Curricula offered in the
Department of European and Classical Languages and Cultures
The Department of European and Classical Languages and Cultures offers a wide range of courses at all levels of the undergraduate curriculum as part of its mission to advance, refine, and disseminate knowledge of the languages, literatures and cultures of Europe, both ancient and modern. At present the following languages are taught: Arabic, Chinese, Classical Greek, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, and Russian. The program is designed to offer students an introduction to the language, literature, and culture of these language communities. Introductory courses are complemented by in-depth studies, providing opportunities to fulfill electives as well as to develop more specific interests of students in language and culture. The Department insists on a high level of competence in the language as the basis for all other options. In addition to classes at the College Station campus, the Department offers summer study programs for credit in France, Germany, and Russia. Semester and full-year programs abroad are also available and encouraged.
Degree candidates in Classics, French, German, and Russian are offered various options in addition to the Major: a Major in one foreign language with a Minor in another field; Major in one foreign language with a Minor in a second foreign language; a Major in one foreign language with a Major in a second foreign language or another academic field. The Department does not offer degrees in the other languages.
Departmental or Interdisciplinary Minors are available in Classical Studies, French, German, Italian, and Russian; in addition, the Minors in Hispanic Studies and Comparative Cultural Studies are an important option. In general, the careful combination of foreign language skills with other curricula enhances preparation for careers in business, industry, and government. Teaching Certification is available to majors through the College of Education and Human Development.
Students will be required to complete, by course work or placement test, all 100- and 200-level language courses in sequence (except FREN, GERM, RUSS 221 and 222, which are taken concurrently) before taking any upper-level language course. Once a student has received credit for a higher-level language course, the student is no longer eligible to receive credit for prerequisite courses.
International Certificate Programs
Various certificate programs in German and Russian are available for students in several of the colleges. Each of the programs is administered jointly by the Department of European and Classical Languages and Cultures and the pertinent college. Because the programs are tailored specifically for students in various colleges, certain differences in the certification process do exist. It is important to follow closely the requirements for the specific certificate the student desires. The certificate programs prepare the graduate for positions in multinational companies, foreign organizations, and specific countries in which the chosen language is used. In order to earn the certiifcate, students will be required to take (1) six credits of course work in 200-level courses in the focal language of the certificate, and (2) nine credits of course work in culture and area studies courses. In this latter category, 3 credits will be completed in approved Humanities or Visual and Performing Arts courses, 3 credits in approved Social and Behavioral Sciences courses, and 3 credits in the culture, literature, or advance language of the focal language. Students are strongly encouraged to study abroad and/or carry out international internships in conjecture with work on the certificate. Each college offering the certificate may opt to make international experience a requirement. That college will then be responsible for placement, supervision, and evaluation of the international experience. Because of limited resources, each program will have a cap on the number of students admitted to the program. Students may select from the following International Certificate Programs with concentrations in:
German for Dwight Look College of Engineering
Russian for College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
B. A. Curriculum in Classics
NOTE: A grade of C or higher is required for a course to be counted in the Major field.
32 hours are required in the Major field: 17 hours of foundational language courses in either Greek or Latin, plus 15 hours of Classical Studies courses. Up to 5 hours of first-year courses (100-level) in the foundational language may be applied toward Major credit. Up to 8 hours of first-year courses (100-level) in the language not chosen for the foundational sequence may be applied toward General Elective credit. Choose either Greek or Latin for the foundational language sequence.
