Undergraduate Degrees

Minor in Modern Languages

The Division of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages offers an undergraduate minor that draws upon courses in literature and language within the division’s departments and elsewhere in the University.

Course work in this minor may not duplicate work counted toward other majors or minors. Advanced Placement credit and transfer credit do not apply to this minor. All courses must be taken for a letter grade. By University policy, no more than 36 units may be awarded in this minor.

Students declare the minor in Modern Languages through Axess.

MINOR IN MODERN LANGUAGES

The minor in Modern Languages is offered to students who want to supplement the course work in their major with course work in modern languages and literatures. The minor must be approved by the chairs of undergraduate studies of the respective language departments. Students in any field qualify for the minor by meeting the following requirements:

1. A minimum of 20 units (10 units per language) at the intermediate level (second year) or beyond, not including conversation, in two languages other than English offered by the DLCL.

2. At least one additional course, at the 100 level or above, whose subject code ends in -LIT or -GEN in each modern language in '1' above. These courses should be taught by Academic Council members or other senior members of the faculty.

Students are recommended to study, work, or intern abroad for at least eight weeks at a location where one of the languages is spoken.

Advising

Students should meet with the Chair of Undergraduate Studies (CUS) for their major or minor at least once a year to discuss study plans, research, departmental requirements, etc. Office hours are posted on department websites.

DLCL Peer Advisors

Undergraduate student peer advisors are senior majors in the DLCL who have also studied abroad. They are available to meet with students to answer questions related to the major and minor and other topics of relavance. Peer advisors also act as student representatives and organize events and social activities. If you are interested in becoming a peer advisor, contact your department Director of Undergraduate Studies

Declaring the Major or Minor

Students interested in declaring a major should first meet with the Chair of Undergraduate Studies of the major department to discuss their program of study. Students then declare the major in Axess. Departmental requirements for the major are explained in the Stanford bulletin. To declare the minor, students enter their minor declaration in Axess. The student must list the courses he/she will be taking or has taken to satisfy the requirements of the minor. The minor declaration will be reviewed by the department and the student will be notified when the minor declaration is approved. Departmental requirements for the minor are explained in the Stanford bulletin.

Transfer Credit

Students wishing to transfer applicable work from other institutions should contact the Registrar's Office.

Honors

The Honors program for the Division is directed by the undergraduate student services administrator. The program is voluntary and open to any student majoring within the Division who satisfies his or her department's honors requirement; usually a GPA of 3.5 or higher in the courses of the major.

The honors program cycle begins in the spring quarter of the junior year with an informational meeting. The incoming group of honors students is identified at this meeting. Four weeks later we bring together the new honors juniors at an honors writing workshop. By the end of spring quarter honors students submit their honors essay proposal and have determined who their honors essay advisor will be.

The Division hosts an Honors College in September for three weeks before fall quarter begins. Honors college is led by a DLCL faculty member and a graduate student teaching assistant. All honors juniors are strongly encouraged to attend.

Fall quarter of the senior year, seniors writing an honors essay are required to take DLCL 189 - Honors Thesis Seminar for five units. The course is intended to further support and facilitate the honors essay writing process.

Winter quarter students will enroll in an independent study with their primary advisor.  The course is listed as XXXLIT 189A.

Spring quarter, students are asked to submit their completed essays by May 15. We nominate at least one essay for the Golden medal award each year.

Study Abroad

Most DLCL majors and minors study abroad. For more information see Stanford Overseas Programs. Students should meet with their department's Director of Undergraduate Studies before they begin their studies abroad to review their program of study. In addition to the Bing Overseas Study programs, Stanford recognizes and accepts coursework done abroad from other overseas studies programs. If the student is considering attending a non Stanford program he/she must contact the registrar before the study abroad program begins to insure that coursework will be accepted by Stanford.

Theme Houses

Majors and non-majors may be interested in housing at one of the several language theme houses on campus. Every department within the division (DLCL) is represented by a language theme house. Academic and Language Houses enable both majors and non-majors with an active interest in a field to live together and explore a theme in a fun and comfortable residential setting. Most houses maintain active contact with faculty in the relevant academic departments and often host noted scholars, cultural figures, and political leaders. For students preparing for or returning from overseas study, the houses with a language theme provide opportunities to use the language on a daily basis.

Commencement

Commencement ceremonies are held once a year in June. Students apply to graduate via AXESS , usually in early January. Deadlines for graduation are available at the Registrar's Office, and also on the front page of the quarterly time schedule. For details about commencement weekend, please visit the Commencement website http://commencement.stanford.edu.

Career Planning and Development

The CDC organizes a Career Fair for students interested in languages, please contact the Career Development Center (CDC) for information about careers in languages including work opportunities abroad. The CDC provides yearly career orientation and workshops/events (e.g. résumé preparation) for students on the job market.

Alumni

This section is under construction. If you are an alumnus who received a major or minor in one of our departments and have an interesting story to submit about how your language studies has served you in life or career after graduation, please let us know! Email: denisew1@stanford.edu.