LAN: Language

College of Arts and Humanities

How to Read Course Descriptions

The bolded first line begins with a capitalized abbreviation that designates the subject area followed by the course number and title. The credit hour value is also displayed.

Components: Indicates that the course has multiple components, such as lecture (LEC) and laboratory (LAB). The corresponding faculty contact hours are included in parentheses [e.g., LEC (2), LAB (3)] but are not related to the number of credits the student receives.

The course description outlines what topics are covered in the course.

Prerequisites: Coursework and/or other requirements to be completed before taking the course.

Corequisites: Course(s) that must be taken in the same term.

"Recommended courses": Prerequisites or corequisites that are not required for enrollment in a particular course but would aid the student in successful completion of that course.

"Gen Ed Attribute for Students Admitted Prior to Fall 2020": Indicates the general education attributes that apply to a particular course for a student whose university admit term is before Fall 2020.

"Gen Ed Attribute for Students Admitted Fall 2020 and After": Indicates the general education attributes that apply to a particular course for a student whose university admit term is Fall 2020 or later.

"Gen Ed Attribute": Indicates the general education attributes that apply to a particular course, regardless of the student's university admit term.

General Education Key: List of available general education areas that a particular course may satisfy. Certain areas cannot be simultaneously satisfied by the same course. See General Education Requirements for more information.

SD - Science Distributive Requirement
BSD - Behavioral & Social Science Distributive Requirement
HD - Humanities Distributive Requirement
AD - Arts Distributive Requirement
EC - English Composition Requirement
I - Interdisciplinary Requirement
J - Diverse Communities Requirement
W - Writing Emphasis Requirement
SE - Speaking Emphasis Requirement
ET - Ethics Requirement
F - Foreign Languages Culture Cluster
AR - Arabic Culture Cluster
ASL - American Sign Language Culture Cluster
CC - Classical Civilizations Culture Cluster
FA - French & Francophone Area Culture Cluster
GER - German Culture Cluster
IT - Italian Culture Cluster
REE - Russian & Eastern European Culture Cluster
SP - Spanish Culture Cluster

Distance Education: Indicates if a course is approved to be offered via distance education. See the class schedule for details.

Consent: Department must give permission for a student to enroll in a course. Generally done through an electronic code that is created in myWCU, allowing the student to then enroll themselves into the course.

Typically Offered: Indicates what semester the course is usually offered. Availability is not guaranteed, as some courses are not offered every year.

Repeatable for Credit: Indicates if a student can take the course more than once and obtain credit. Verify the maximum allowable number of credits with the department.

Cross Listed: Indicates if there are any other course offerings that are considered equivalent to the course listing.

How to Read Course Descriptions

LAN 100. Language and the Human Experience. 3 Credits.

Language plays a fundamental role in how humans experience the world around them. In this class, we will explore the nature of language and how language and culture intersect in various ways. Some of the questions we will attempt to answer include: What is human language? Does language equal thought? How are languages similar and different? How and why is language gendered? How are language and power connected? This course will expose you to new ways of thinking and talking about language, thus allowing you to view language use more critically in everyday interactions.
Gen Ed Attribute: Humanities Distributive Requirement.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

LAN 150. Lovely Accents: The World's Vocal Tapestry. 3 Credits.

Accents are a big part of what makes us human. Nothing showcases more vividly the vocal tapestry stitched and reflected in our voices like accents do. This course introduces students to the study of the way people around the world sound when they speak. Why do people have accents? Is it true that each person has an accent? Have accents always existed? What causes us to perceive some accents as "cool", and other accents less so? Can someone get rid of their accent? Should they? The course presents a general survey of human accents around the world. The course also discusses people's attitudes to accents different than those of their own.
Gen Ed Attribute: Humanities Distributive Requirement, Speaking Emphasis.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring, Summer, Winter.

LAN 199. Transfer Credits. 1-10 Credits.

Transfer Credits.
Repeatable for Credit.

LAN 312. What is Empathy? Scientific and Cultural Understandings. 3 Credits.

In this interdisciplinary course we shall examine answers to this question in various eras, disciplines, and cultures. A secondary question will be: Can empathy be learned? The course will conclude with an analysis of literary and cinematic texts that deal with the role of artistic works in eliciting empathy.
Gen Ed Attribute: Interdisciplinary Requirement.

LAN 327. Introduction to Linguistics for Language. 3 Credits.

An introduction to applied linguistics structured to meet the needs of language majors and future world language teachers. Examples are drawn from the language(s) expertise of the students.
Typically offered in Spring.

LAN 355. Technology and Language Learning. 3 Credits.

This course prepares students to both utilize existing technology and create new tools to better engage language learners. It enables students to master techniques in designing computer-based learning content for a diverse student population. Drawing on scholarship in the field of computer-assisted language learning, students will be introduced to best practices in designing, publishing, creating, testing, and assessing the quality of computer-based learning. This course provides theoretical and practical training for second language educators and is a balance between scholarship and practice in this field of applied linguistics that focuses on the use of computer technology in second language education. Students will be introduced to recent theories in the study of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) and will be trained in the use of many tools available for teacher education that employ various technological tools.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.
Repeatable for Credit.

LAN 382. Teaching English Language Learners PK-12. 3 Credits.

A study of issues and the application of techniques, strategies, and materials for meeting the needs of English Language Learners/English Learners in inclusive classrooms. Emphases include sociocultural issues in educational contexts, TESOL through the content areas, linguistics, second language acquisition, the integration and applications of the PA English Language Proficiency Standards PK-12 (ELPS) and current trends in second language teaching, learning and assessment.
Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity Requirement.
Distance education offering may be available.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.
Cross listed courses LAN 382, ENG 382.

LAN 390. How Are Languages Learned?. 3 Credits.

This course covers the basic principles of second language acquisition (SLA), an important area of study within the larger field of applied linguistics. Students will explore current theories of how people learn a second or foreign language, critically evaluate the theories and incorporate their own experiences with second language learning. Students will be expected to read, analyze, and respond to research that presents current views on second language acquisition. The field of SLA is inherently interdisciplinary and draws on research shaped by the prominent academic disciplines of psychology, sociology, education, and linguistics. Thus, a variety of views of SLA will be discussed in the class.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring & Summer.

LAN 401. Teaching of Modern Languages: K - 12. 3 Credits.

Problems, methods, and materials of teaching second languages at all levels. Observation and participation in second-language classrooms.
Pre / Co requisites: LAN 401 requires prerequisites of LIN/ENG 230 or LAN 327 and EDS 306; completion of language courses through the advanced level.
Typically offered in Fall & Spring.

LAN 403. Second Languages in the Elementary School. 3 Credits.

Techniques and materials used in teaching second languages in the elementary school. Practice in the application of these techniques and observation of language classes.

LAN 420. Topical Seminar. 1-6 Credits.

Specialized studies in language and the teaching of foreign languages.
Consent: Permission of the Department required to add.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring, Summer, Winter.
Repeatable for Credit.

LAN 425. Internship in Foreign Languages. 3-18 Credits.

A structured and supervised experience for students wishing to enhance their foreign language study directly in the workplace. Credits earned are based on time spent on the job.
Consent: Permission of the Department required to add.
Repeatable for Credit.

LAN: Language

How to Read Course Descriptions

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