Foreign Languages and Literature, BA

The Foreign Languages and Literature BA provides students with an attractive mixture of introductory, intermediate, and advanced classes that focus on the Foreign Language-speaking world, both globally (Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America) and in the United States. Studies include language, culture, literature, and linguistics content to provide a broad spectrum of Foreign Languages knowledge. Students may choose one of the seven tracks available: Classic Civilization, French, German, Greek, Italian, Latin, and Russian.

In addition to content, students in this Major will acquire durable and transferrable skills essential for the 21st century. Our classes focus on developing creative and critical thinking abilities, effective written and oral communication, and deep intercultural understanding. Students will learn to identify and avoid logical fallacies and cognitive biases, and exercise careful human judgment to successfully engage in creative problem-solving. They will be able to express ideas clearly and effectively across a wide range of audiences, as well as collaborate with diverse partners. The Foreign Languages and Literature Major fosters intercultural understanding in our students to position them for success in localized, globalized, and international workforces.

For more information, check the Requirements tab in this catalog entry, visit https://mlc.ua.edu/, or come see us at 200 B. B. Comer Hall.

Admission into the Major

See course descriptions for information concerning appropriate placement in French, German, Italian, Latin, and Russian. Students are expected to formally declare a major no later than the fourth semester of full-time enrollment (or at 61 semester hours for transfer students). Students can declare a major by completing the Change of Major/Minor Application online under the Student tab of myBama.

Special Opportunities

The foreign languages and literature concentrations offer numerous opportunities for students to learn about the modern and ancient world. Students may participate in various club activities, become initiated into national honor societies, and take advantage of a variety of study-abroad programs. Students with foreign language proficiency have more opportunities open to them than students without that proficiency. Classics students have the opportunity to take part in the Classics Honors Program. See an advisor for more information.

Students earning the Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree with a major in Foreign Languages and Literature must complete all University, College, and major requirements. These include the general education requirements, the following major and track requirements, all requirements for an approved minor, and other sufficient credits to total a minimum of 120 applicable semester hours.

Grade Point Average, Upper-level Residency, and other general A&S requirements can be found at https://catalog.ua.edu/undergraduate/arts-sciences/#requirementstext. A minimum of 12 hours of 300- and 400-level courses in the major must be earned on this campus. Courses taken in UA summer programs may be used to satisfy the residency requirement.

Students are responsible for ensuring that they have met all University, College, major, and minor requirements. However, each student must meet with an advisor in the major department for academic planning and to be approved for registration each semester. College advisors are also available for additional assistance with minor, College, and University requirements. For more details, check the departmental website at https://mlc.ua.edu/undergraduate/.

Required Minor

This major requires the completion of a minor.

Course Placement

The course level at which students begin their study of a foreign language is determined by the language placement score or by having earned credit for prerequisite course(s). Credit by examination awards can be found in the catalog (https://catalog.ua.edu/undergraduate/about/academic-regulations/policies/credit-by-examination/). Students who do not have foreign language course credit should take the UA placement test. The UA placement test is available online at myBama.ua.edu by clicking on the search box and typing "Foreign Language Assessment."

The detailed placement guidelines can be found on the departmental website (https://mlc.ua.edu/undergraduate/language-placement/), or by talking to an advisor (https://mlc.ua.edu/advising/).

Credit Option

Departmental placement credit petition: If placed in FR 201, GN 201, GR 201, IT 201, LA 201, RUS 201 or above, students are potentially eligible to receive placement credit upon written petition. The placement credit form is available at https://mlc.ua.edu/advising/, it must be submitted to the appropriate faculty member listed in it.

Core Requirements

The major in Foreign Languages and Literature requires all students to successfully complete a core set of intermediate language, culture, and literature courses, as defined below. These requirements will be completed within the student's selected track.

Code and Title		Hours
Major Core Requirements
Two intermediate language courses		6
Two culture courses		6
Two literature courses		6
Total Hours		18

Tracks

Students must complete all courses, both core and concentration requirements, within their chosen track. There are six tracks to choose from: Classic Civilization, French, German, Greek, Italian, or Latin. Their requirements are detailed below.

Classic Civilization Track

Code and Title		Hours
Core Courses
Language core (continue the sequence completed in Required Courses): ¹		6
GR 201 & GR 202	Intermediate Greek I and Intermediate Greek II
or
LA 201 & LA 202	Intermed Latin Read I and Intermed Latin Read II
Culture core (select 6 hours):		6
CL 222	Greek Roman Mythology
3h in any CL 300 or 400 level courses not already taken
Literature core (select 6 hours):		6
CL 323	Alexander the Great,Then & Now
CL 333	Greek Civilization
CL 344	Julius Caesar
CL 350	Roman Religion
CL 365	Greece & Rome in Lit. & Film
CL 380	Special Topics
CL 385	History of Ancient Greece
CL 386	History of Ancient Rome
Or any CL 200 or 400 level courses not already taken
Required Courses
Select one of the following language sequences:		6
GR 101 & GR 102	Beginning Greek I and Beginning Greek II
or
LA 101 & LA 102	Elementary Latin I and Elementary Latin II
Electives
Select 9 hours from the following options:		9
Any CL 200 or 300 level courses not already taken
CL 450	Aristotle: How Stuff Works
CL 498	Honors Research in Classics I
CL 499	Honors Research in Classics 2
ARH 351
PHL 211	Ancient Philosophy
UH 244	Women: Antiquity to Modernity
Greek or Latin language electives (100 level or above) not already taken
Total Hours		33

Students must complete a full foreign language sequence from 101-202 in either Latin or Greek.

