MJC offers a multitude of foreign/world language courses which enables staff to respond to the educational needs of our community, and to reflect its diversity within our campus.
The foreign/world language department understands the community’s students’ critical need for language study, especially in the global society we live in today and provide quality instruction tailored to the students level.
Foreign language study enhances one's own cultural perspectives and multicultural awareness, as well as engages in critical thinking and communication skills, both of which are inherent features of foreign language study.
The department of American Sign Language (ASL) takes an interdisciplinary approach to studying deaf and hard of hearing people in the United States, Canada and globally. The program promotes the understanding of the deaf and hard of hearing community as a linguistic and cultural group.
It encourages students to analyze existing stereotypes and policies relating to deaf and hard-of-hearing people, to work both within their communities and in effecting change to better engage with this group.
Sign language is based on the idea that sight is the most useful tool a deaf and hard of hearing individual has at their disposal in order to communicate and receive information.
American Sign Language (ASL) is growing in popularity as many students choose to learn it because it is a fascinating language to learn. Thus, ASL uses hand shape, position, and movement; body movements; gestures; facial expressions; and other visual cues to form words. Not only is ASL a fun language to learn, but it is also popular because of the variety of situations where it can be used. Currently, ASL is the fourth most commonly used language in the United States. ASL can be used in many other areas, such as:
The students should be prepared to:
1. Provide courses to develop competencies and fluency in American Sign Language.
2. Provide students with the history and development of American Sign Language and other communication techniques used among D/deaf people.
3. Provide students with an overview of education for D/deaf and hard of hearing persons and standard technology used by this population.
4. Provide an introduction and study of theoretical models of interpreting, interpreter roles, functions, responsibilities, communication strategies, and ethical standards applied to consecutive and simultaneous interpreting in various settings.
5. Provide students with the direct application of the principles, vocabulary, and techniques used in interpreting educational settings.
6. Provide students with community resources and interaction with Deaf individuals to promote knowledge and skills necessary for the workforce.
In the progress of Associate of Arts degree of Achievement is offered for ASL Studies. In the area of ASL Studies, students will obtain knowledge and skills of American Sign Language (ASL), focusing on the uniqueness of ASL as a language and Deaf Culture. The progress to providing students with a pathway to transfer the AA degree to the university level applies to the first two years of a BA/BS degree
Literature & Language Arts Division – Natasha Jackson Jacksonn@mjc.edu (2The department of Spanish offers a variety of courses where students can begin their Spanish language study.
Spanish is the second most used language in the United States and is spoken all over the world.
Knowing Spanish can open doors in whichever field you choose to enter, especially in California, where speaking more than one language is always a desirable skill set to future employers. While the career benefits are clear, there are other personal advantages in learning a foreign language.
The Spanish language not only presents one with a brand-new language to learn, but it also introduces one to whole new culture as well, where one can broaden their scope of the world and dive into other rich and vibrant cultures.
The Spanish language courses, as an integral part of the humanities program, prepare students for transfer to a university with strong second language skills and knowledge about cultural attitudes of Spanish speakers.
A Program to Meet Your Language Needs in Today’s Global Society
… and beyond the immediate practical advantages of learning a new language, there is also great fun and profound personal enrichment that comes from first-hand knowledge of other languages and cultures.
This A.A. is designed as a University Preparation, Emphasis in Language Studies. The University Preparation degree, distinctive of the University Preparation "pathway," is designed to prepare you for transfer to a California State University (CSU) or University of California (UC) campus. While completion of this program does not guarantee admission to a specific college or university, it allows you to complete preparatory courses that may apply toward the area of study in which you plan to major at your targeted transfer university, and to complete general education requirements required by CSU and UC for bachelor's (baccalaureate) degree. It entails an interdisciplinary approach to learning that will allow you to simultaneously meet your unique transfer goals and fulfill lower division requirements for bachelor's degree at many CSU or UC institutions. You will do this by completing a rigorous general education experience with either the CSU-GE or IGETC general education patterns, in addition to completing an emphasis in a particular field or program. How does it work? Each emphasis has been crafted to help you prepare for upper-division coursework in a baccalaureate major at a four-year university. By fulfilling the requirements of the MJC emphasis, you will also be completing some or all lower division preparation for baccalaureate major at the university. ASSIST (www.assist.org) is a statewide database of recorded transfer agreements between community colleges and universities. You are advised to use ASSIST in selecting courses from the emphasis to ensure that the coursework applies to your baccalaureate major. University Preparation with Emphasis Prepare for transfer with some majors at MJC. Not every program at MJC offers a degree designed for transfer-oriented students. However, many programs do offer AA or AS majors which function like the emphasis for transfer-oriented students. Those majors are included on the following pages to help you make the right decision when determining the best transfer-oriented path of study.
The Associate in Arts for Transfer (AAT) degree provides the required lower-division coursework for students majoring or minoring in Spanish. The foundational course of study will prepare students seeking to transfer to four-year institutions, and it will provide instruction for students seeking language skills for professional and personal development. Proficiency in Spanish is a vital skill in various career fields, such as: education, interpreting, health care, child care, and business. Beyond the immediate practical advantages of learning Spanish, there is also the profound personal enrichment that comes from understanding the diverse cultures and linguistic variations within the Spanish-speaking world. To fulfill the Spanish AAT Degree, students will complete 19 -23 units of required courses in the major, with a minimum of 60 units total required for the degree. Students are advised to select a path of study: A) Second Language Learner of Spanish Path: Designed for students who are not Native/ Heritage speakers that seek to develop a solid foundation in the Spanish language. Students are advised to start at Spanish 101, followed by Spanish 102, 103*, and 110**, and one elective course from List A to complete the required units for the major. If possible, the List A course selected should be Spanish 112* or Spanish 173*. B) Native/Heritage Spanish-speaking Learner Path: Designed for students who already speak Spanish -to varying degrees- that seek to build on their existing foundation. Students are advised to start at Spanish 109, followed by Spanish 110, using List A elective courses to complete the required minimum units for the major. It is strongly recommended that one of these elective courses be Spanish 112 or Spanish 173. Students are advised to consult with an MJC Counselor for additional information and to verify transfer requirements. * SPA 103, SPA 112, and SPA 173 are only offered in the Fall semester. ** SPA 110 is only offered in the Spring semester.