Foundational language Greek: 17 hours required
Credit --------------------------5 hours at 100 (elementary) level:
1 -------------------------------CLAS 101 Beginning Greek I (no more than 1 of 4 hours for this course may apply towards major credit)
4 -------------------------------CLAS 102 Beginning Greek II
Credit -------------------------3 hours at 200 (intermediate) level:
3 -------------------------------CLAS 211 Intermediate Greek
Credit --------------------------9 hours at 300 (advanced) level:
3 -------------------------------CLAS 311 Advanced Greek: New Testament
3 -------------------------------CLAS 312 Advanced Classical Greek
(either CLAS 311 or 312 may be repeated for credit)
Foundational language Latin: 17 hours required
Credit --------------------------5 hours at 100 (elementary) level:
1 -------------------------------CLAS 121 Beginning Latin I (no more than 1 of 4 hours for this course may apply towards major credit)
4 -------------------------------CLAS 122 Beginning Latin II
Credit --------------------------6 hours at 200 (intermediate) level:
3 -------------------------------CLAS 221 Intermediate Latin I
3 -------------------------------CLAS 222 Intermediate Latin II
Credit --------------------------6 hours at 300 (advanced) level:
CLAS 321 Advanced Latin Readings (may be repeated for credit)
Classical Studies: 15 hours required. At least 6 hours must be in non-language courses (CLAS 330-499)
Credit 15 hours at 200, 300, and 400 level. Choose from:
CLAS 211 Intermediate Greek (only with Latin foundational sequence)
CLAS 221 Intermediate Latin I (only with Greek foundational sequence)
CLAS 222 Intermediate Latin II (only with Greek foundational sequence)
CLAS 311 Advanced Greek: New Testament
CLAS 312 Advanced Classical Greek
CLAS 321 Advanced Latin Readings
CLAS 330 Women in Ancient Greece and Rome
CLAS 351 Classical Mythology
CLAS 352 Greek and Roman Drama
CLAS 353 Archaeology of Ancient Greece
CLAS 354 Archaeology of Ancient Italy
CLAS 361 Greek Literature in Translation
CLAS 371 In Search of Homer and the Trojan War
CLAS 372 Greek and Roman Epic
CLAS 381 Ancient Athletics
CLAS 426 The Ancient Greeks
CLAS 428 The Roman Republic
CLAS 429 The Roman Empire
Supporting Electives: 12 hours required from at least two different Departments. (Courses marked * are cross-listed with CLAS and cannot be taken to fulfill both the major and the supporting elective requirements.)
Choose from:
ANTH 313 Historical Archaeology *HIST/*WMST 330 Women in Ancient Greece and ANTH 316 Nautical Archaeology Rome
ANTH 317 Introduction to Biblical Archaeology HIST 331 Medieval Europe, 300 to 1300
ANTH 351 Classical Archaeology *HIST 426 The Ancient Greeks
*ANTH 353 Archaeology of Ancient Greece *HIST 428 The Roman Republic
*ANTH 354 Archaeology of Ancient Italy *HIST 429 The Roman Empire
ARCH 345 History of Building Technology HUMA 303 Near Eastern Religions (unless ARCH 430 History of Ancient Architecture taken as RELS 303)
ARCH 434 Sculpture and Painting in LING 209 Introduction to Linguistics
Ancient Architecture LING 425 Introduction to Applied Linguistics
ARTS 149 Art History Survey I PHIL 332 Social and Political Philosophy
ARTS 335 The Art and Architecture of Rome PHIL 410 Classical Philosophy
ENGL 308 History of Literary Criticism PHIL 411 Medieval Philosophy
ENGL 353 History of Rhetoric POLS 349 Early Political Thought
HIST 220 History of Christianity RELS 303 History of Christianity (unless taken as HUMA 303)
A 15-18 hours university-approved Minor field of study may be chosen to meet this requirement.
B.A. Curricula in French, German, and Russian
NOTE: A grade of C or higher is required for a course to be counted in the Major field.
