WHAT IS LANGUAGE ACROSS THE CURRICULUM (LAC)?

Qualified Trinity students are eligible to enroll in the Languages across the Curriculum (LAC) Program, which gives them practice in using professional and academic Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Russian, German, or French in special courses in the humanities, social, and natural sciences. Some of these courses are coordinated with existing upper-division courses that are taught in English, and students may enroll in both. Other LAC courses are taught separately as “stand-alone” courses. All LAC courses make extensive use of the target foreign language and most use it as the medium of instruction. Offerings vary from semester to semester and are listed in the pre-registration course schedule under International Studies.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

LAC provides an avenue for students to develop their language skills in fields not normally covered in American university curricula. Students will learn in the target language the vocabulary, terminology, and concepts used in academic or professional disciplines and will read from scholarly or professional works published in that language. This exposure will prepare students for graduate study in academic fields for which English is not the primary language, as well as for professional work in non English-speaking countries or communities.

WHO MAY PARTICIPATE?

Students are eligible to take LAC courses after they have completed the 2302 course or have achieved equivalent proficiency in their chosen language. Some LAC courses have additional prerequisites in the disciplines in which they are taught. Students returning from study abroad often find LAC courses especially rewarding for them.

ENROLLING IN LAC COURSES

Students may enroll in LAC courses on Tiger Paws during registration.  LAC courses are listed under International Studies in Tiger Paws and in the printed Class Schedule.   For more information about taking specific LAC courses,  contact one of the LAC co-coordinators, Bladimir Ruiz (Modern Languages and Literatures, 210-999-7530) or David Spener (Sociology and Anthropology, 210-999-8562), or the faculty members teaching the LAC courses that interest you.

COURSES OFFERED IN THE LAC PROGRAM

The following courses comprise the LAC program at Trinity.  For complete descriptions of these courses that appear below, see Trinity University Courses of Study 2008-2009. 

New courses are developed and added to the University’s Courses of Study catalog every year.  To learn about new LAC courses that have not yet been included in the Courses of Study bulletin, contact Bladimir Ruiz or David Spener.

Chinese

INTL 3112  “Shangye Zhongwen (The Practice of Business in China),” taught by Dr. Stephen Field, Modern Languages and Linguistics

French

INTL 3124 “L’histoire française: un parcours cinématographique (French History through Film),” taught by Dr. Nanette LeCoat, Modern Languages and Literatures

German

INTL 3122, “Faust – auf Deutsch (Faust – in German),” taught by Dr. Thomas Sebastian, Modern Languages and Literatures

Russian

INTL 3111 “Narody Rossii (The Peoples of Russia),” taught by Bruce Holl, Modern Languages and Literatures

INTL 3117  “Teorii I iskusstvo russkogo avangarda (Theories and Art of the Russian Avant-Garde),” taught by Sarah Burke, Modern Languages and Literatures

INTL 3125 “Russian Basics: Language and Culture for Non-Specialists,” taught by Bruce Holl, Modern Languages and Literatures

Spanish

INTL 3101  “La economía mexicana (The Mexican Economy),” taught by Jorge González, Economics.  May also be taken as ECON 3141.

INTL 3104 “La experiencia latina en los Estados Unidos (The U.S. Latino Experience),” taught by Arturo Madrid, Modern Languages and Literatures.

INTL 3107  “La telenovela en América Latina (The Latin American Soap Opera),” taught by Robert Huesca, Communication

INTL 3108 “Una breve historia de América Latina en el siglo XX a través de su música popular (A Concise 20th Century History of Latin America Through its Popular Music),” taught by Pablo Martínez, Modern Languages and Literatures

INTL 3133 “La República Dominicana: Una Introducción (An Introduction to the Dominican Republic),” taught by Carlos Ardavín, Modern Languages and Literatures

INTL 3340 “Haciendo negocios en Latinoamérica (Doing Business in Latin America),” taught by Dante Suárez, Business Administration.  May also be taken as BUSN 3340.

INTL 3343  “Relaciones fronterizas México-Estados Unidos (bilingüe),” taught by David Spener, Sociology and Anthropology.  May also be taken as ANTH 3343 or SOCI 3343.

INTL 3346 “La economía española y la Unión Europea (The Spanish Economy and the European Union),” taught by Jorge González, Economics (taught in Madrid).  May also be taken as BUSN 3346, ECON 3346, or SPAN 3346.

INTL 3372 “Práctica profesional en España (Internship in Spain),” supervised by Jorge González, Economics (takes place in Madrid).  May also be taken as BUSN 3372, ECON 3372, and SPAN 3372.

Spanish across the Curriculum Certificate: 

Students may earn certification in Spanish across the Curriculum by successfully completing advanced work in Spanish and a series of LAC courses in Spanish. This certification will be indicated on the student’s official transcript. The requirements are:

• SPAN 3301 (“Advanced Grammar”) or the equivalent
• 3 semester hours of upper-division Spanish electives
• 4 Spanish across the Curriculum courses or 7 credit hours in Spanish across the Curriculum courses.

THE LANGUAGES ACROSS THE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE

The following faculty members serve on the committee that oversees the LAC program:

Duane Coltharp, Associate Vice President,  Academic Affairs

Stephen Field, Professor and Chair, Modern Languages and Literatures

Jorge González, Professor, Economics

Bruce Holl, Associate Professor, Modern Languages and Literatures

Robert Huesca, Director of International Programs

Nanette LeCoat, Associate Professor, Modern Languages and Literatures

Kelly Lyons, Assistant Professor, Biology

Pablo Martínez, Associate Professor, Modern Languages and Literatures

Bladimir Ruiz, Associate Professor , Modern Languages and Literatures (co-coordinator)

David Spener, Associate Professor, Sociology and Anthropology (co-coordinator)

 

Last updated on September 24, 2008.