Learning Outcomes
Undergraduate
The Department expects its majors to have acquired the following sets of skills and bodies of knowledge by the time they graduate from Boston College:
- Demonstrate "Advanced / Low" proficiency (as measured by the ACTFL scale) in a Romance language in speaking, listening, writing, and reading.
- Analyze and interpret literary and cultural texts.
- Make cogent, persuasive arguments using sufficient, verifiable data and rational, critical thinking.
- Demonstrate familiarity with literary genres and critical terminology.
- Demonstrate awareness of cultural difference, implicit and explicit, in the acquisition of a second language.
Learning Outcomes for individual RLL Courses that satisfy the College's Core Curriculum "Literature" requirement:
- Students will demonstrate the ability to read and evaluate texts critically.
- Students will demonstrate proficiency in employing academic prose to effectively sustain an original literary argument supported by textual evidence.
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of the differences between literary genres.
- Students will be familiar with representative texts drawn from a wide range of periods and be equipped to engage in an informed and critical way with similar texts in the future.
- Students will be able to identify and analyze the distinctive features of literary productions.
Learning Outcomes for individual RLL Courses that satisfy the College's Core Curriculum "Cultural Diversity" requirement:
Students enrolled in RLL Cultural Diversity courses will be expected, at the end of the course, to demonstrate:
- that they can see human experience from the point of view of others who encounter and interpret the world in significantly different ways.
- that they have had a substantive encounter with some culture that is significantly different from the mainstream of European and North American cultures.
- an appreciation of the concept of culture from a theoretical and comparative perspective.
- an awareness of and sensitivity to the ways that perennial questions have been addressed in cultures other than their own.
Elementary French
Elementary French follows a communicative approach. From the first day of class, students will interact in French with the instructor and with classmates. Therefore, by the end of this course, students should be able to successfully manage a significant number of communicative and writing tasks in different time frames in the target language.聽
Upon successful completion of the sequence Elementary I and II (FREN1009 and FREN1010) students should be able to:
- speak聽in the target language to describe, narrate and carry on spontaneous conversations about topics such as travel, health, professions, plans for the future and references to the past.
- comprehend聽the target language with sufficient ability to understand the main ideas and additional details in short conversations referring to the above mentioned topics and authentic situations in different time frames.
- read聽and understand texts (some prepared specifically for students, others authentic) dealing with cultural products and practices on a variety of topics.
- write聽basic compositions about different themes in simple but complete sentences and short paragraphs with good control of the grammar and sentence structure.
- recognize, appreciate, and compare聽similarities and differences between their own culture and the target culture.
Intermediate French
Intermediate French follows a communicative approach. Class is conducted entirely in the target language and nearly all course materials are authentic and carefully chosen to match the interests and capabilities of the students. At the end of the second semester students will be able to express themselves on a wide variety of topics of personal interest and in different communicative settings.聽
Upon successful completion of the intermediate sequence (FREN1109 and FREN1110) students should be able to:
- speak聽in the target language to narrate and describe in the present, past and future express opinions about topics 聽relating to their own lives and those of the target culture, especially in areas such as student and family life, traveling, cinema, 聽music, holidays, art and current events, etc.
- comprehend聽spoken language at a higher level including authentic videos and recordings in a more formal setting with some assistance.
- read聽selected authentic texts on everyday topics with apparatuses such as vocabulary annotations and comprehension aids.
- write聽in French at the paragraph level in a variety of formats, from summaries and cross-cultural observations to more formal but guided research papers based on course themes.
- understand and appreciate聽current and classic foreign culture especially as it relates to the lives of young people, and make comparisons to their own cultural experiences.
Conversation, Composition, and Reading
In Conversation, Composition, and Reading (CCR) students will increase their fluency and solidify their accuracy in French while focusing on complex grammar topics, expanding their vocabulary, and broadening their understanding of diverse cultural and historical aspects of the French-speaking world. The course fosters students鈥� analytic, critical and creative skills in the target language through the use of authentic materials such as newspapers, reports, films and literary texts and through systematic practice of the three modes of communication: interpersonal, presentational, and interpretative.
