Learning Outcomes

Minors in Arabic Studies will have acquired the following set of skills and knowledge by the time they graduate from Boston College:

• Novice High to Intermediate Low proficiency in all language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing).
• Familiarity with major cultural highpoints of the Middle East.
• Broad, in-depth understanding of the contributions Arabic-speaking countries have made to the development of the Western world.
• Capacity to adopt an international perspective and to relate the knowledge and practices of Arabic Studies appropriately to other cultures, disciplines, fields, and interests, especially the student’s primary major.

Minors in Chinese will have acquired the following set of skills and knowledge by the time they graduate from Boston College:

• Above Intermediate proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing Modern Mandarin Chinese.
• Intermediate proficiency in Chinese-English and English-Chinese translation of written texts.
• Familiarity with aspects of Chinese literature, philosophy, or history.
• Critical perspectives on trending sociopolitical issues in contemporary Chinese-speaking societies.
• Sensitivity to and appreciation for the rich cultural diversity within the Chinese-speaking world.

Majors in German Studies will have acquired the following set of skills and knowledge by the time they graduate from Boston College:

• Advanced proficiency in speaking, listening, reading and writing.
• Capacity to articulate discussions, arguments, and analyses with clear, structured, and in-depth critical-thinking processes and communicate them effectively to others.
• Familiarity with the principal works, authors, genres, and movements in German-language literature and culture from 800 C.E. to the present.
• Ability to employ disciplinary terminology appropriately and to perform critical disciplinary practices like close reading; historical research; formal, expository and creative writing; and the analysis of grammar, form, and film sequences.
• Ability to analyze and interpret texts and other cultural media from Austria, Germany, and Switzerland within their social, historical, and political contexts.
• Capacity to adopt an international perspective and to relate the knowledge and practices of German Studies appropriately to other cultures, disciplines, fields, and interests.

Minors in German or in German Studies will have acquired the following set of skills and knowledge by the time they graduate from Boston College:

• Strong proficiency in speaking, listening, reading and writing.
• Familiarity with major cultural highpoints of the German-language world.
• Broad, in-depth understanding of the contributions German-speaking civilizations have made to the development of the Western world.
• Capacity to adopt an international perspective and to relate the knowledge and practices of German Studies appropriately to other cultures, disciplines, fields, and interests, especially the student’s primary major.

Students who have taken German Studies courses that satisfy the Core Curriculum Literature Requirement will have:

• Gained deeper insight into the ways in which Western cultures, especially German-speaking ones, have framed and challenged different mechanisms of self-understanding, be it through the concept of justice, modernity, madness, or other.
• Engaged in critical inquiry and reflected meaningfully on alternative ways of looking at the world through literature, together with their peers and course instructor.
• Been introduced to (or further developed) the disciplinary practices of literary study, including close reading, textual analysis, critical thought, and the practice of writing.
• Been afforded the opportunity to identify the linguistic and formal satisfactions of literary art, especially of German-language literature since 1800.

Majors in Linguistics should demonstrate the following skills by the time they graduate from Boston College

• The capacity to accurately perceive and clearly articulate complex linguistic phenomena and their patterns of distribution.
• The ability to both construct and evaluate linguistic arguments, drawing on general principles of linguistic structure as well as on strategically-selected data from multiple languages.
• Facility with a range of theoretical stances within the modern discipline alongside understanding of the historical sources of those theories, and of their strengths and limits.
• Strong problem-solving skills, displayed in the ability to apply the findings of modern linguistics as relevant to the social sciences and humanities.
• In-depth knowledge of a specific area within the scientific study of language, chosen in consultation with faculty to reflect the student’s interests.
• Expertise in at least one non-native language, and exposure to at least one non-Indo-European language.

Students completing courses in Linguistics that satisfy the Core Cultural Diversity Requirement should demonstrate the following skills

• The capacity to analyze language as a cross-cultural phenomenon including varieties of language associated with social class, ethnicity, gender, age, and locale.
• The ability to articulate, in fine detail, how groups of speakers construct their social identities through code- and style-shifting, with reference to phonology, morphology, syntax, lexicon, and pragmatic resources.
• Broad exposure to the methods and results of modern sociolinguistic inquiry.
• Appreciation of the application of sociolinguistic expertise to real-world problems in fields such as education, law, immigration, and public discourse.
• Understanding of complex, on-going, debates about language endangerment and revitalization.