French Track

Code and Title		Hours
Core Courses
Language core:		6
FR 201 & FR 202	French Language & Cultures III and French Language & Cultures IV
Culture core:		6
FR 325	Cultures and Conversations
FR 330 or	French in the News
FR 331 or	French Material Culture & Civ
FR 333 or	(His)stories and Fashion
FR 424 or	Mktg & Advertising in France
FR 431 or	Democracy and France
FR 477	French Cinema
Literature core:		6
FR 341 or	FR Lit: Origins to Revolution
FR 351 or	Modern & Contemporary FR Lit
FR 352 or	Survey of Global French Lit.
FR 353	Amour&Transgression in FR Lit
FR 441 or	Page & Stage
FR 478 or	Writing Immigration
FR 479	Capstone Seminar in French Lit
Concentration Courses
Basic Language courses:		6
FR 101 & FR 102	French Language & Cultures I and French Language & Cultures II
Select one Writing course:		3
FR 321 or	Creative Writing in French
FR 323	Persuasive&Analytical Writing
Select one Linguistics course:		3
FR 316	Discourse Analysis - French
FR 362	Grammar in Society
FR 421	Pronunciation & Phonetics
FR 426	History of the French Language
FR 461	French Linguistics
Select one Elective:		3
FR 250	Love & Transgression in FR Lit
FR 310	Service Learning in French
FR 318	French for Engineering
FR 324	French for Business Dev
FR 327	French for Int'l Relations
FR 334	Francophone Africa Economies
FR 336	Francophone African Religion
FR 480	Special Topics
MLC 261	Intro to Romance Linguistics
Or any FR 300 or 400 level course from the Culture or Linguistics categories not already taken
Total Hours		33

German Track

Code and Title		Hours
Core Courses
Language core:		6
GN 201 & GN 202	Intermediate German I and Intermediate German II
Culture core:		6
GN 371	German Cult & Civ until 1832
GN 372	German Cult & Civ since 1832
Literature core:		6
GN 250 or	Germanic Mythology
GN 252 or	Fairy Tales - Grimm to Disney
GN 260 or	Holocaust In Film & Lit
GN 264 or	German Literature Translatn I
GN 265 or	German Lit In Translatn II
GN 403 or	Undergraduate Seminar
GN 404	Undergraduate Seminar
GN 403 or	Undergraduate Seminar
GN 404	Undergraduate Seminar
Or another GN literature course with departmental approval
Concentration Courses
Language courses: ¹		9
GN 101 & GN 102 or	Elementary German I and Elementary German II
GN 103	Accelerated Elementary German
GN 361 or	Intermed Convers & Compos I
GN 362	Intermed Convers & Compos II
Select 3 hours of GN electives ²		3
Total Hours		30

Students taking GN 103 Accelerated Elementary German or beginning at a higher level are required to satisfy the 30 hour minimum for the GN major concentration with electives as need be.

A total of four hours in GN 205 Living German House I and GN 206 Living German House II may apply to the 30 hour minimum for the GN major concentration.

Greek Track

Code and Title		Hours
Core Courses
Language core:		6
GR 201 & GR 202	Intermediate Greek I and Intermediate Greek II
Culture core:		6
CL 385	History of Ancient Greece
GR 490	Adv Greek Literature
Literature core:		6
GR 301 & GR 302	Advanced Greek I and Advanced Greek II
Concentration Courses
Language courses:		6
GR 101 & GR 102	Beginning Greek I and Beginning Greek II
Select 9 hours from the following courses:		9
CL 222	Greek Roman Mythology
CL 323	Alexander the Great,Then & Now
CL 333	Greek Civilization
CL 350	Roman Religion
CL 365	Greece & Rome in Lit. & Film
CL 380	Special Topics
CL 386	History of Ancient Rome
CL 498	Honors Research in Classics I
CL 499	Honors Research in Classics 2
ARH 351
PHL 211	Ancient Philosophy
UH 244	Women: Antiquity to Modernity
Or any GR 400 level course not already taken
Or any LA 100 level or above course not already taken
Total Hours		33

Italian Track

Code and Title		Hours
Core Courses
Language core:		6
IT 201 & IT 202	Intermediate Italian I and Intermediate Italian II
Culture core:		6
IT 356	Advanced Italian
IT 380	Special Topics
Literature core:		6
IT 264	Medieval & Renaissance IT Lit
IT 265	IT Lit in Trans: Mod & Contemp
Concentration Courses
Language:		6
IT 101	Introductory Italian I
IT 102	Introductory Italian II
Select one of the following courses:		3
IT 352	It. Conv. - Study Abroad
IT 353	Italian Conversation
IT 354	Advanced Italian Abroad
IT 370	Italian Translation
IT 389	Italian Community Service
IT 480	Undergraduate Seminar
Select one of the following courses:		3
IT 323	Introduction to Italian Cinema
IT 330	Violence in Rome
IT 335	The Italian Mafia
IT 350	Italian Culture Abroad
Total Hours		30

