Welcome to all you need to know about Barnard's language requirement!
Whether you want to continue studying a language you took in high school, gear up for a study abroad program, become fluent in a new language, or are just looking to fulfill the Foundations requirement: everyone has to take at least 2 semesters of a foreign language.
But what qualifies as a semester of a foreign language? For a class to count as a semester of a foreign language, it needs to be at least a 3 credit course. So a 3 credit course taken for at least 2 semesters results in at least 6 foreign language credits. The 2 semester foreign language requirement can also be thought of as a 6 credit foreign language requirement. Additionally, when we say “2 semesters of a foreign language”, we mean 2 semesters of the same language. So it can be 2 semesters of Spanish, French, Chinese, Zulu, or Arabic, but it can’t be 1 semester of Spanish and 1 semester of Arabic.
There’s a couple different ways you can end up fulfilling the language requirement.
Option 1: Take 2 Courses That Are At Least 3 Credits Each
Let’s say you take UN1101 - Elementary Spanish I your fall semester and take UN1102 - Elementary Spanish II your spring semester. Each of these courses are 4 credits. By completing both courses, you’ll have completed 8 credits of foreign language and would have fulfilled the requirement.
Option 2: Take an Accelerated Language Course
A few languages offer accelerated language courses that fit two semesters of a language into a one semester course. For example, UN1105 - Accelerated Elementary French teaches both Elementary French I and Elementary French II in one semester. This is an intensive course, meeting 4 times a week for two hours. Because you meet so often and complete 2 semesters of French, this class is an 8-credit course. By taking this course, or similar ones, you’ll gain 8 credits of a foreign language and fulfill the requirement. Not all languages offer courses like this.
Option 3: Take a Introductory Language A and B Course and Elementary II
Some languages, like Japanese, offer introductory A and B courses that spread Elementary I over 2 semesters. Introductory Japanese A and Introductory Japanese B are each 2.5 credits and together result in 5 language credits. After you take Japanese A and B, you can Japanese Elementary II for 4 credits and fulfill the language requirement. Please note that most Introductory Language A courses are only offered in the Spring Semester.
In the end, everyone at Barnard will have completed at least 6 credits of a foreign language. If you’re interested in studying abroad, there may be additional foreign language requirements depending on the program. During NSOP and throughout the academic year, the Office of International & Intercultural Student Programs will hold info sessions about study abroad where they will explain the foreign language requirement. If you are interested in study abroad it is recommended you start your foreign language in your first semester, if possible. Check out the Study Abroad website for more info. To study abroad, most programs require students to reach the equivalent of Intermediate II, which is 4 semesters of a language if you start from the beginning in Elementary I. Another way to fulfill this is to take 1 year (2 semesters) of a foreign language and participate in a program that has a homestay or mandatory language intensive.
If you're interested in taking a language placement test, you can find this in the next post. Please keep in mind that all placement exams do not happen at the same time.
