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Foreign Languages

Program Lead: Travis Schiffman
Phone: (435) 283-7355
Email: travis.schiffman@snow.edu 

Program's Webpage: www.snow.edu/foreignlanguages 

The foreign languages taught at Snow College are Chinese, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish. The study of a foreign language includes the language plus its cultures, civilization, literature, and instruction in effective communication via written and oral modes.

Foreign language majors study the language as a vehicle of personal, academic, and professional expression in a variety of contexts appropriate to the cultures where the language is spoken. They study the people who speak the language, and they investigate attitudes, behaviors, and histories through a variety of media and through interaction with native speakers, or advanced non-native speakers, and texts. Majors also read and write extensively in the foreign language.

Students often combine a foreign language major with a secondary major, thus increasing their career potential.

Outcomes:

Students who complete the recommended foreign language curriculum at Snow College achieve the following outcomes:

Interpretive Communication: 

  • Students will be able to understand the main point in short conversations, messages, and announcements that they hear in the target language. (Novice high listening)
  • Students will be able to understand some ideas in simple texts that contain familiar vocabulary. (Novice high reading)

Presentational Communication: 

  • Students will be able to provide basic information on familiar topics using phrases and simple sentences (Novice high spoken production).
  • Students will be able to write descriptions and short messages to request or provide information on familiar topics using phrases and simple sentences. (Novice high written production)

Interpersonal Communication: 

  • Students will be able to exchange information on familiar tasks, topics, and activities.
  • Students will be able to handle short social interactions using phrases and simples sentences. They may need help or visuals to keep the conversation going. (Novice high person to person communication)
  • Students will express satisfaction with their ability to reach their communication goals.

Cultural Competence:

  • Students will be able to talk about and describe (in English) aspects of the target culture, such as food, clothing, types of dwellings, modes of transportation, buildings, and monuments.
  • Students will be able to make comparisons between their culture and the target culture and explain differences based on linguistic, geographic, historical, etc. cues.
  • Students will seek opportunities to learn about and experience new cultures outside of class.