Courses

So, which courses can I take?

The Department of World Languages & Cultures offers courses in French, German, Greek, Japanese, Latin, Mandarin and Spanish. Whether you’re looking to pick up a brand-new language or continue your high school language studies, we have a great range of introductory to advanced courses in several languages. The opportunities our students have with a degree in a second language are boundless.

Our grammar courses at the introductory level are designed to increase fluency in speaking, reading, writing and understanding the language, while our intensive courses at the advanced level examine the culture and works of literature written in the designated language.

CLASSICAL STUDIES

Our classical studies courses include studies in ancient language and a focus on the ancient world, with a special emphasis on Greece and Rome. See all Loading....

CLASSICAL LANGUAGES

Our classical languages courses include studies in ancient and biblical Greek, Greek and Latin. See all Loading....

MODERN LANGUAGES

Our modern languages courses include French, German, Japanese, Mandarin and Spanish. See all Loading....

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Recommendations

We recommend that you complete your general education language requirement as early as possible at Hope College. This allows you to:

• Build on what you have already learned in high school, while the knowledge is still fresh in your mind.
• Gain up to 16 Hope college credits for lower-level courses taken right away if you place into a higher-level language class. For example, if you are placed and enroll in the third semester of a language, you will receive 12 credits upon completing your third semester.
• Take advantage of off-campus study opportunities more quickly.

In each of our language fields, students must follow the sequence of courses (numbered I to IV, or up to VII in Spanish). Once you’re in the 300-level courses, you can take the classes in any order you wish.

Some of our languages require that students take 400-level courses (for example, in French you’ll need to take two of the 400-level courses) while other languages do not (German and Spanish, for example).

We recommend that students study overseas during their junior year. Not only is off-campus study an incredible opportunity, it can greatly accelerate the speed at which you earn your language major or minor. During your off-campus study program, you may take up to 16 credits that will be transferred back as Hope credits. If you plan well with the help of a language professor, you may complete up to 16 credits of general education courses. An additional bonus is that 12 of these credits — if taken in the language you study — will also count toward your language minor or major. That’s the equivalent of earning 28 credits in a single semester.