Upon successful completion of the CCR1 and CCR2 sequence (FREN2209 and FREN2210) students should be able to:
- speak聽spontaneously in most conversations on topics that are familiar, of personal interest or pertinent to everyday life. Students should also be able to speak about more formal or specific topics with previous preparation.
- comprehend聽the main ideas and relevant details of extended general speech from diverse authentic audiovisual materials in standard language.
- read and interpret聽extensive articles and reports related to contemporary topics, including the understanding of important details and nuances. Students should also be able to understand contemporary literary texts in the target language with some assistance.
- write聽clear and detailed texts on a wide range of general topics sustaining their views. Students should also be able to write narrative and argumentative essays on specific topics with previous preparation.
- understand and appreciate聽Francophone cultures and develop an awareness of their historical, political and sociocultural differences.
Foundation Courses
In the Foundation Courses students will acquire extensive fluency and accuracy while focusing on complex grammar topics, expanding and deepening their vocabulary, and broadening their understanding of contemporary sociocultural and political issues in the French-speaking world. The course is structured around analysis, discussion and production of descriptive, narrative, expository and argumentative texts and fosters students鈥� analytic, critical and creative skills in the target language through the use of diverse authentic materials and systematic practice of the three modes of communication: interpersonal, presentational, and interpretative.
In combining Foundation Courses, two for the minor, four for the major, students will:
- speak聽with fluency and accuracy in the target language in informal and formal situations.
- comprehend聽the main ideas and relevant details of extended general speech from authentic audiovisual materials such as TV news, films and videos in standard language and recognize the most commonly spoken dialectal varieties of the French language.
- read聽and interpret wide-ranging articles and reports related to contemporary topics, including the understanding of details and nuances. Students should also be able to interpret literary texts in the target language and identify the principal characteristics of the four main textual genres (description, narration, exposition and argumentation).
- write聽creative, clear, coherent and extended texts in the four main textual genres interacting with field-specific and academic language.
- understand聽and appreciate the different Francophone cultures and develop a critical vision of their circumstances, contexts or idiosyncrasies.
- demonstrate聽the metalinguistic awareness necessary to master a foreign language.
Elementary Italian
Elementary Italian focuses on building students鈥� communication skills. From the first day of class, students will interact in Italian with the instructor and their classmates. By the end of the second semester, students should be able to successfully manage a significant number of spoken and written communicative tasks in different verb tenses in the target language.
Upon successful completion of the Elementary sequence (ITAL1003 and ITAL1004), students should be able to:
- speak聽in Italian to describe, narrate stories, and carry on spontaneous conversations about topics such as family, daily activities, food, clothing, health, likes and dislikes and events in the past.
- comprehend聽the target language well enough to understand the main ideas and additional details in short conversations referring to the topics mentioned above and other situations in different verb tenses.
- read聽and understand texts (some prepared specifically for students and some primary sources) dealing with a variety of cultural products and practices.
- write聽basic compositions about a variety of themes in simple but complete sentences and compose short paragraphs, displaying good control of Italian grammar and sentence structure.
- recognize, appreciate and compare聽similarities and differences between their own culture and Italian culture.
Intermediate Italian
Intermediate Italian also follows a communicative approach. Class is conducted entirely in the target language. Nearly all course materials are primary sources, carefully chosen to match the students鈥� interests and capabilities. At the end of the second semester students will be able to express opinions on a wide variety of topics of personal interest and in different communicative settings.
Upon successful completion of the Intermediate sequence (ITAL1113 and ITAL1114) students should be able to:
- speak聽in the target language to narrate and describe in the present, past and future and express opinions about topics relating to their own lives and the lives of Italians, especially around topics such as student and family life, traveling, cinema, Italian products and economy, music, holidays, Italian art and current events in Italy.
