Modern Languages
Chair: Devin Jenkins
Program Assistant: Niki Mott
Office: Plaza Building, Room 118
Mailing Address:
Campus Box 178
P.O. Box 173364
Denver, CO 80217-3364
Telephone: 303-315-7234
Overview
General Information
The Department of Modern Languages includes Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Latin and Spanish. Major is available in Spanish, and minors are available in Chinese Studies, French, Linguistics, and Spanish. Certificates are available in Chinese for International Business, Spanish for International Business, and Spanish for the Healthcare Professions. Students must declare a major prior to their final semester of coursework. The department recommends that majors and minors include some study abroad while they are fulfilling their degree requirements at CU Denver. Please see a departmental advisor about study abroad opportunities. Credit earned abroad will normally count toward satisfaction of the major and minor requirements at CU Denver, but to assure full transfer of credit, students must see an advisor in the department before enrolling in programs abroad. Courses taken abroad and designated as upper division in Chinese, French, German or Spanish are subject to study abroad and transfer credit policies.
Departmental Honors
Students who meet certain criteria and have been invited by the faculty of the appropriate language are encouraged to participate in the Department of Modern Languages honors program. Successful completion of this program by students majoring in Spanish leads to graduation with the distinction of cum laude, magna cum laude or summa cum laude.
Honors in Spanish
Students who complete all the requirements for Spanish Language, Literature and Culture, BA, Spanish Language, Literature and Culture, BA with Secondary Teaching Licensure Endorsement or Spanish, International Language and Culture for the Professions Option, BA, meet the following criteria and have been invited by the Spanish faculty are encouraged to participate in the honors program. Successful completion of this program by students majoring in Spanish leads to graduation with the distinction of cum laude, magna cum laude or summa cum laude.
CUM LAUDE:
- Overall CU GPA of 3.5 or better and Spanish GPA of 3.8 or better
OR - Overall CU GPA or 3.2 or better and Spanish GPA of 3.5 or better and
Three credit hours of SPAN 4840 Independent Study: SPAN . The candidate must present the independent study topic for approval by the faculty honors committee by the end of the semester that precedes commencement of the project. At the end of the independent study project, and at least one month before the end of the semester, the candidate shall deliver an oral presentation based on the project to the faculty honors committee.
MAGNA CUM LAUDE AND SUMMA CUM LAUDE:
- Overall CU GPA of 3.5 or better and Spanish GPA of 3.8 or better
AND - Six credit hours of SPAN 4840 Independent Study: SPAN , spread over two semesters. The candidate must present the independent study topic for approval by the faculty honors committee by the end of the semester that precedes commencement of the project. At the end of the independent study project, and at least one month before the end of the semester, the candidate shall submit a written thesis to the faculty honors committee.
- The designation of magna or summa will be the decision of the faculty honors committee.
Relevance to Other Programs
In addition to fulfilling major and minor requirements, courses in the Department of Modern Languages prepare students in the language, literature and civilization of the countries and peoples they are studying. Certain courses may apply to the fulfillment of core curriculum requirements in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Second Language Requirement
All students with majors in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences must demonstrate proficiency in a second language at the second semester level. This is accomplished through course work, credit by examination or by completion of second-year high school credit. Students must receive a grade of C- (1.7) or higher in the final semester of the second-year course in high school or the second-semester college-level course in order to fulfill the second language requirement. The prerequisite for the second-semester college course is a grade of C- (1.7) or better in the first-semester course. A course used to satisfy the second language requirement cannot be completing using pass/fail grading. Visit the CLAS Second Language Proficiency section of this catalog for additional information for satisfying the requirement.
For information on fulfilling part of the second language requirement through study abroad, please visit the Office of Global Education: Study Abroad website.
Department of Modern Languages Policy on Student Placement in Lower-Division Courses
A student may not enroll in a lower-division (1000/2000) language course that is below his/her level of language proficiency. Students wishing to enroll in a lower-division language course that does not directly follow their last completed course in the regular sequence must consult with an appropriate faculty member of the Department of Modern Languages prior to enrollment. Students who have achieved some proficiency in a foreign language through other means than academic courses must also consult with an appropriate faculty member of the Department of Modern Languages prior to enrollment. Call 303-315-7234 for further information.
Departmental Advising
Upon declaring a major or minor in modern languages, each student will be assigned to a faculty advisor with whom the student should consult at least once per semester thereafter. It is especially important that modern language majors have their transcripts reviewed by a departmental advisor before enrolling in their final 30 semester hours at CU Denver. Failure to do so may result in delay of graduation. Students presenting four years of high school foreign language (Level IV) for admission must see a departmental advisor before enrolling in courses for the major or minor. Students with CLEP credits or advanced placement credits from high school should see a departmental advisor about course equivalencies.
