Modern Languages Department

Studying the current day languages which are used and studied throughout the world.

Academic Options

Areas of Interest

American Sign Language

The goal of American Sign Language (ASL) courses is to enable the students to interact successfully with native signers and to relate language behavior to real-world situations. The regular academic courses meet on a daily basis.

It is advisable to begin the ASL 101 sequences in the fall quarter and thereby complete a one-year program in ASL in fulfillment of the requirement at many four-year colleges or universities.

Spanish

The goal of Spanish courses is to enable students to interact successfully with native speakers and to relate language behavior to real-world situations. The regular academic courses meet on a daily basis. The conversation courses differ from the academic courses primarily in breadth. They are usually taught in the Spanish101 or 201 sequences in the fall quarter and thereby complete a one-year program in Spanish in fulfillment of the requirement at many four-year college universities.

Course Placement

Students may generally be placed in these Spanish courses as outlined by the following: SPAN 101: No Spanish to one year of high school Spanish SPAN 102: Two or more years of high school Spanish SPAN 103: Three or more years of high school Spanish SPAN 201: Four or more years of high school Spanish NOTE: The above Spanish courses are not open to native speakers of Spanish (Heritage Speakers). Courses for native speakers include SPAN 231, 232, & 233 (see Spanish for Heritage Speakers below).

Spanish for Heritage Speakers (SHL)

Spanish for Heritage Learners (SHL) courses (SPAN 231, 232 & 233)are targeted at Spanish Speakers who wish to refine and preserve the Spanish they inherited. The courses offer Spanish-speaking students the opportunity to study Spanish formally in an academic setting, in the same way, English-speaking students study English in a college setting.

Course Placement

Students who are raised in a home where Spanish is spoken and who possess receptive (comprehension) and productive (speaking) skills in the language can take these courses. These students may be immigrants with limited literacy due to limited schooling or first- or second-generation heritage speakers who are bilingual in Spanish and English, with limited literacy skills in Spanish. Students may be required to take a placement test given by the instructor to determine their language level. Students may be placed in these SHL courses in no particular order.

Possible Careers

Graduates with a bachelors or masters degree in language can pursue careers in teaching both here in the United States and abroad. Including language studies with any major will provide options for careers in international business, law, medicine, cross cultural work with sociology, communication and other professional field.

Arts & Humanities Pathway

If you choose this pathway you are likely working toward a Direct Transfer Degree (DTA) to continue on to a university or other four year college.

Students can focus on one of the following disciplines while pursuing an Associate in Arts – Direct Transfer Agreement (AA-DTA), and Associate in Business – Direct Transfer Agreement/Major Ready Pathway (AA-DTA/MRP), or an Associate in Science – Transfer Track 1 (AS-T T1) or Track 2 (AS-T T2).

Modern Languages Department Contacts

Melinda ChiprezSpanish Instructor
Grandview Campus
Main Building
Building 56, Room 103
Phone: 509.882.7025
John Paul CyrAmerican Sign Language Instructor
Palmer Martin Hall
Building 20, Room 156
Phone 509.574.4810
Peter Monahan Spanish Instructor
Yakima Campus
Palmer Martin Hall
Building 20, Room 160
Phone: 509.574.4814
Luis Bello-ZaralloSpanish Instructor
Yakima Campus
Palmer Martin Hall
Building 20, Room 158
Phone: 509.574.4826