- comprehend聽more complex and formal spoken language, including primary-source videos and recordings, with some assistance.
- read聽selected primary sources on everyday topics with assistance from tools such as vocabulary annotations and comprehension aids.
- write聽paragraphs in Italian in a variety of formats, from summaries and cross-cultural observations to more formal but guided research papers based on course themes.
- understand and appreciate聽current and classic elements of a foreign culture, especially as they relate to the lives of young people in Italy, and聽make comparisons聽to their own cultural experiences.
Conversation, Composition, and Reading (CCR)
In Conversation, Composition and Reading (CCR), students will increase their fluency and solidify their spoken and written accuracy in Italian while focusing on complex grammar topics, expanding their vocabulary and broadening their understanding of diverse cultural and historical aspects of Italy. CCR fosters students鈥� analytical, critical and creative skills in the target language through the study of primary source materials such as newspapers, reports, short films and literary texts and through systematic practice of three essential modes of communication: interpersonal, presentational and interpretive.
Upon successful completion of the CCR sequence (ITAL2213 and ITAL2214) students should be able to:
- speak聽spontaneously in conversations on topics that are familiar, of personal interest, or pertinent to everyday life. Students should also be able to speak about more formal or specific topics with preparation.
- comprehend聽the main ideas and relevant details of extended general speech from diverse primary audiovisual materials in standard language.
- read and interpret聽extensive articles and reports related to contemporary topics, understanding important details and nuances. Students should also be able to understand contemporary literary texts in the target language with some assistance.
- write聽clear and detailed compositions in which they support their views on a wide variety of general topics. Students should also be able to write narrative and argumentative essays on specific topics with previous preparation.
- understand and appreciate聽the diverse culture of Italy and develop an awareness of the historical, political and sociocultural differences between their culture and our own.
- understand and appreciate聽current and classic elements of a foreign culture, especially as they relate to the lives of young people in Italy, and聽make comparisons聽to their own cultural experiences.
Elementary Portuguese
Elementary Portuguese focuses on building students鈥� communication skills. From the first day of class, students will interact in Portuguese with the instructor and their classmates. By the end of the second semester, students should be able to successfully manage a significant number of spoken and written communicative tasks in different verb tenses in the target language.
Upon successful completion of the Elementary sequence (I and II, RLRL102401 and RLRL102301), students should be able to:
- speak聽in Portuguese to describe, narrate stories, and carry on spontaneous conversations about topics such as family, professions, food, clothing, health, likes and dislikes and the past.
- comprehend聽the target language well enough to understand the main ideas and additional details in short conversations referring to the topics mentioned above and other situations in different verb tenses.
- read聽and understand texts (some prepared specifically for students and some primary sources) dealing with a variety of cultural products and practices.
- write聽basic compositions about a variety of themes in simple but complete sentences and compose short paragraphs, displaying good control of Portuguese grammar and sentence structure.
- recognize, appreciate and compare聽similarities and differences between their own culture and Portuguese-speaking cultures.
Elementary Spanish
Elementary Spanish focuses on building student鈥檚 communicative skills. From the first day of classes, students will interact in Spanish with the instructor and classmates. Moreover, students will be expose to materials that reflect the richness and diversity of Hispanic cultures. By the end of the second semester, students should be able to successfully manage a significant number of communicative tasks involving the four basic language skills in different time frames in Spanish.
