement credit is not awarded for 202 if 204 was the student's first college-level Spanish course. (See VIET 214 and THAI 410.) French/Spanish 110 These courses are one-quarter preparations for FRENCH/SPAN 103, for students who studied the language in high school but are not prepared to take 102 without a review of the material presented in 101. Admission is by placement test. The required score is somewhat lower than that for 102, although all students who place into 102 are also eligible to take 110 instead. Credit for 110 (in contrast with 101) is allowed for students who had two or more years of French/Spanish in high school. Students who have received credit for either 101 or 102 will not receive credit for 110, and vice versa. Compare with GERMAN 111. Spanish 121, [122, 123,] 134 2003 on The SPAN 121 sequence, and the 15-credit intensive SPAN 134, approach language instruction with a technique called "immersion" in videotaped language settings. SPAN 121, 122, 123, however, parallels 101, 102, 103, and credit is not allowed for both sequences. A student who already has credit for SPAN 101 (or 121) will receive only 10 credits for SPAN 134, a student who already has credit for SPAN 102 will receive only 5 credits for SPAN 134, etc. In addition, a student who completed at least two years of Spanish in high school would not receive credit for SPAN 121 and would receive only 10 credits for SPAN 134. Pre-2003 The policy above applies to students who took SPAN 134 summer 2003 or later, or the SPAN 121 sequence autumn 2003 or later. Previously, students received credit for 121, or all 15 credits for 134, even if they had already taken 101, or even if they had two years of Spanish in high school. The treatment of SPAN 134 was a special case resulting from the special treatment of 121; for 15-credit intensive language offerings other than SPAN 134 (such as GERMAN 100, RUSS 150, SWED 150, JAPAN 134, and ITAL 134), a student always received only 10 additional credits if s/he had two years of the language in high school or had already received credit for 101/111. For the FRENCH 121 series and 134 intensive course, see below. Spanish 314 For purposes of graduation requirements, SPAN 314 can be considered equivalent to 301. Therefore, the course establishes that the student is beyond the 103 level and thus satisfies the foreign language requirement; in addition, the credit for the course counts toward VLPA. The student does not, however, receive AP credit for skipping over 202 and 203. French 121, [122, 123,] 134 1997 on FRENCH 134 is an intensive version of 101, 102, and 103. Beginning in summer 1997, matriculated UW students who take FRENCH 134 receive only 10 credits if they had two or more years of French in high school, and receive a maximum of 15 credits for FRENCH 101 and 134. FRENCH 121, 122, 123 parallels the FRENCH 101, 102, 103 sequence and is treated in the same way toward requirements. Pre-1997 Through spring 1996, FRENCH 121, 122, 123, and 134 used the same "immersion" approach as the pre-2003 Spanish courses described above, and can be treated in the same manner. Students who took FRENCH 134 in summer 1996 are treated as if they had taken the old immersion version of the course, because there was no advance warning given to students or advisers that the course had changed. FRENCH 121, 122, 123 was not offered from autumn 1996 through spring 2003. Italian 111, 113 ITAL 111 is not a review course like FRENCH/SPAN 110 or GERMAN 111. It is a ten-credit beginning course, offered autumn quarter, exactly equivalent to ITAL 101 and 102. Students who complete it would continue with the section of 103 that is offered as a follow-up in the winter. ITAL 113 is exactly equivalent to 102 and 103, and is offered winter quarter as a follow-up for students who took 101 in the autumn. (Note that students would not normally take both 111 and 113, but if they did so, they would lose five credits because they would have covered the material in ITAL 102 twice.) Portuguese 105 This course has a prerequisite of at least Spanish 203 or equivalent, and is designed to allow students who already know Spanish to cover first-year Portuguese in one quarter. After completing it, students may continue with PORT 201. The course does not, in itself, satisfy the foreign-language requirement; it is intended for people who would already have met the requirement in Spanish. Students taking PORT 105 would not usually take 101, 102, or 103, either before or after, but in any case, a student may earn no more than fifteen credits from PORT 101, 102, 103, and 105 combined. Scandinavian Studies Scandinavian 490 From 1994 through 1997, SCAND 490 was used for special offerings of Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian with students studying different languages at different levels. Applicability of the credit toward requirements works the same as for any other language: if the student completed the the third-quarter level of one of the languages, s/he may use the credit for either the foreign-language requirement (assuming a grade of at least 2.00) or VLPA. The program led eventually to the regular offering of LATV/LITH/ESTO 101, 102, and 103.