Latin Track

Code and Title		Hours
Core Courses
Language core:		6
LA 201 & LA 202	Intermed Latin Read I and Intermed Latin Read II
Culture core:		6
CL 386	History of Ancient Rome
LA 490	Readings In Latin Literature
Literature core:		6
LA 301	Survey Lit Roman Republ
LA 302	Survey Lit Of Empire
Concentration Courses
Language:		6
LA 101 & LA 102	Elementary Latin I and Elementary Latin II
Select 9 hours from the following courses:		9
CL 222	Greek Roman Mythology
CL 323	Alexander the Great,Then & Now
CL 333	Greek Civilization
CL 350	Roman Religion
CL 365	Greece & Rome in Lit. & Film
CL 380	Special Topics
CL 385	History of Ancient Greece
CL 498	Honors Research in Classics I
CL 499	Honors Research in Classics 2
ARH 351
PHL 211	Ancient Philosophy
UH 244	Women: Antiquity to Modernity
Or any GR 100 level or above course not already taken
Or any LA 400 level course not already taken
Total Hours		33

Russian Track

Required Courses		Hours
Core Courses
Language core:		6
RUS 201 & RUS 202	Intermediate Russian I and Intermediate Russian II
Culture core (select 6 hours):		6
RUS 249	History of Russian Music
RUS 250	History of Russian Art
RUS 251	Russian Culture
RUS 252	Russian Folklore
UKR 213	Ukrainian Culture
Literature core:		6
RUS 223	Rus Lit in Trans I
RUS 224	Rus Lit In Transl II
Concentration Courses
Advanced language courses (select one sequence):		6
RUS 309 & RUS 310	Adv Russian Converstn I and Adv Russian Converstn II
or
RUS 361 & RUS 362	Adv Rus Grammar Comp I and Adv Rus Grammar Comp II
Select one of the following 400-level courses:		3
RUS 426	Readings in Russian History
RUS 433	The Russian Short Story
RUS 440	Russian Phonetics
RUS 401	Directed Readings I (ONLY with program director approval)
RUS 402	Directed Readings II (ONLY with program director approval)
One course in Russian History:		3
HY 361 or	Russia to 1894
HY 362 or	Russia-Soviet Union since 1894
RUS 426	Readings in Russian History
Select one of the following Electives:		3
RUS 325 or	Dostoevsky
RUS 326 or	Tolstoy
RUS 361 or	Adv Rus Grammar Comp I
RUS 362 or	Adv Rus Grammar Comp II
RUS 401 or	Directed Readings I
RUS 402 or	Directed Readings II
RUS 410 or	Russian Science Fiction
RUS 426 or	Readings in Russian History
RUS 433 or	The Russian Short Story
RUS 440 or	Russian Phonetics
RUS 309 or	Adv Russian Converstn I
RUS 310 or	Adv Russian Converstn II
HY 361 or	Russia to 1894
HY 362	Russia-Soviet Union since 1894
PSC 421	Seminar in Political Science (ONLY with program director approval)
Total Hours		33

A Foreign Languages and Literature major can lead to a wide range of career opportunities where linguistic and intercultural skills are highly desirable. It expands students' career choices instead of tying them to one particular technical skill: our students gain a broad and unique understanding of the human condition and develop an appreciation for the precision and power of language in society, politics, economy, and more. Most careers are open to students because employers and recruiters realize and appreciate the rigor and difficulty of the degree itself - it is easier to learn how to do a job than it is to maneuver the complexities of a language and all its cultural nuances.

Types of Jobs Accepted

Professions that value a degree in Foreign Languages and Literature vary, but opportunities are especially common in the education field (teaching a foreign language, curriculum design, administration), government/intelligence (analyst or diplomatic roles; agencies such as the FBI, NSA, CIA, and others regularly seek translators and interpreters ), healthcare (medical interpreter), and international business (consulting, marketing, banking, automotive industry, technology). A Foreign Languages and Literature major is a great double major to have with history, international relations, political science, English, engineering, pre-med, and many others.

Job placements of our Alumni

Many of our graduates in foreign languages and classics go on to professional schools or advanced degrees in their own areas at well known universities around the country and abroad. Since 1995, classics has had a 100% acceptance rate for those who have applied for medical school. Classics graduates have also gone to seminary and then on into the ministry. We have sent students to prestigious law schools. Some FLL students have completed advanced study in Library Science or English/TESOL, while others have entered various areas in the private and public sectors. Many of our FLL alumni have gone on to MBA programs and graduated at the top of their class and now work in major businesses. Others have continued their studies towards a PhD and now teach in colleges in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North America. The possibilities are endless!

Learn more about opportunities in this field at the Career Center