French: 33 credits. The following courses are required:
Credit --------------------------6 hours at the intermediate level:
3 -------------------------------FREN 201 Intermediate French I or FREN 221 Field Studies I
3 -------------------------------FREN 202 Intermediate French II or FREN 222 Field Studies II
Credit --------------------------18 hours at the 300-level :
3 -------------------------------FREN 300 Composition
3 -------------------------------FREN 301 Culture and Civilization
3 -------------------------------FREN 306 Technical and Business French
3 -------------------------------FREN 311 Advanced Oral Expression
3 -------------------------------FREN 321 Survey of French Literature I
3 -------------------------------FREN 323 Survey of French Literature II
3 -------------------------------FREN 336 Contemporary France
Credit --------------------------9 hours at the 300- and 400- level. At the 400-level choose from :
3 -------------------------------FREN 410 Seminar in French Literature
3 -------------------------------FREN 418 Seminar in French Civilization
3 -------------------------------FREN 425 French Film
German: 33 credits. The following courses are required:
Credit --------------------------6 hours at the intermediate level :
3 -------------------------------GERM 201 Intermediate German I or GERM 221 Field Studies I
3 -------------------------------GERM 202 Intermediate German II or GERM 222 Field Studies II
Credit --------------------------3 hours at the 300-level:
3 -------------------------------GERM 310 Composition
Credit --------------------------9 hours at the 300-level:
3 -------------------------------GERM 305 German Literary Expression
3 -------------------------------GERM 311 Conversation
3 -------------------------------GERM 316 Advanced Business German
3 -------------------------------GERM 321 German Culture and Civilization I
3 -------------------------------GERM 322 German Culture and Civilization II
3 -------------------------------GERM 334 German Drama
3 -------------------------------GERM 362 The German Roaring ’20s
Credit -------------------------15 hours at the 300- and 400- level. At the 400-level choose from:
3 -------------------------------GERM 417 The Weimar Republic as Paradigm for European Modernity
3 -------------------------------GERM 430 Seminar in German Literature and Culture
3 -------------------------------GERM 431 German Author and Genre Studies
3 -------------------------------GERM 432 Music in German Culture
3 -------------------------------GERM 434 Martin Luther and the Reformation in Germany
3 -------------------------------GERM 435 German Film
3 -------------------------------GERM 436 German Fairy Tales
Credit At least 3 hours at the 400-level
All German majors are required to study for one semester in a German-speaking country approved by the department.
Russian: 33 credits. The following courses are required:
Credit --------------------------6 hours at the intermediate level:
3 -------------------------------RUSS 201 Intermediate Russian I or RUSS 221 Field Studies I
3 -------------------------------RUSS 202 Intermediate Russian II or RUSS 222 Field Studies II
Credit --------------------------6 hours at the 300-level:
3 -------------------------------RUSS 301 Advanced Grammar and Composition I
3 -------------------------------RUSS 302 Advanced Grammar and Composition II
Credit --------------------------3 hours at the 400-level:
3 -------------------------------RUSS 410 Seminar in Russian Studies
Credit --------------------------3 hours at the 400-level:
3 -------------------------------RUSS 441 The Russian Novel I
3 -------------------------------RUSS 442 The Russian Novel II
3 -------------------------------RUSS 443 Contemporary Russian Prose
Credit --------------------------3 hours at the 400-level:
3 -------------------------------RUSS 446 Russian Artistic Culture I
3 -------------------------------RUSS 447 Russian Artistic Culture II
Credit 12 hours at the 200-, 300- and 400-level. Select from Russian courses not used for credit previously. Up to 6 hours may be selected from EURO 441, EURO 442, EURO 443, EURO 444, EURO 446 and EURO 447.
The following restriction applies: A maximum of 12 credits for courses at the 200-level.
Other Departmental Requirements. Language majors are required to complete 12 hours in supporting electives chosen from a list of recommended courses in consultation with the Departmental Advisor. For French, German, and Russian majors, 6 hours must be outside the EURO Department, yet appropriate to the student’s Major field; 6 hours must be outside the student’s Major field, yet within the EURO Department. For Classics majors, see the list of pre-approved courses under the “B.A. Curriculum in Classics” section above.
Minor Field of Study. Instead of 12 hours in supporting courses, language majors may select a 15-18 hour Minor field of study from departments or divisions within or outside the College of Liberal Arts. A second Major may substitute for the Minor.
College and University Requirements. All B.A. degrees in the Department of European and Classical Languages and Cultures require a total of 128 credit hours. This includes 55 hours of Core Curriculum courses required by the University and the College of Liberal Arts, and a minimum of 28 hours in General Electives courses. Please see the undergraduate catalog for further details.