Modern Languages and Literatures
Modern Languages and Literatures
18 June 2007
Congratulations on your acceptance into the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures.
Please contact your faculty advisor prior to registering for classes. Further information can be found at: http://cla.calpoly.edu/~bkennell/Chair/MLLAdvisorAdviseeList.pdf
All incoming first-year students must take the Spanish Placement Exam prior to enrolling. The exam is offered four times during the year: during the Summer Advising Program, during Week of Welcome (WOW), and in the Fall and Winter quarters.
All courses at Cal Poly follow a specific designation. 100-level courses are for first-year students; 200-level courses are for sophomores; 300-level courses are for juniors; and 400-level courses are for seniors. You may be allowed to take a course numbered differently from your class level if you have completed the necessary prerequisites. You will need to get the approval of your advisor before signing up for any such courses.
If you have passed any Advanced Placement Examinations, do not take the equivalent Cal Poly course until you have spoken to your advisor.
Suggestions of what courses to take follow:
Primary Language Courses
SPAN 121 is the beginning course for the first-year cycle. It is a prerequisite for all other courses. If you take the Spanish Placement Exam and are instructed to take a higher course, you will be expected to do so. The units from courses out of which you may have tested will count for electives. An AP Spanish score of 3, for example, equates to Cal Poly credit for SPAN 121.
After SPAN 121, you can take either SPAN 122 or SPAN 123 (designed for native speakers of Spanish). The third course you should take is SPAN 124, which has a prerequisite of either SPAN 122 or SPAN 123. Once you have completed SPAN 124, you can take SPAN 205, SPAN 210 and SPAN 233 in any order.
Secondary Language Courses
You must choose between either French or German as your secondary language. You should begin your secondary language studies at the 101 level if you have never taken classes in either language. If you have credit in French or German from high school or a community college, you and your advisor should discuss this in order for you to be placed in the appropriate college-level class. It is strongly advised that you begin your secondary language study after you have completed your first year-level Spanish courses at Cal Poly.
General Education
The following courses should be completed during your first two years at Cal Poly. Many upper division GE courses will have first year- and/or Sophomore-level prerequisites.
Area A: Students are advised to complete area A.1 and A.3 (freshman composition) as soon as possible during their first year at Cal Poly.
Area B: Students are required to pass both a Math and Statistics course.
Area C: Students can enroll for any Art/Music/Theatre/Dance elective without a prerequisite.
Area D: Students should enroll for either HIST 207 or POLS 112.
The Evaluations Office will inform you how your previous work transfers to Cal Poly. You may need to register prior to receiving your evaluation, however, and should consult with your advisor.
Primary Language Courses
Depending on the amount of coursework you have completed, you may be able to take lower and/or upper division courses. Please review your academic record with your advisor who will help you map out a plan. Junior-level courses required for the primary language are SPAN 301, SPAN 305, SPAN 340 and HUM 310. All of these courses have prerequisites, and you must complete them prior to enrolling therein. All upper -division literature courses with a SPAN prefix have as a prerequisite SPAN 233. Should you complete a course with a prerequisite, you would not be permitted to take that prerequisite course thereafter.
Secondary Language Courses
Should you have already begun your study of languages prior to coming to Cal Poly, your advisor will help you determine the equivalent Cal Poly courses. If you have not yet studied either French or German, choose one of them to study by enrolling in either FR 101 or GER 101.
General Education
Even if you are General Education-certified, you must take 12 upper division units of GE to complete your GE requirements at Cal Poly. None of the primary language courses may be double-counted in area C. You will need to take 3 GE upper division courses in areas C.4, D.5, and F. You will also need to complete the United States Cultural Pluralism requirement (SPAN 340 fits the bill!) and the Graduation Writing Requirement.
It is highly recommended that you also think strategically about how you see yourself fitting into and contributing to Cal Poly’s polytechnic setting. What, moreover, might you wish to accomplish after studying at Cal Poly with your unique and highly marketable degree in Modern Languages and Literatures?
Our professors will be the first to tell you that the study of modern languages and literatures will greatly enrich your personal life, increase your power to act as a world citizen, expand the range of professional opportunities open to you, indeed help you leverage your talents in ways you may not have considered. But what story would you like them--and others--to tell about you and your accomplishments?
Current students of our program exemplify Cal Poly's "learning by doing" philosophy. Recent graduates have also successfully competed for a wide array of professional positions. What do you hope to accomplish while studying with us? And how can we help you get there?
Will you teach ecological forestry techniques in Latin America? Head a German-American pharmaceuticals firm? Work in international law? Market next-generation bullet trains for the Asian subcontinent? Or design and launch space shuttles for the 21st century from French Guyana?
The sky is the limit. Let the countdown begin!
My colleagues and I look forward to helping you think creatively about your educational goals--including our many study-abroad opportunities, such as new exchanges in Germany and Chile. In addition to admissions information, recommended reading in the meantime includes these two online brochures:
“Language Study in the Age of Globalization: The College-Level Experience”
“Knowing Other Languages Brings Opportunities”
We look forward to meeting and working with you soon.
Brian Kennelly
Chair
bkennell@calpoly.edu