Majors in Russian will have acquired the following skills and knowledge by the time they graduate from Boston College:

• Intermediate Mid to Intermediate High (according to the ACTFL proficiency guidelines) proficiency in speaking, listening, reading and writing in Russian.
• Familiarity with the principal works, authors, genres, and movements in Russian-language literature and culture, in the Russian Empire, Soviet Union, and post-Soviet states and in Russophone diasporas, from the early 19th century to the early 21st century.
• Ability to analyze and interpret texts and other cultural media (film, visual arts, music) from Russian-speaking countries and Russophone diasporas within their sociohistorical, ethnocultural, political, ideological, and religious contexts using discipline-specific vocabulary.
• Understanding of the complex colonial history of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and the post-Soviet states and of the multiethnic, multilingual, multicultural, and multireligious legacy of Russophone literatures and cultures
• Capacity for critical thinking and articulating arguments both orally and in written work.
• Intercultural competence and the ability to adopt an international perspective and to understand and relate to other–including one’s own–cultures and disciplines.

Minors in Russian will have acquired the following set of skills and knowledge by the time they graduate from Boston College:

• Novice High to Intermediate Low (according to the ACTFL proficiency guidelines) proficiency in speaking, listening, reading and writing in Russian.
• Familiarity with major works of Russophone literature and other cultural media (film, visual arts, music) of various periods, genres, and movements.
• Intercultural competence and the ability to adopt an international perspective and to understand and relate to other–including one’s own–cultures and disciplines.

Students who have taken courses in Russian that satisfy the Core Curriculum Literature Requirement will have:

• Gained a deeper understanding and appreciation of Russian-language literary texts and their sociohistorical, ethnocultural, political, ideological, and religious contexts.
• Familiarity with key events and artistic movements in Russian-language literature and history/culture.
• Developed close reading, critical thinking, and analytical skills in literature of various genres.
• Articulated thoughts and arguments clearly in discussions and written work.

Students who have taken courses in Russian that satisfy the Core Cultural Diversity Requirement will have:

• Gained a deeper understanding and appreciation of Russian-language texts and other media created by Russophone authors and artists in the former Russian Empire, the USSR, the post-Soviet state, and in emigration, along with their sociohistorical, political, ideological, and cultural contexts.
• Acquired an appreciation for the complexity and diversity of the ethnoreligious, geographic, and linguistic origins of writers and artists who create Russian culture.
• Familiarity with key events and artistic movements in Russian-language literature and history/culture
• Developed close reading, critical thinking, and analytical skills in various media, such as literature, film, art, and music.
• Articulated thoughts and arguments clearly in discussions and written work.

Students who have taken courses in Russian that satisfy the Core Arts Requirement will have:

• Become familiar with canonical works of Russian music and art from its origin to today along with their historical and aesthetic contexts.
• Studied in depth the ways in which artists and musicians use forms, subjects, and styles to convey their sensibilities
• Gained a critical vocabulary to speak and write intelligently about music and art.
• Acquired skills to discern characteristics unique to works of art and music.

Majors in Slavic Studies will have acquired the following skills and knowledge by the time they graduate from Boston College:

• Intermediate Mid to Intermediate High (according to the ACTFL proficiency guidelines) proficiency in speaking, listening, reading and writing in one or more Slavic languages taught at Boston College (Russian, Polish, Bulgarian)
• Familiarity with the principal works, authors, genres, and movements in Russian, Slavic, and East European literatures and cultures from 19th century to the present.
• Understanding of the cultural and political history of Russian, Slavic, and East European countries and peoples
• Ability to analyze and interpret texts and other cultural media (film, visual arts, music) from Russia and Eastern Europe within their sociohistorical, ethnic, religious, and political contexts using discipline-specific vocabulary
• Capacity for critical thinking and articulating arguments both orally and in written work.
• Intercultural competence and the ability to adopt an international perspective and to understand and relate to other–including one’s own–cultures and disciplines.

Students who have taken courses in Slavic Studies that satisfy the Core Curriculum Literature Requirement will have:

• Gained a deeper understanding and appreciation of Russian and Slavic literary texts and their political, social, and ethnocultural contexts.
• Familiarity with key events and artistic movements in Russian and Slavic literatures and histories/cultures.
• Developed close reading, critical thinking, and analytical skills in literature of various genres.
• Articulated thoughts and arguments clearly in discussions and written work.

Students who have taken courses in Slavic Studies that satisfy the Core Cultural Diversity Requirement will have:

• Gained a deeper understanding and appreciation of Russian, Slavic, and East European literary texts and other media along with their political, social, and cultural contexts.
• Familiarity with key events and artistic movements in Russian, Slavic, and East European literatures and the history and culture of Slavic and Eastern European countries and peoples.
• Developed close reading, critical thinking, and analytical skills in various media, such as literature, film, art, and music.
• Articulated thoughts and arguments clearly in discussions and written work.

Students who have taken courses Slavic Studies that satisfy the Core Arts Requirement will have:

• Become familiar with canonical works of Russian, Slavic and East European music and art from its origin to today along with their historical and aesthetic contexts.
• Studied in depth the ways in which artists and musicians use forms, subjects, and styles to convey their sensibilities
• Gained a critical vocabulary to speak and write intelligently about music and art.
• Acquired skills to discern characteristics unique to works of art and music