Degree Programs

We offer majors and minors in Chinese, Classical Studies, French, German, Japanese and Spanish.

A major or minor in a second or third language pairs well with many other fields of study and is one of the easiest double-majors to earn while at Hope College. Language skills provide our students with opportunities to travel the world and open up the opportunities available after graduating.

Majors

Minors

DOUBLE MAJOR

Many students choose to add a language major or minor to their degree program at Hope.

The most popular major combinations are:

Communication
Psychology
Business/Management
Education
Biology
History
Religion

Other common combinations include:

Engineering
Computer Science
Nursing
Exercise Science

The overwhelming majority of students studying language at Hope have two majors and sometimes a minor—a few even manage three majors.

Here’s the key to combining your majors for a successful time at Hope:

Start your language study early (ideally, the first semester of your career at Hope)
Seek advice from a language professor early and know which general education courses to save for your study abroad semester
Spend a semester abroad and double up on credits while there

PLACEMENT

If you have prior language experience, you’ll be placed according to the number of years of study in high school and the grades you received. Most students are placed in the first or second year of college language. For example, if you’ve taken three years of a language up to your junior year of high school, you may be placed in the second or third semester of that language program. If you’ve had two years of a high school language, you may be placed in the first or second semester depending on the grades you received.

It is easiest to complete a language major if you are placed at a higher level in the second semester or above.

Depending on your chosen language, you’ll need a certain number of credits to complete your major (Classics, 32; Japanese, 36; German, 24; French, 28; Spanish, 32)
To complete a minor in most languages, 12–16 credits beyond the fourth semester level are required

If you have questions about your placement or what courses to take, please contact Mandy Stephenson in the Department of World Languages & Cultures: (616) 395-7570 or stephensona@hope.edu

If you’ve never studied a foreign language or wish to begin studying a new language, you may enroll in any beginning language course! Choose from Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Japanese, Latin, Russian and Spanish.

ASSESSMENT

In all languages, we put a special emphasis on speaking. Throughout the curriculum, students are evaluated on their ability to express themselves orally and in written formal and informal situations. This is done by way of active class discussions, oral presentations, research papers and group work.

To measure our students’ progress over their four years at Hope College, students majoring in a language are assessed on their speaking skills at the end of their fourth semester and again before graduation.

The exam administered is a computerized oral proficiency exam that tests students’ ability to speak in the language studied. It is calibrated to the ACTFL proficiency guidelines, which are the national standard for foreign language learning. Taking this exam gives students a good sense of where they stand in their development in speaking their language of choice.

Program Outcomes

Chinese Studies

Hope College students completing a Chinese Studies degree will:

Demonstrate language proficiency (oral) as described in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines
Demonstrate intercultural competency and diversity as described by ETS’s HEIghten ICC&D Assessment
Understand and articulate the similarities and differences between Chinese and American cultures
Understand the similarities and differences between Chinese and American Christian values

Classical Studies

Hope College students completing a Classical Studies degree will:

Demonstrate language proficiency (reading in Latin and Greek)
Demonstrate intercultural competency and diversity (as described by ETS’s HEIghten ICC&D Assessment)
Understand the cultural, linguistic, literary and historical tradition of the Greek and Roman world

German

Hope College students completing a German degree will:

Demonstrate language proficiency (oral) as described in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines
Demonstrate intercultural competency and diversity as described by ETS’s HEIghten ICC&D Assessment
Demonstrate learning virtues: CCC=Courage, Curiosity, Compassion

Global French Studies

Hope College students completing a Global French Studies degree will:

Demonstrate language proficiency (oral) as described in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines
Demonstrate intercultural competency and diversity as described by ETS’s HEIghten ICC&D Assessment
Understand the differences and similarities in francophone cultures and societies

Japanese Studies

Hope College students completing a Japanese Studies degree will:

Demonstrate language proficiency (oral) (as described in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines)
Demonstrate intercultural competency and diversity (as described by ETS’s HEIghten ICC&D Assessment)
Investigate, explain and reflect on the cultural differences using the Japanese language (as described in World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages)

Latin Education

Hope College students completing a Latin Education degree will:

Be able to identify, translate and understand the features of Latin grammar and syntax
Understand the features of Roman culture, history and civilization

Spanish

Hope College students completing a Spanish degree will:

Demonstrate language proficiency (oral) as described in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines
Demonstrate intercultural competency and diversity as described by ETS’s HEIghten ICC&D Assessment
Demonstrate a knowledge of the language and culture of the Spanish-speaking world