Department of Foreign Languages & International Studies

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Chair: Ava M. Conley, M.A.

Professor:

Ava M. Conley, M.A.

Associate Professors:

Fleming Bell, Ph.D.
Noble T. Goss, Ph.D.
Joli G. Love, Ph.D.
Robert McCready, Doctorat

Assistant Professors:

Genevieve Jones, M.Ed.
Robbie Shackelford, M.Ed.
Associate Dean of Administrative Affairs at Harding University in Florence

Instructor:

Michelle Watkins Coizman, M.Ed.
Alyssa Hepburn, B.A.

The mission of the Department of Foreign Languages and International Studies is to prepare students for life and work in the modern world where communication with people of other cultures and languages is becoming increasingly important.

Students may pursue foreign language study for cultural enrichment, research, personal pleasure, foreign travel, and careers where a foreign language is of value. Such careers include foreign missions, translation, government service, and international business and industry. Knowledge of a foreign language is considered an asset in many professions and careers in the United States, and employers who are considering applicants of otherwise similar qualifications often choose the one who can communicate in a foreign language.

Study Abroad: The department provides the following opportunities for foreign language study abroad:

The Harding University in Florence program (HUF), in cooperation with International Programs, offers a semester of Italian in Florence, Italy.
The Harding University in Paris program (HIP), in cooperation with International Programs, offers a semester of French in French-speaking Europe.
The Harding University in Latin America program (HULA), in cooperation with International Programs, offers a semester of Spanish in Viña del Mar, Chilé.
The French Work/Study Tour is a summer program combining five to seven weeks of evangelistic campaigns with French language and culture study in the French-speaking countries of Europe.
The Latin American Work/Study Tour is a summer program combining four to five weeks of evangelistic campaigns with language and culture study in Venezuela or another Latin American country.

Transfer/Concurrent Credit: The Foreign Language program at Harding complies with nationally recognized guidelines for content of course offerings at the 100- and 200-levels. Due to the wide variety of language programs across the nation, prior to the granting of equivalency for Harding courses, transfer credit for 100- and 200-level courses must be validated by the validation system set forth below or by a Harding equivalency test. Students with inadequate skills may be asked to repeat coursework in order to achieve adequate proficiency levels in order to continue in the program.

Placement: Placement of students with foreign language background varies according to the level of language proficiency. Normally, students with three to four years of high school study are encouraged to enroll in the intermediate level. Students with exceptional foreign language skills may be approved by the department chair for enrollment in advanced courses.

Validation Credit: Validation credit for previous language study may be obtained upon written request as follows: Students with three or more years of high school foreign language study or the equivalent, upon completion of the Harding University intermediate course of the same language with a grade of A or B in both semesters first time enrolled, may receive 8 hours of credit for the elementary course.

In 2007, the Harding French and Spanish programs received national recognition as an outstanding teacher-education program by the American Council of the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), a recognition shared only with approximately 50 institutions across the nation, putting it in the top two percent of programs across the United States.