2024-2025 General Catalog [Current]
Department of Languages and Philosophy
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Overview of Programs
The Department offers majors in French, Philosophy, and Spanish, and minors in Chinese, French, German, Philosophy, and Spanish. These programs prepare students to communicate well orally and in writing, think critically, and analyze literary, philosophical, and other texts. Students completing the French or Spanish Education degree are prepared to teach those disciplines in secondary schools. Students planning to teach one of these languages in a Utah middle or high school should be aware that a score of Advanced Low on the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview is required for Teacher Certification in the state of Utah, and that a score of Advanced Mid is required to work in a Dual Language Immersion school. The Department also offers a variety of extracurricular activities which complement and enrich the academic curriculum.
Mission
Chinese, French, German, and Spanish Programs
The mission of the Language programs in the Department of Languages and Philosophy is to provide students with a rigorous program wherein they perfect their abilities to communicate in the languages they study. As faculty, we dedicate ourselves to fostering students’ progress in the four skill areas-reading, writing, speaking, listening-and developing cultural awareness as they cultivate productive community connections. Through a series of courses which include language, linguistics, literature, culture and pedagogy, we prepare students for lifelong enrichment, graduate studies, and entrance into the global workforce.
Philosophy Program
The mission of the Philosophy Program is two-fold: first, to provide our students with a rigorous foundation in the core areas of philosophy (logic, metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, political philosophy, and history of philosophy), with classes that expose students to the central concepts, thinkers, methods, and debates in these areas; and second, to nurture our students’ critical thinking abilities, by showing them how to identify, analyze, construct, and evaluate arguments of all different types, and by requiring them to actively practice these skills (both orally and in written work). In this way, we equip our students for success after college, whether their plan is to pursue philosophy in graduate school, to attend professional school in another discipline, or to immediately begin their careers.
Department/Program Learning Outcomes
Languages
- Students who acquire a major or a minor in Chinese, French, German, or Spanish are able to:
- Narrate and describe in all major time frames using vocabulary appropriate for the level
- Read/write about academic and professional topics
- Discuss (written and orally) abstract subjects and communicate supporting opinions
- Critically analyze and interpret cultural artifacts and a wide variety of texts
- Demonstrate knowledge of literary terms, genres, and concepts
- Deliver coherent presentations on a variety of topics
- Graduates certifying to teach will:
- Have a basic understanding of theories and approaches to teaching
- Be capable of designing lesson plans for language classes
- Be able to incorporate culture into lessons
Philosophy
Our minors and majors are capable of (1) analyzing philosophical texts by finding and explaining their main theses, (2) reconstructing and evaluating philosophical arguments, and (3) thinking critically about a wide variety of topics. They are also (4) broadly knowledgeable about the characteristic doctrines and approaches of a number of prominent philosophers in the western philosophical tradition. In addition, our majors are capable of (5) designing and carrying out their own research projects on philosophical topics.
Other Information
Other Languages
In addition to Chinese, French, German, and Spanish, the Department of Languages and Philosophy offers 16 credit hours of beginning Ancient Greek.
ProgramsBachelor’s DegreeMinor
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Department Chair
