: Language & Culture :
Program Description
The study of a major world language is absolutely central to our conception of education as preparation for global citizenship. The objective of Antioch College's Language and Culture program is to equip students to function both linguistically and culturally in a non-native geographic area. All Antioch students will be required to attain intermediate proficiency in a language other than their native language and will therefore receive a Minor in the world language of their choice. Because we see language as equally cultural experience and technical skill, language study at Antioch is linked to and reinforced by an international work experience which provides a sustained immersion in a different culture. Most Antioch students will work for two consecutive quarters (20-22 weeks) in this international setting. Upon returning from their work and travel abroad, they will complete a language proficiency examination.
Antioch language courses will focus primarily on conversational language learning and oral proficiency, and on the actual use of the language. Familiarizing students with the differing cultural contexts, values, and practices of particular linguistic groups will also be essential. The overarching goal is to get students to use the language on a daily or near-daily basis, and to use it in a variety of contexts, for at least the first three years of their college education.
All students begin their first year foundation courses with an intensive quarter of language study. After the initial language intensive (6 credits), students will continue to take one two-credit language course during every on-campus term through the third year, and to pursue one credit of language learning during each of the first four terms off campus. Students receive 6 credits per quarter for their immersion experience in another country. This adds up to 34 language credits for most students over thirteen quarters, which constitutes a Language Minor.
Antioch College's innovative world languages program is uniquely organized so that language instruction is 1) integrated across the curriculum, in both work and study experiences, and supported in language courses as well as non-language courses; 2) maximized though its continuity across terms, both on-campus and off-campus, for the first three years of the student's education; 3) organized around an international cultural immersion experience; 4) highly individualized and tailored to the progressive levels of each student. These principles correspond to current best practices in the field of foreign language study. The world languages that will be taught at Antioch College the first two years include Spanish, Portuguese, and French. We hope to add more languages as the College and its curriculum expand. Languages slated for addition to the curriculum are Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, and German.
Language Learning On-Campus
On-campus language instruction begins in the first quarter on campus with two intensive block-length language foundation courses. While different levels of proficiency upon entrance to the College will be taken into account and some students may be granted exemptions, most students will be placed in these introductory intensive courses which are designed to accommodate students with differing levels of language experience. These courses provide basics for those students who are at an elementary level and review for those who have undertaken previous language study. After completing these foundation courses, students progress to two-credit language tutorials in their second quarter on campus. For the next six study terms students will take a two-credit language tutorial which meets two or three days a week. These courses are small enough so that instructors can tailor assignments and requirements to meet each student's level.
Some language courses and tutorials may be taken at nearby Wittenberg University, with whom we are in the process of pursuing a partnership. This proposed partnership with Wittenberg's highly successful Foreign Languages Department, whose philosophy of language teaching we share, will help us to expand our language offerings and will be especially important in the next few years while we are in start-up mode. This collaboration benefits students at both institutions by giving them a larger language-learning peer group, particularly in languages which tend to have smaller enrollments.
Antioch’s plan for on-campus language instruction also includes some level of integration with non-language courses. This integration involves the completion of research and translation projects which serve as requirements for both language courses and other academic coursework across the disciplines. These projects are jointly developed and supervised by language instructors and classroom faculty. Students must complete at least one of these language projects per year. As an example, students studying Spanish and enrolled in the Global Seminar that examines economic and political issues surrounding oil extraction may each undertake research to produce a relevant case study which highlights oil extraction in a particular Spanish-speaking country. Initially, this research would be conducted predominantly in English, but as students increase their levels of language proficiency, work in second and third-level Global Seminars could be conducted through Spanish-language media and print sources, and the student's findings will then be presented in Spanish to the other Spanish-speaking participants (and in English to the non-Spanish-speaking participants). Another group of students studying Arabic would produce and share case studies from Arabic-speaking places.
The Columbus-Dayton-Springfield metro area contains many potential resources for student work and volunteer experiences, as there are numerous immigrant communities, advocacy groups, cultural organizations, literacy centers, etc. where language and translation skills may be honed. Collaborations with these organizations may be developed by the language faculty.
Language Learning Off-Campus
Because language learning requires constant maintenance and reinforcement, the Antioch language and culture program continues on the six off-campus work terms, during which time the student earns one language credit each term. Over the off-campus work terms language study takes place via on-line language coursework and on-line communities of language learners, using such technologies as videoconferencing, Skype, and chatrooms. Language faculty may also assign specific projects to be completed during this period, and these assignments will be tailored to student level and need. Depending upon the location and the language, students may be involved with local communities of native speakers and/or attend classes of language learners in the area where the student is working. Close supervision by, and repeated contact with language faculty will be essential to the success of off-campus language instruction.
Possible off-campus language projects could include researching particular subjects pertaining to the student's job or academic interests in the language being studied and/or participating in local gatherings or events or organizations. Such projects might also include producing written translations or performing oral translations as a service for others.
The particular choice of on-line language and culture program, and its coordination, will be the purview of the language faculty.
Immersion Experience
All Antioch students will complete an international work experience in which they live for two quarters outside of the United States in a place where they practice the language they have been studying. For most students these two consecutive quarters abroad will take place between the third and fourth year of the students' course of study. A proficiency examination will be scheduled upon the students' return to campus. International work opportunities are currently in the process of being cultivated in a range of international sites. There will also be work opportunities with native communities locally and nationally.
Students may pursue additional language coursework and/or experience after passing their proficiency requirement, but it is not mandatory. Some students may choose to integrate their language learning into their final senior project. This will be arranged on an individual basis depending upon the student’s interests and course of study. Advanced work in the humanities (especially literature and philosophy) in other languages will probably not be possible in the initial years of the College, but may be an option for the future.
Language Assessment
Language faculty will tailor each student’s program to his or her gradual progress through the language until the student has been determined to attain oral proficiency. This will require working closely with each student on an individual basis and designing assignments aimed at that student's current level of language ability. As students enter college with widely varying levels of facility, each student's degree plan will therefore be highly individualized. Due to small student numbers, this should be possible (at least for the next 5 or 6 years). Language faculty will also work with the student's Work and Classroom faculty advisors to develop and coordinate assignments, and to find appropriate Work placements and experiences which involve language usage. This means that the number of credits each student receives in the Languages and Culture portion of the Curriculum may vary, depending upon how long it takes each student to reach the expected level of oral proficiency, but the norm would be around 34 credits. A system of tests to measure various levels of language proficiency will be put into place by language faculty. Ultimately the student will take a final proficiency assessment test, the capstone of the language requirement, which will include an extended interview. This capstone crediting will take place during the quarter after the immersion experience.
The levels of Proficiency are Introductory, Intermediate (divided into High and Low), Advanced (divided into High and Low) and Superior (the latter meaning close to fluent or fluent). Our minimum standard with Spanish, French, and Portuguese will be High Intermediate levels of proficiency; with Arabic and Mandarin Chinese our standard will be Low Intermediate.
Fallback Option. If any student is repeatedly unable to pass into the expected level of demonstrated language proficiency then the completion of 5 on-campus language courses past the foundation courses and 4 off-campus language experiences will be considered sufficient for the purposes of graduation. All students will thus have a minimum of 20 credits of language and culture credit (6 credits in language foundation courses; 10 in on-campus language tutorials; 4 in off-campus language projects). However, the typical student will have the following language credit allocation: 6 credits in language foundation courses; 12 in on-campus language tutorials; 4 in off-campus language projects, and 12 in language immersion experience, for a total of 34 credits.
