Foreign Language

Courses in this area provide students with speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills in a second language. These courses also provide some knowledge of the culture(s) in which the language is spoken. To complete the General Education Program, students must:

1. Complete the fourth-year level of a foreign language in high school; or
2. Complete the last course in the designated course sequence of an approved foreign language at The University of Iowa, or the equivalent course at another college or university, or during study abroad; or
3. Pass an achievement test measuring proficiency in a foreign language equivalent to that usually attained after four semesters of college study (see below).

Proficiency Examinations

Students proficient in a language for which they have received no formal instruction (or formal instruction below the fourth semester level) may validate their proficiency with an examination.

Students with knowledge of Chinese, French, German, ancient Greek, Japanese, Latin, Russian, or Spanish should take one of the University of Iowa placement examinations. These placement tests help students choose appropriate foreign language courses. Students may use the results of the proficiency examination to complete the foreign language component of the General Education Program if their score on the examination is at the level accepted by the department offering the exam.

Students do not earn semester hours toward graduation through these examinations.

WebCape placement tests in French, German, and Spanish require an additional oral evaluation by the department offering the language.

Placement and proficiency examinations in American Sign Language, Arabic, Croatian, Czech, Hindi, Italian, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Sanskrit, Swahili, and Uzbek are arranged by contacting the appropriate department.

Students proficient in a language not regularly offered at The University of Iowa may go to CLAS Academic Programs & Services (120 Schaeffer Hall) to ask about assessment. In some cases, arrangements can be made for a proficiency evaluation but evaluations are available for a limited number of languages. Students may complete the foreign language component of the General Education Program through such an evaluation, but do not earn semester hours toward graduation.

Students proficient in a language for which testing is not available must complete the foreign language component of the General Education Program by another method.

Guidelines for Taking Proficiency/Placement Exams

• Students proficient in more than one language may take the placement exam in each language.
  
• Students who have been enrolled in a University of Iowa course in a particular language past the deadline for adding courses may not take the placement exam in that language.
  
• Ordinarily, students may take a placement exam in a particular language only once. Students may repeat an exam only if they have had a significant language learning experience outside the classroom since they first took the exam.

Students seeking exceptions to these guidelines should consult with the appropriate department for permission to take the proficiency/placement test.

When a Student's First Language is Not English

Students who completed secondary school in a language other than English, hold non-immigrant visas, and meet the College's English proficiency requirement may use English to complete the foreign language component of the General Education Program. The English proficiency requirement may be satisfied by (a) a score of 600 or above on the paper based or 280 or above on the computer based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL); or (b) successful completion of required English as a Second Language courses as determined by an English proficiency evaluation conducted by the Linguistics Department; or (c) validation of English proficiency by the coordinator of English as a Second Language. (Note: Currently, The University of Iowa also will accept the IELTS as certification of English language proficiency for admission of students whose first language is not English.  The IELTS will be accepted as an alternative to TOEFL. The cut-off scores on the IELTS are 6.5 for undergraduate admission and 7.0 for graduate admission, with no subscore lower than 6.0. All students submitting scores from the IELTS examination must take the on-campus English Proficiency Evaluation (EPE) prior to their first UI registration.)

Students who completed secondary school (grades 9 -12 or 10 -12) in English may not use English to complete the foreign language component of the General Education Program. These students must complete the foreign language component of the General Education Program in another way.

Course List

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers a number of course sequences that can be used to complete the General Education Program. To avoid duplication or regression, students are advised to consult the appropriate foreign language department before registering. The following sequences have been approved by the General Education Curriculum Committee (GECC) and the Educational Policy Committee (EPC).

Effective Fall 2006, the Department of German will offer Intensive Elementary German under the number 013:013 (formerly 013:113) and Intensive Intermediate German under 013:025 (formerly 013:125).

American Sign Language

Courses in American Sign Language are offered by the American Sign Language unit. A sequence of four courses that can be used to complete the General Education Program Foreign Language component is offered: 158:011, 158:012, 158:013 and 158:014. Students with previous knowledge of American Sign Language should consult the department for placement.

Arabic

Courses in Arabic are offered by the Department of French and Italian with a sequence of four courses that may be used to complete the General Education Foreign Language component: 195:101; 195:102; 195:111; and 195:112. Students with the appropriate skills and background may take the intensive sequence in Arabic to fulfill the GE requirement, 195:110 and 195:113. (Please note that in the Fall of 2007 courses in these sequences were also renamed and/or renumbered.) Please speak with the department for more information.

Chinese

Courses in Chinese are offered by the Department of Asian and Slavic Languages and Literatures. A number of courses are approved for General Education. Students may use various combinations of the approved courses to complete the General Education Program Foreign Language component. The department suggests 039:008, 009, 105, 106 for students who begin with no knowledge of the language. Heritage learners or students who have studied Chinese abroad should consider completing the Chinese GE FL sequence with 39:107 and 39:114. Please speak with the department for more information.

