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Foreign Languages and Literatures

Welcome to the Nazareth College Foreign Languages and Literatures Department. In this site you will find information about our foreign language programs, our faculty, course offerings, language houses, and study abroad programs. This site has been organized by languages. Click on the column to your left to begin. If you have questions, please E-Mail: ccarras8@naz.edu

The Foreign Languages and Literatures Department offers majors in the languages, literatures, and cultures of French, German, Italian and Spanish. Students may also study several semesters of Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Portuguese, Swahili and Russian.

Students from the Foreign Languages and Literatures Department are prepared for effective professional interaction within the cultures and languages of their majors. They major in foreign language and culture to advance in: the professional marketplace, the teaching profession, Ph.D. programs, MBA and law programs.

Their specific preparation includes communicative language preparation and mandatory study abroad with specialization in related areas such as: business internships, international studies major, international business major, commercial studies in the foreign languages, and teacher education preparation. To compete more strongly in the professional world, many students complete a second major to complement their work in the Foreign Languages program. All students are closely counselled by members of the Department to help them achieve their goals.

Students in French, German, Italian or Spanish study abroad in programs designed by the college or in additionally available study experiences. Nazareth College is affiliated with universities in: Rennes, France; Florence and Pescara, Italy; Valencia, Spain; and Wurzburg, Germany.

Classes meet (bi-) weekly in the new state-of-the-art Emerson Language Lab.  During open lab hours students are able to visit the lab to complete homework assignments. Here students improve their language skills with interactive multimedia software, vocabulary learning tools (such as WordChamp), news resources from around the world as well as course material supplements.

Students frequently add two to four semesters of a "critical" foreign language to their studies: Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, Swahili.

Special on-campus programs support the student learning atmosphere:

Students are encouraged to develop socially as well as academically through clubs and organizations such as:

  • foreign language clubs
  • foreign language dramas
  • honor societies
  • campus work-study programs in the department
  • foreign language film series
  • Internet links and satellite feeds of live foreign media
  • business internships in Rochester corporations (for college credit)

 

Emerson Language Lab

The Emerson Language Lab was established in 2006.  The lab provides students and professors access to an abundance of learning tools for language and culture.  To enhance the learning process, the Lab is equipped with 21 Dell computers, headsets with microphones, and an assortment of interactive multimedia programs, including voice-recognition and recording software.  The Lab's sophisticated class management system facilitates a new level of communication between professors and students.

Principle Goals of the Lab include:

  • Provide cutting edge technology for study of language, literature and culture
  • Assist professors in integrating technology into their curriculum
  • Run pilots aimed at improving language learning and cultural awareness
  • Have native speakers assist students with pronunciation and lab-related resources

The mission of the Emerson Language Lab is to support the progressive vision of Nazareth College through an evolving variety of cutting-edge equipment, resources and support systems to engage and aid the College community in the study and instruction of foreign languages and cultures.