IA-ES Languages Across the Curriculum (LAC) Program

Directed By Professor

Marc-Andre Wiesmann

In order to encourage students to use the foreign languages they are studying in the IA/ES courses they follow, an experimental program, known as Language Across the Curriculum, has been instituted at Skidmore. Its main features are described below. It is quite conceivable that, in the near future, LAC will become CREDIT BEARING.

-- At this point, LAC participation is still NON CREDIT BEARING.

-- The student consults with his/her instructor to determine a certain amount of Foreign Language material appropriate to the goals of the course. This material can be any reliable authoritative source relevant to these goals. The amount of material is modest, 15 pages minimum to 30 pages maximum, depending upon the student's level in the language.

-- On an optional basis depending upon the student's linguistic proficiency in the foreign language in question, he/she is assigned a tutor with whom to work on these assignments. Three meetings with the tutor are required.Currently, the languages most accessible to students have proven to be Spanish, French, and German. Nevertheless, we can attempt to find adequate tutors in other Non-Western languages, especially Japanese and Chinese.

-- At the end of the semester, the student, who must meet with the tutor at least three times within the semester, fills out a three page report describing (in English) the type of Foreign Language materials he or she worked with, and briefly assessing the value of the exercise.

-- At the end of the semester, I ask the instructor whether he/she feels the student's work in the Foreign Language in question has indeed been an enhancing activity, and whether the student diligently pursued his LAC task.

-- As recognition of his/her work, the student obtains from me a certificate of involvement in Languages Across the Curriculum. The IA/ES faculty feels that such a language component in our course greatly enhances students' multicultural awaress, and that pursuing research in a foreign language substantially strengthens the foreign language requirement IA/ES minors must meet.