French

Courses in French are offered by the Department of French and Italian. A number of courses are approved for General Education. Students may use various combinations of the approved courses to complete the General Education Program. The department suggests that students with no previous knowledge of French begin with 009:001 and continue with 009:002, 011, and 012. Students who have previous knowledge may begin with 009:010, and continue with 009:011, 012, or may be evaluated as ready for 009:011 or 012. Please speak with the department.

German

Courses in German are offered by the Department of German. A number of courses are approved for General Education. Students may use various combinations of the approved courses to complete the General Education Program Foreign Language component. The department suggests that students with no previous knowledge of German begin with 013:011 and continue with 013:012, 021, and 022. Students who have previous knowledge may begin with a review course, 013:014, and continue with 013:021 and 022, or may be evaluated as ready for 013:021 or 022. The department also offers accelerated intensive courses, 013:013 and 013:025, which may be appropriate for students with strong language learning abilities or experience. The intensive courses may be combined with non-intensive courses to create other sequences that can be used to complete the General Education Foreign Language component. Students should consult the Department of German to identify an appropriate course sequence.

Greek

Courses in Greek are offered by the Department of Classics. Students with no previous knowledge of Greek should begin with 20G:001 and complete the General Education Program Foreign Language component by taking 20G:002, 011, and 012. Students with previous knowledge of Greek should consult the department for appropriate placement.

Hindi

Courses in Hindi are offered by the Department of Asian and Slavic Languages and Literature. Students without previous knowledge of Hindi may complete the General Education Foreign Language component through the sequence 039:123, 124, 126, and 127. These courses are open to entering, first-year students. Students with knowledge of Hindi should consult the department for appropriate placement.

Italian

Courses in Italian are offered by the Department of French and Italian. Students without previous knowledge of Italian can begin with the course 018:001 and complete the General Education Foreign Language component through the sequence 018:002, 011, and 012. Students who have strong language-learning abilities, or a background in another romance language can begin with 018:103 and complete the General Education Foreign Language sequence by also taking 018:011 and 012. Students with previous knowledge of Italian should consult the department for appropriate placement.

Japanese

Courses in Japanese are offered by the Department of Asian and Slavic Languages and Literature. A number of courses are approved for General Education. Students may use various combinations of the approved courses to complete the General Education Program Foreign Language component. The department suggests 39J:010, 012, 101, and 102 for students who begin with no knowledge of the language. Another possible sequence, for students with previous knowledge, is 39J:011, 012, 101, and 102. Please speak with the department for more information.

Latin

Courses in Latin are offered by the Department of Classics. Students with no previous knowledge of Latin should begin with 20L:001 and complete the General Education Program Foreign Language component by taking 20L:002, 011, and 012. Students with previous knowledge of Latin should consult the department for appropriate placement.

Portuguese

Courses in Portuguese are offered by the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. Only one sequence approved for General Education is available, 038:100 followed by 038:101. These courses are open to entering, first-year students.

Russian

Courses in Russian are offered by the Russian Program. Students without previous knowledge of Russian may complete the General Education Program Foreign Language component through the sequence 041:001, 002, 003, 004. Students with knowledge of Russian should consult the program for appropriate placement.

Sanskrit

Courses in Sanskrit are offered by the Department of Asian and Slavic Languages and Literature. Students without previous knowledge of Sanskrit may complete the General Education Foreign Language component through the sequence 039:110, 111, 112, 113. These courses are open to entering, first-year students. Students with knowledge of Sanskrit should consult the department for appropriate placement.

Spanish

Courses in Spanish are offered by the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. A number of courses are approved for General Education. Students may use various combinations of the approved courses to complete the General Education Program Foreign Language component. The department suggests 035:001, 002, 011, 012 for students who begin with no knowledge of the language. Another possible sequence, for students with previous knowledge, is 035:005, 011, 012. An accelerated course, 035:013 combines 011 and 012 and may be appropriate for some students. Students with previous experience in Spanish should take the Spanish Foreign Language Placement Test to help determine proper placement.

Swahili

A course sequence approved for General Education is offered by the Department of Linguistics. The sequence is numbered 103:125, 126, 127, and 128. These courses are open to entering, first-year students as well as to students with a knowledge of Swahili. Students with a knowledge of Swahili should consult the Department of Linguistics for placement.

Other Course Sequences
Departments offering elementary/intermediate language sequences that have not been approved for General Education credit may ask the College for permission to have a student's grades in the final course in a language sequence substitute for a proficiency test. Students who successfully complete the final course in a sequence may then contact the CLAS Academic Programs & Services office and ask to have their degree evaluations reflect their completion of the Foreign Language component.

Departments who have made such arrangements may include in the course descriptions of these courses the following statement: "This course is one of a sequence of courses leading to elementary/intermediate proficiency in [name of language]. Students who complete the final course in the sequence, [course number and name] may request recognition of their proficiency and complete the Foreign Language component of the General Education Program by contacting the CLAS Academic Programs & Services office." Currently, a sequence of Korean language courses carry this statement.