Modern Languages

The Department of Modern Languages offers college and university-transfer courses in five languages: Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Japanese, and Spanish. The five languages are offered at beginner and intermediate levels. In French and Spanish, more advanced levels are also offered for students with Spanish 12, French 12 and for French Immersion students.

Faculty are committed to the natural communicative approach for teaching beginner and intermediate language courses. Vocabulary and grammatical concepts are introduced in the natural context of the language. The courses are designed to develop listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Students are also introduced to the cultural aspects of the language taught.

Evaluation is based on daily work; therefore class attendance and participation are essential. In addition to class time, all students attend weekly conversation sessions with a native speaker of the language for small-group practice and review. Attendance and participation in these weekly sessions is part of the evaluation.

Regular Format

All Modern Languages (MODL) courses are designed as the first or second half of a two-semester unit. The second half should be taken immediately after the first to maintain continuity. Courses consist of four hours of class instruction and one hour of conversation lab per week.

Accelerated Format

The accelerated format enables students to complete two consecutive courses of the same language in one semester (i.e. MODL 2251 and MODL 2252); therefore, the amount of work required and the number of credits obtained are doubled. Accelerated courses consist of eight hours of class instruction and two hours of conversation lab per week.

Intersession Format

The intersession format enables students to complete one course in seven weeks. Intersession courses consist of eight hours of class instruction and two hours of conversation lab per week. They are only offered in the summer semester.

Department Website

For an overview of this program, including faculty listings and frequently asked questions plus other resources, visit the department website.

Career/Further Educational Opportunities

The Department of Modern Languages helps its students to develop skills desired by employers, including communication skills such as reading, writing, understanding, and speaking a language in which business might be conducted. Students also develop thinking skills such as organizing and processing information, teamwork skills such as the ability to plan and make decisions with others, and the ability to work well with students from diverse backgrounds. All courses carry university transfer credit. Please consult the BC Transfer Guide.

Location

All languages are offered at the New Westminster Campus and some languages are also offered at the David Lam Campus.

Assessment Information

The following guidelines are intended to assist students in determining the best placement in the courses listed below. It should be noted that students must check the Modern Languages section to ensure they have met specific course prerequisites.

CHINESE
All students taking a Chinese course for the first time at Douglas College should contact the instructor prior to registration to determine the appropriate level. (This may include a short test.) Instructor: Ralph Lake: 604-527-5649, Room 3617, New Westminster Campus, e-mail: laoshi@kuangxi.com.

FRENCH

1. If you have no knowledge of French or if you took up to French 10 (inclusive) in BC, register in MODL 1101. No assessment necessary.
2. If you took high school French in BC in the last three years, refer to the Guidelines below before registering. No assessment necessary.
3. If your background in French does not match the Guidelines below, contact a French instructor for assessment.

Instructors:
Fanny Boulesteix: 604-527-5211, Room 3626, NW (all levels) boulesteixf@douglascollege.ca
Richard Ante: 604-527-5204, Room 3626, NW (MODL 1101, 1102, 2211, 2212 and 3111 only) anter@douglascollege.ca

If you have:	You take:
BC High School French (within the last three years)	Douglas College French
No French	MODL 1101
Up to French 10	MODL 1101
French 11 (Grade "P" to "C+")	MODL 1102
French 11 (Grade "B" to "A") or French 12 (Grade "P" to "C+")	MODL 1103
French 12 (Grade "P" to "C+")	MODL 1104
French 12 (Grade "B" to "A")	MODL 1111
French Immersion 12 (Grade "P" to "C+")	MODL 1111
French Immersion 12 (Grade "C") or French 12 (Grade "B" to "A")	MODL 1112
French Immersion 12 (Grade B to A)	MODL 2211
French Immersion (Grade B to A) AND Assessment	MODL 2212
French Immersion 12 (Grade B to A), or Assessment	MODL 3111

 

GERMAN
Students with little or no knowledge of the language may register in MODL 1131 regular format (Fall, Winter) without assessment. All other students without prerequisites are required to contact the instructor prior to registration to determine the appropriate level. Instructor: Ulrike Ebeling: 604-527-5205; Room 3619, New Westminster Campus, email: ebelingu@douglascollege.ca.

JAPANESE
Students with NO knowledge of the language may register in MODL 1171 only without assessment. All other students taking a Japanese course for the first time at Douglas College must contact the instructor prior to registration to determine the appropriate level . Instructor: Yuri Naito: email: naitoy@douglascollege.ca 604-527-5200; Room 3618, New Westminster Campus.

SPANISH
Students with little or no knowledge of the language may register in MODL 1151 without assessment. All other students without prerequisites, including students from Spanish-speaking background, will be required to contact the instructor as early as possible prior to registration, to determine the appropriate level. Instructor: Margarita Sewerin: email: sewerinm@douglascollege.ca, 604-527-5618; Room 3609, NW.

Intake Dates/Application Deadlines

**Application deadlines may be extended.
Courses are offered in the Fall and Winter primarily but some courses are available each Summer.

See Application Deadlines.

Prerequisite Compliance

1. General Admission Requirements
2. English 12 with a minimum grade of "C" or approved substitution
3. Assessment Information

Students who are requesting transfer credit from other institutions or submitting high school transcripts from outside of BC to satisfy prerequisite compliance are required to apply and submit those documents no later than three months in advance of the intake.

RETURNING STUDENTS:

A grade of "C" or better is required to take the next level course. Further information about Modern Language assessment may be obtained from the Faculty of Language, Literature and Performing Arts 604-527-5465; room 3308, New Westminster Campus and 604-777-6243; room A3030 David Lam Campus.

MATURE STUDENTS:

Mature students who wish to only study a language but do not fulfill Douglas College general admission requirements may be entitled to a special status. Please contact an instructor of the language you wish to study.

Transferability

All Douglas College Modern Languages are transferable to SFU, UBC and UVic. Both halves of a unit with the same title, for instance MODL 1101 and MODL 1102 (Basic French I and II), may be required to obtain transfer credits. Please refer to the BC Transfer Guide.

Total credits in language courses transferable to SFU are limited, except in French. Students are advised to consult the SFU Transfer Guide.

Some universities do not accept challenge credits. Students are advised to check with universities before applying for course challenge at Douglas College.

Credentials

Certificate in Modern Languages

Modern Languages courses are an important option for both the Diploma in Arts and in Science and the Associate Degrees in Arts and in Science.

Recommended Course Sequence

All MODL courses are designed as the first or second half of a two-semester unit; therefore it is recommended that students take the second semester course immediately after the first, whenever possible.