Before enrolling in their final semester, seniors demonstrate advanced oral and written proficiency in the language that they are studying through an oral proficiency interview and a written outcomes assessment exam. Students must see a departmental advisor to schedule proficiency tests in their language.
Residency Requirement
A minimum of 18 semester hours of course work leading to a major in French or Spanish must be taken from modern languages faculty at CU Denver. For a minor in Chinese, French, Linguistics or Spanish, 9 semester hours must be taken from Modern Languages faculty at CU Denver. Courses taken at other institutions while a student is enrolled at CU Denver may be applied to the major or minor only with departmental approval before enrollment in those courses.
Undergraduate Information
Arabic
The Department of Modern Languages offers first- and second-year Arabic courses.
Chinese
Click here to learn about the requirements for the Chinese Studies Minor.
Click here to learn about the requirements for the Chinese for International Business Undergraduate Certificate.
French
Click here to learn about the requirements for the French Minor.
German
The Department of Modern Languages offers first-year and other courses in German.
Linguistics
Click here to learn about the requirements for the Linguistics Minor.
Latin
The Department of Modern Languages offers first-year and other courses in Latin.
Spanish
Click here to learn about the requirements for the Spanish, Language, Literature and Culture Major Option.
Click here to learn about the requirements for the Spanish, International Language and Culture for the Professions Major Option.
Click here to learn about the requirements for the Spanish, Secondary Teaching Licensure Major Option.
Click here to learn about the requirements for the Spanish Minor.
Click here to learn about the requirements for the Spanish for the Health Professions Undergraduate Certificate.
Click here to learn about the requirements for the Spanish for International Business Undergraduate Certificate.
Graduate Information
Please go to the Graduate catalog to read about our graduate programs.
Programs Offered
- Spanish, 4 + 1 BA/ MA
- Spanish Language, Literature and Culture, BA
- Spanish Language, Literature and Culture, BA with Secondary Teaching Licensure Endorsement
- Spanish, International Language and Culture for the Professions Option, BA
- Chinese Studies Minor
- French Minor
- Linguistics Minor
- Spanish Minor
- Medical Spanish for Beginners Undergraduate Certificate
- Spanish for the Health Professions Undergraduate Certificate
- Spanish for International Business Undergraduate Certificate
- Chinese for International Business Undergraduate Certificate
Arabic Faculty
Instructor and Advisor:
Lizz Huntley, Ph.D, Michigan State University
Chinese Faculty
Assistant Professor and Advisor:
I-hao Victor Woo, PhD, Boston University
French Faculty
Senior Instructor and French Advisor:
Lori Willard, PhD, University of Colorado
Lecturer:
Sara Fischer, PhD, University of Colorado
German Faculty
Lecturer:
Maggie Rosenau, PhD, University of Colorado
Latin Faculty
Lecturers:
Mary De Forest, PhD, University of Colorado
Alan Sumler, PhD, City University of New York
Linguistics Faculty
Associate Professors:
Devin Jenkins, PhD, University of New Mexico
Alyssa Martoccio, PhD, University of Illinois
Assistant Professors:
I-hao Victor Woo, PhD, Boston University
Assistant Teaching Professor:
Gabriela de Robles, PhD, Georgetown University
Instructor and Advisor:
Lizz Huntley, Ph.D, Michigan State University
Spanish Faculty
Professor:
Andrés Lema-Hincapié, PhD, Cornell University and PhD, University of Ottawa
Associate Professors:
Michael Abeyta, PhD, University of California-Davis
María Luisa Fernández Martínez, PhD, University of California, Irvine
Devin Jenkins, PhD, University of New Mexico
Alyssa Martoccio, PhD, University of Illinois
Assistant Teaching Professor:
Gabriela de Robles, PhD, Georgetown University
Instructors:
Ileana Gross, MA, University of Georgia
Amanda Ritchie, MA, University of Akron
Undergraduate Spanish Advisors (by student’s last name)
A-L:
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR:
María Luisa Fernández Martínez, PhD, University of California, Irvine
M-Z:
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR:
Alyssa Martoccio, PhD, University of Illinois
Graduate Advisor:
PROFESSOR:
Andrés Lema-Hincapié, PhD, Cornell University and PhD, University of Ottawa
Study Abroad Advisor:
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR:
Devin Jenkins, PhD, University of New Mexico
Internship Director:
PROFESSOR:
Andrés Lema-Hincapié, PhD, Cornell University and PhD, University of Ottawa
Emeritus Faculty:
ASSOCIATE PROFESSORS:
Kathleen Bollard
Diane Dansereau
ASSOCIATE TEACHING PROFESSOR:
Linda Alcott
INSTRUCTORS:
Tim Phillips
Ted Wendelin