Modern Language

FRE 100 /GER 100 / ITA 100 Introductory Language I

FRE 101 / GER 101 / ITA 101 Introductory Language II

FRE 200 / GER 200 / ITA 200 Intermediate Language I

FRE 201 / GER 201 / ITA 201 Intermediate Language II

FRE 300 / GER 300 / ITA 300 Advanced Language I

As part of the university’s mission to cultivate international leadership skills through foreign language acquisition and cultural literacy, Franklin encourages all students to be strong, independent users of at least one Swiss language. Two options, or tracks, are available to students to ensure successful completion of this requirement. Students in Track 1 strive to achieve advanced proficiency in French, German, or Italian. Track 2 students opt for a combination of language study and cultural literacy classes across several FUS disciplines. For all students, a two-semester commitment to Swiss language study (most typically satisfied in the 100-101 sequence) is mandatory. Barring specific exceptions (see notes below), the ML Core represents a five-semester requirement. Students must fulfill each class of the language requirement in sequence and in the same language.

Track 1

Students complete a full five-semester sequence (15 credits) in one Swiss language: FRE/GER/ITA:  100-101, 200-201, 300. Following completion of this sequence, B2 or C1-level competency in French, German, or Italian may be certified through external Common European Framework testing.

Students who have previously studied French, German, or Italian are free to self-place into the most appropriate language course. Modern language faculty are available to advise students on self-placement. Students who enter at the 300-level, or higher, must take a minimum total of two advanced language courses at FUS to complete the ML Core requirement

Students who identify as native speakers of French, German or Italian and who choose to complete the language requirement in their native language must take two courses at FUS above the 301-level. Native speakers may also complete their requirement by taking two courses in another Swiss language at the appropriate level. 

Track 2

Designed as an alternative for students with special circumstances as determined by the academic advisor and division chair in close consultation with the student, this option is open only to:

  1. Students who are already multilingual (in non-Swiss languages) and who enroll in WTG 124, WTG 128, or WTG 130;

  2. Students who have language-specific diagnosed learning challenges on record with the accessibility coordinator;

  3. Other special cases to be assessed in close consultation with the advisor and the Modern Languages program chair.

In Track 2, students complete the first year in the language sequence (100-101) followed by three classes designated as cultural literacy courses.

New courses may periodically be added to the current list of cultural literacy courses found here:

AHT 102Introduction to Art History and Visual Culture I: Antiquity to Early Renaissance

3

AHT 103Introduction to Art History and Visual Culture II: High Renaissance to Contemporary Art

3

AHT 234Painting in France in the 19th Century: Reality, Impressions, Simultaneity

3

CLCS 100The Stories We Live By

3

CLCS 110Reading Cultures: Approaches to Cultural Studies

3

CLCS 200Gender and Sexuality in a Global Context

3

CLCS 220Inventing the Past: The Uses of Memory in a Changing World

3

CLCS 236TPrague on the Page

3

CLCS 238TReading the Postcolonial City: Berlin and Hamburg

3

CLCS 242Representations of Poverty in Literature

3

CLCS 250Ecocritical Approaches to Film

3

CLCS 251TReading Moroccan Culture

3

COM 202Fundamentals of Interpersonal Communication

3

HIS 202THistory of Switzerland

3

HIS 204History of Italy from the Renaissance to the Present

3

HIS 240History of Modern Germany

3

HIS 243Worlds of Islam

3

HIS 271History of Modern France

3

IS XXX
Any Italian Studies course

POL 204Government and Politics of Latin America

3

POL 224Politics and Society in Switzerland

3

POL 290Government and Politics of the Middle East

3

SJS 100Sustainability and Social Justice: Ethics, Equality, and Environments

3

Students placed in WTG 124, WTG 128 or WTG 130 and who are approved for Track 2 may count a total of six WTG credits (not including WTG 150 or WTG 200) towards partial completion of the five-semester ML Core requirement.

Note: A minimum grade of C is required in all ML Core classes in order to advance to the next level.