Foreign Language Requirement
The foreign language requirement forms part of Columbia College’s mission to prepare students to be tomorrow’s conscientious and informed citizens. Knowledge of another’s language and literature is the most important way to begin to know a country and people. The study of a foreign language:
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Sensitizes students to world cultures, simultaneously making them aware of their own culture within that context;
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Introduces students to the differences in structure, grammar, and
syntax that distinguish two languages, and to the intimate links between
language and cultural meaning; and
- Contributes to the development of students’ critical, analytical,
and writing skills.
The requirement may be satisfied in one of the following ways:
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Satisfactory completion of the second term of an intermediate language
sequence.
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Demonstration of an equivalent competence through the appropriate score
on the SAT II Subject Test or Advanced Placement Tests.
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Demonstration of an equivalent competence through the College’s
own placement tests (consult the department through which the language
is offered).
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The successful completion of an advanced level foreign language
or literature course that requires 1202 or the equivalent as a prerequisite.
This course must be taken for a letter grade.
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Students whose native language is not English are not required to
take an additional foreign language or an achievement test if they
have completed the secondary school requirement in the native language.
Because success in learning a foreign language is dependent on the full
engagement of the students enrolled in a language course all terms of
language instruction/conversation courses, whether being used toward fulfillment
of the foreign language requirement or not, must be taken in order and
for a letter grade. These courses may not be taken for a grade of Pass/Fail.
The following languages are offered in the College toward satisfaction
of the requirement:
Students wishing to satisfy the requirement in any other language should
consult with their advising dean.
In some instances, equivalent language courses offered at Barnard College and in the School of General Studies may be used to satisfy the requirement.
Any student who wishes to submit a language course taken at another institution
in fulfillment of the language requirement must pass a departmental placement examination.
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