Upon successful completion the Elementary sequence (I and II, SPAN1015 and SPAN1016), students should be able to:
- speak Spanish to describe, narrate and carry out short spontaneous conversations in the present and past tenses about topics such as food, clothing, health, travel, the environment, etc. Strive to converse more clearly and accurately with native and non-native speakers about these topics.聽
- comprehend spoken Spanish with moderate ability to understand the main ideas and supplementary details in videos and audios referring to authentic situations in different time frames
- read and understand moderately engaging readings containing practical and cultural information on a variety of topics聽
- write more structured compositions about different themes while demonstrating moderate control of grammar structures.聽
- recognize and compare similarities and differences between their own culture and Hispanic cultures.聽
Intermediate Spanish
Intermediate Spanish also follows a communicative approach. Students will develop fluency and accuracy and focus on communication. Classes are conducted entirely in the target language. Moreover, course content reflects authentic language use and culturally significant practices from across the Hispanic world. By the end of the second semester, students will be able to express themselves on a wide variety of topics, moving students towards a more complex level of comprehension and expression, emphasizing critical thinking skills and the refinement of the four basic language skills.聽
Upon successful completion the Elementary sequence (I and II, SPAN1015 and SPAN1016), students should be able to:
- speak in the target language to narrate, describe, analyze and compare ideas in a variety of tenses聽about topics relating to their own lives and those of the target culture, especially in areas such as community life, locations in a city, professional life, the business world, job interviews, artistic expressions such as visual arts, handcrafts, music, theater, cinema and television, the planet and its habitat, environmental awareness, maintenance of good health, illnesses and treatments, etc. Converse with considerable confidence and accuracy when interacting with native and non-native speakers about these topics.
- comprehend spoken Spanish with competent ability, including authentic videos, audios and short films relevant to the present day in a more formal setting with some assistance
- read and understand comprehensive and authentic readings containing practical and cultural information such as articles, interviews from a variety of subjects and short literary texts including vocabulary annotations and comprehension aids.
- write articulate and detailed compositions in a variety of formats and lengths, from short texts to cross-cultural observations while demonstrating greater control of the grammar structures
- examine, discuss and question current and former foreign culture, especially as it relates to the lives of the students and make comparisons to their own cultural experiences, situating them in a broader cultural and intellectual context. Create connections to issues in social justice in order to foster critical thinking.
Conversation, Composition, and Reading (CCR)
In Conversation, Composition and Reading (CCR), students will increase their fluency and solidify their spoken and written accuracy in Spanish while focusing on complex grammar topics, expanding their vocabulary and broadening their understanding of diverse cultural and historical aspects of the Spanish-speaking world. CCR fosters students鈥� analytical, critical and creative skills in the target language through the study of primary source materials such as newspapers, reports, short films and literary texts and through systematic practice of three essential modes of communication: interpersonal, presentational and interpretive.
Upon successful completion of the CCR sequence (SPAN2215 and SPAN2216) students should be able to:
- speak聽spontaneously in conversations on topics that are familiar, of personal interest, or pertinent to everyday life. Students should also be able to speak about more formal or specific topics with preparation.
- comprehend聽the main ideas and relevant details of extended general speech from diverse primary audiovisual materials in standard language.
- read and interpret聽extensive articles and reports related to contemporary topics, understanding important details and nuances. Students should also be able to understand contemporary literary texts in the target language with some assistance.
- write聽clear and detailed compositions in which they support their views on a wide variety of general topics. Students should also be able to write narrative and argumentative essays on specific topics with previous preparation.
- understand and appreciate聽the different Hispanic cultures and develop an awareness of the historical, political and sociocultural differences between them.
Graduate
The Department expects its graduate students to have acquired the following skills and bodies of knowledge by the time they graduate from Boston College:
- 鈥淎dvanced-high鈥� linguistic proficiency in the target language (as measured by the ACTFL scale) in speaking, listening, writing, and reading.
- Broad understanding of the literature and culture of the target-language country or countries, including major literary movements and genres.
- Knowledge of the diverse theoretical approaches to texts appropriate to the M.A. degree level.
- Proficiency in the close reading and critical analysis of literary texts, which includes the ability to recognize and interpret the correspondence between thought and expression, text and contexts.
- Competence in research methods and practice, as they pertain to libraries, archives and other repositories of relevant research materials.
- Ability to conceive and express original arguments and conclusions, and to present them in an appropriate academic format, in both oral and written form.
- Competence in foreign language pedagogy and familiarity with the best practices of the profession.