Modern Languages & Literatures

Modern Languages & Literatures
Foreign Language Requirement
Proficiency Placement Credit
Scholarship
Study Abroad
Support MLL
Faculty & Staff

About Us

The benefits of language study are many. They include a better appreciation of diversity in our own society, in-depth knowledge of national and regional cultures beyond our borders, and an increased general understanding of how language functions and how meaning is constructed.

We offer courses in the following:

  • American Sign Language (first-year only)
  • English as a Second Language
  • French
  • German
  • Global Academic Programs
  • Japanese
  • Spanish

Research has shown that bilingualism enhances cognitive abilities prized by educators and employers alike, such as verbal skills, critical thinking, problem-solving, flexibility, and creativity.

Study a Language,
Satisfy a Gen Ed

Languages open the door to a more enriching experience of the world through travel and through work and study abroad. At the same time, the languages we teach are not strictly “foreign” languages in that they have been represented in the region of the present-day United States for generations, even centuries.

Take second-year language classes (French, German, Japanese, or Spanish) and satisfy the two General Education requirements from Arts & Humanities. It will make you more marketable when applying for future opportunities.

If you are not sure which class to take, talk with an advisor in Patterson Hall 133.

Salamanca, Spain

Faculty-led Study Abroad

Experience an immersive language and cultural journey with EWU’s annual Summer trip to Spain! Earn 5 credits in a Spanish language course during a three-week stay at Colegio Delibes in Salamanca, Spain. This program offers a unique opportunity to enhance your language skills, deepen your cultural understanding, and broaden your global perspective. The course is led by EWU Professors Natalia Ruiz-Rubio and Miguel A. Novella, in collaboration with Colegio Delibes faculty.

Learn More

EWU Students in Spain

Proficiency Placement Credit

Students who have no prior study or knowledge of a language should begin study with 101, normally fall quarter.

Proficiency Placement guidelines

The following guidelines show students which course they need to start taking at EWU according to their bilingual background. Students might be advised to begin at a lower level due to a weak background and/or a considerable lapse of time between high school study and university enrollment.

Students with one year of high school language study should place themselves in a 102 section, normally winter quarter. They may also elect to begin with 101, fall quarter.

Students with two years of high school study or with the Seal of Biliteracy should consult with an advisor in the department of Modern Languages and Literatures (mll@ewu.edu)

Students with three years of high school study should place themselves in a 201 section (fall quarter). After completing 201 (and additional course work), they become eligible for proficiency placement credit.

Students who believe that they have attained intermediate or advanced knowledge in a language through previous experience may take the placement test offered by a program or otherwise consult the program faculty before or at the time of initial enrollment in language courses.

Students who have prior university credit for language study may not repeat equivalent courses at Eastern for additional credit. They should continue language study in sequence from the point they ended their previous study.

Students who believe that they have attained intermediate or advanced knowledge in a language through previous experience may take the placement test offered by a program or otherwise consult the program faculty before or at the time of initial enrollment in language courses.

Proficiency credits in Spanish:

Please, contact the Spanish Program at mll@ewu.edu to take the free placement test. Upon completing a minimum of 5  credits of Spanish coursework in residency, students are granted the previous credits they didn’t take, up to 15 credits. A B- grade minimum is required in this course. You will receive the 15 proficiency credits after you apply for graduation. These count toward the 180 credits graduation requirement. For example, a student placed in 300 level will receive all 15 credits of 200 level upon completion of 5 credits at the 300 level. Heritage speakers are encouraged to take Span 312 or Span 313. These credits satisfy the BACRs in Diversity and count toward the minor, the Certificate of Spanish for the Profession, or the Spanish major.

 

We offer proficiency placement credit to students who enter Eastern Washington University with some prior training and knowledge of foreign languages at the first- and/or second-year levels. These guidelines explain the conditions under which students may receive placement credit for previous language study. Proficiency credit is not given automatically. Contact the Modern Languages and Literatures Director, Natalia Ruiz-Rubio at mll@ewu.edu.

 

 

Foreign Language Requirement

  1. The Oral Proficiency Interview is an approximately 30-minute telephone interview with a Certified ACTFL Tester. It costs $159.
    OR
    The Oral Proficiency Interview by computer is a test of speaking performance recorded via computer lasting up to 45 minutes. It costs $105 and can only be done at a testing center.
  2. The Writing Proficiency Test is a standardized computer-based writing test. The test takes 80 minutes and costs $105. Candidates can choose a booklet option instead.
  3. Any questions please email mll@ewu.edu

Once the rating of your test is completed, you can view the test results and print an Official ACTFL Proficiency Certificate on your LTI account. Test results will automatically be reported by LTI to the Washington DOE.

Eastern requires that all students complete two years of the same language in high school OR one year of the same language at the college level (103 level or higher). Any of the languages offered in Modern Languages & Literatures can fulfill this requirement.

Students with some proficiency in a language taught at Eastern (i.e., Spanish, Japanese, German, and French) should satisfy the requirement by taking classes at the appropriate level. Please, contact the Modern Languages program at mll@ewu.edu to take the online free placement test. Upon completing a minimum of 5 upper-division credits of coursework in residency, students are granted the previous credits they didn’t take, up to 15 credits. Students who speak Spanish at home can satisfy the language requirement by taking Span 312 or Span 313. With one of these courses, they will complete their Spanish Minor and their Diversity graduation requirement.

Students who have proficiency in ASL, Level 1, can satisfy the foreign language requirement by taking the ASLPI interview. Please, arrange for the interview individually and submit the certificate to the Program of Modern Languages and Literatures (mll@ewu.edu)

Students who have some proficiency in a language not taught at Eastern (e.g. Russian, Portuguese, Korean, Swahili, etc.) can satisfy the requirement by taking the ACTFL oral and written language proficiency tests through Language Testing International (LTI). Eastern Washington University is one of the testing sites serving the state of Washington.

A testing session is organized for the first Friday of every month (except August). Tests are proctored by faculty in Patterson Hall 216. After registering for your tests with LTI, please contact Natalia Ruiz-Rubio at nruizrubio@ewu.edu to let her know about your upcoming tests.

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