A Guide for New Students

The study of foreign languages gives students skills for communicating effectively in today's multilingual world and promotes an appreciation for other cultures and traditions. It fosters students' critical, analytical, and writing skills, and enhances their understanding of the English language as well. Mastery of foreign languages is essential for careers in teaching, business, science, government work, social work, research, and for graduate and professional studies. The United States itself is a multilingual and multicultural nation where knowledge of foreign languages is an asset in most endeavors.

WPUNJ requires all students to take 6-credits (2 courses) of a foreign language as part of the General Education program. The Department of Languages and Cultures offers a wide variety of languages to fulfill the requirement:

• Arabic
• Chinese
• Classical Greek
• French
• German
• Hebrew
• Hindi
• Italian
• Japanese
• Korean
• Latin
• Persian
• Portuguese
• Russian
• Spanish
• Swahili

Placement

William Paterson University has a 0 to six-credit, University-wide foreign language requirement that all students must satisfy before graduation. The University does not automatically accept high school foreign language work as equivalent to college-level study. Upon admission, all incoming freshmen and transfer students without transfer credit in language are required to take a foreign language placement test to determine the appropriate level to begin their language study. Students with very limited or no background in a particular language or who wish to study a language they have never taken before are placed in a Basic I section and choose among one of the languages currently offered in the department. Once enrolled in a Basic I section, students must take a Basic II section in the same language to satisfy the requirement.
Likewise, those students who are placed in a Basic II section or above (such as Intermediate I or Intermediate II) satisfy the foreign language requirement by taking two (2) sequential courses in the same language. The department also honors advanced placement in foreign languages, depending on test scores.
Students who wish to complete their language requirement in one semester can register for Intensive Spanish I and II, SPAN 106 (6 credits). First-year students who wish to complete their language study in consecutive semesters (Basic French I or Basic Spanish I in the fall, Basic French II or Basic Spanish II in the spring) are encouraged to do so. This allows for faster language development through class continuity.
Native speakers of Spanish with little or no academic experience in the language should enroll in Contemporary Spanish for Native Speakers (SPAN 114). See advisor .

Challenge Test

The Department of Languages and Cultures also offers students the opportunity of “challenging” their foreign language placement in second year language courses only (Intermediate I and/or Intermediate II). This option is only available for students before completing 60 college credits (90 for transfer students). The Students must pay the fee for a challenge test if they desire to obtain credit ($75.00 per level). If a student wishes to place out of the foreign language requirement in a language not offered at William Paterson University (e.g., Polish, Serbo-Croatian, etc.), the student may take a proficiency exam at an approved institution such as New York University before completing 70 college credits.

Academic ESL Program

William Paterson University’s Academic English Program offers courses designed to improve the English reading and writing skills of students who are multilingual students from non-English language backgrounds. For this reason, students usually enroll in these courses during their first year. Students in the Academic English Program are matriculated at the University and may take additional courses. All Academic English courses earn graduation credits (free electives).
At William Paterson, Academic English reading and writing courses are offered at the intermediate (level 1) and advanced (level 2) levels. Placement is determined by student profile information, Accuplacer test results, and student essay. At each level (1 and 2), students enroll in a three-credit reading course and a three-credit writing course. An additional two-credit Writing Workshop serves Academic English students enrolled in English 110 (Writing Effective Prose).

Note: Students enrolled in Academic English courses do not take Basic Skills Reading and Writing classes. For more information, please contact Professor Gladys V. Scott, Director of Academic English, Atrium 251, phone: 973-720-3043; fax: 973- 720-3084; e-mail scottg@wpunj.edu.

The Department also offers majors and minors in Spanish, French & Francophone Studies, and Latin American Studies, and language and cultural studies courses for the Asian Studies Minor. Students wishing to start studying Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Hindi, Greek, Korean, and Russian are advised that the first course in those languages is offered only in Fall semesters.

The Department of Languages and Cultures supports student success in the study of foreign languages, world literatures and cultures. For information, contact Dr. Bruce Williams or Dr. Octavio de la Suaree at 973-720-2330