There has been a lot of buzz about recent changes to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences World Languages requirement. If you are not sure what these options are and which one to choose, this article is for you.
As CLAS advisors, we talk with students weekly about the new World Languages Pathways and want to share some information to help guide your choice. Keep reading to learn more about which path might be right for you.
What are the World Language Pathways?
If you still need to complete the World Languages general education requirement, there are now three pathways available to all CLAS students, and each presents a different opportunity for you to learn important skills that will help you navigate future work environments. As you make your decision, think about how each option fits into your timeline and how each option might set you up for success.
Pathway 1: Achieve fourth-level proficiency in a single world language
The fourth level typically means four years in high school or four semesters in college. If you took some language in high school but not a full four years, you will do a placement test to determine what level you are ready to start with at the university.
What are the benefits of this path?
Gaining greater proficiency in one language makes it more likely that you will be able to use that specific language in your professional life. Perhaps you are planning to work in a field like healthcare or journalism that will require you to communicate frequently with a community whose primary language is not English. Or perhaps you are hoping to study abroad, work, or do research in another country. If you find language study interesting, studying one language at a higher level introduces new skills such as the ability to converse more naturally, translate, or read famous works of literature. Going through the fourth level of a single language is also how many students launch into further study of a language as a major or minor.
Pathway 2: Complete the third level of one world language plus a World Language and Cultural Exploration (WLCE) course
In the WLCE course, which will be taught in English, you will learn about how a particular language or group of languages work and how they interact with culture and identity. The course you choose can be related to a language you have studied or allow you to explore something new.
For example, here are two ways a student might complete the third level pathway:
Three years of Spanish taken in high school and a WLCE course taught in English offered by German (GRMN 1550: German Food, History, and Culture: Beyond Bier and Bratwurst).
Three semesters of French taken in college and a WLCE course taught in English offered by Swahili (SWAH 2100: Exploring East African Language and Culture).
What are the benefits of this path?
This option may especially benefit students who completed three years of a language in high school but have not used the language for a long time or who took three years but were only placed into a first or second-level language course after taking a placement test. Perhaps you are less interested in reviewing how to speak and write a language and are more interested in the cultural impact of language or are curious about a new culture or language. This option allows you to try out one of the newly designed World Language and Cultural Exploration courses that will help expand how you think about language and identity.
Pathway 3: Complete the second level of two world languages
What are the benefits of this path?
This option may be a good fit for students who took two or three years of a language in high school or who tried one language at Iowa but want to try a new language. You can take advantage of the wealth of language options at university that were likely not offered at your high school. Perhaps your interest in foreign policy or entrepreneurship will benefit by studying one of these new languages. Studying several different languages can also help you better understand how language systems work.
You can learn more about all three pathways on the CLAS website.
Action steps:
- Talk to your advisor: Your advisor can help you think through which World Language Pathway is right for you.
- Check your degree audit: If you started at Iowa this summer or fall, your degree audit should already show all three pathways. If you started at the universtiy before summer 2024, your degree audit may be showing only the fourth level option for the world language general education requirement, but you can still choose any of the pathways.
- Opt in: If your degree audit only shows the fourth-level pathway but you want to complete one of the new pathways, you will need to opt in on MyUI to have your audit updated.
- Send your high school transcript: If you are a transfer student and completed world language coursework in high school, be sure to send your high school transcript to Iowa so that you can see what portion of each pathway you have completed.