Liberal Studies, 40 credits
General Education Requirements
Oral Proficiency Exam
Immersion Experience
Prerequisite Course Work
Major Course Work
Minor
Content Examinations and Portfolio Requirements
Multicultural Education and Human Relations Requirement
Conflict Resolution Requirement
Professional Education Requirements—Secondary Major and Minor
Advisor: Professor Charles James, 810 Van Hise Hall, 262-9747 or 262-2192, cjjames@wisc.edu
Secondary admission eligibility requirements: minimum 54 transferable college-level credits (junior standing); all but 6 credits of the major completed; minimum 2.50 cumulative grade point average in the major; completion of immersion experience, Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST) taken and scores submitted; 2.5 cumulative grade point average on all transferable college-level course work.
Both the cumulative GPA and the cumulative GPA based on the last 60 credits will be calculated. The higher of the two will be used for program selection; see Last 60 Credits Rule. Admission is limited and may be competitive. See Secondary and World Language Education for additional information regarding the program's structure, requirements, admission procedures, and application deadlines.
Note: Admission criteria and program requirements may be modified from one admission period to the next. The most current program information is available in Education Academic Services, B117 Education Building, 608/262-1651; www.education.wisc.edu/eas. Students are encouraged to monitor the EAS Web site and confer regularly with an EAS advisor regarding changes.
Graduation requirements: 2.75 GPA overall, 3.0 GPA in all major courses, 2.5 GPA in upper-level major courses, and 2.75 GPA in professional education courses (excluding practicum and student teaching). Degree candidates must meet senior and major residency requirements. Graduation grade point averages are based on UW-Madison course work and may be modified by the Last 60 Credits Rule. Certification also requires passing a content examination in the subject area(s) in which certification is sought and the development of a professional portfolio.
The liberal studies requirements combine academic strengths and interests with an opportunity to explore a wide selection of courses offered across campus. Students will complete course work in humanities, social studies, and science. Effective summer 2007, three additional requirements—ethnic studies, global perspectives, and U.S. or European history—will be required of all students in the School of Education. See Teacher Certification Liberal Studies Requirements for specific course work.
Effective summer 1996, new freshmen must complete a group of campuswide course requirements known as the General Education requirements. This initiative is designed to provide all UW-Madison students with a comprehensive, well-rounded program of studies. See General Education Requirements (GER).
This program already requires at least one course, Curric 305, that is also approved to meet the General Education Communication B requirement. The course can be used to meet both requirements.
Beginning fall 2007, students admitted to the WLE program must provide evidence of completion of an American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Interview administered by Language Testing International (LTI) prior to beginning their first student teaching experience (second semester of the professional sequence). The required proficiency level for student teaching is Intermediate High or above. Because it may take as long as three months to obtain results, students admitted to the program must schedule their OPI's no later than the end of their first month in the program (September). The results and official certificate must be reported by the end of the first semester (December). If verification of at least Intermediate High is not made at that time, students will be asked to postpone student teaching and take measures to improve their spoken language proficiency before continuing in the program.
Contact LTI to set up an Oral Proficiency Interview: LTI, 95 Church Street, Suite 310, White Plains, NY 10601, (800) 486-8444, (914) 948-5100, testing@languagetesting.com, www.languagetesting.com. Students are responsible for costs associated with the OPI. See the faculty program coordinator with questions about this requirement.
Participation in an intensive immersion experience is one of the most important and meaningful ways of developing competence in a language. In preparation for the proficiency exam, students seeking certification in this language must participate in an approved immersion experience which emphasizes prolonged and intensive interaction within the target language and culture.
Program applicants must complete and document a full-semester (or minimum four-month long ) immersion experience as a prerequisite to being admitted to the professional program. The immersion experience must be completed by July 15 preceding the program start. The experience must also have been completed no more than three years before this date.
An approved experience involves significant interaction and day-to-day functioning in the host language, including use of the target language on a daily basis such as in college-level courses, a training program, or a work experience. The immersion experience need not involve attendance in an academic program only, but may take some form such that the language of routine communication is the target language. Simply living with relatives or traveling as a tourist is not considered an immersion experience for the purposes of admission to this program. Most students choose to participate in a structured educational or exchange immersion program.
Students are encouraged to consult with the International Academic Programs (IAP) office in 252 Bascom Hall regarding campus-based study abroad programs. Experiences through off-campus programs must have prior approval of the faculty program coordinator, Professor Charles James. To obtain prior experience approval, download the approval form from the EAS Web site (www.education.wisc.edu/eas), complete it, meet with the program coordinator, and obtain authorization. Bring two copies of the form to your meeting, get signatures on both, and leave one copy with the program coordinator.
Native speakers are normally considered to have fulfilled this requirement without further documentation, especially if they received their secondary education in an environment where the target language is the primary means of communication. Heritage speakers are usually considered to have fulfilled this requirement; such applicants must consult with the program coordinator regarding an exemption.
Students must complete a substantial number of prerequisites before beginning the German major requirements. The regular German sequence consists of German 101, 102, 203, and 204. After 204, students may continue in composition and conversation courses (225, 226) as well as literature and culture courses (221, 222, 274, 284). The prerequisites for all advanced-level courses in German are (a) 221-222 or 274 or 284 and (b) 226. Students are encouraged to meet with the faculty program coordinator, Professor Charles James, well in advance of beginning the German major requirements.
Students complete a minimum of 27 credits in German courses numbered 300 and above. The credits in the major required for admission must be taken from the course work below. Students must complete at least 15 credits of upper level major course work (numbered 300-699) in residence on the UW-Madison campus. Find course descriptions and course prerequisites in the Letters and Science section of the Undergraduate Catalog. Students majoring in German should consult Professor James, the faculty advisor, early in their academic career. Courses are Department of German listings unless otherwise indicated.
337 Advanced Composition and Conversation, 3-4 cr
351 Introduction to German Linguistics, 3-4 cr
676 Advanced Seminar in German Studies, 3 cr
Complete 12 credits of any German department courses numbered 300 or above. These must be courses designated by the Department of German as acceptable for the L&S major in German.
Complete two upper-level (300 and above) courses in related fields such as Art History, History, Philosophy, Music, etc., with the approval of the faculty advisor. These "cognate" courses must deal substantially with the German-speaking world and may be taken at any time during the degree work on campus.
Other courses, especially those transferred from overseas programs, may be substituted wit the approval of the faculty advisor.
The German minor requires a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0, based on all German minor course work taken on the UW-Madison campus. The graduation grade point average may be modified by the Last 60 Credits Rule.
Students interested in completing a certification minor in German must also complete a major in another certification subject area; it is not possible to be certified only in a minor area. Contact the program coordinator to discuss the feasibility of combining this minor with the major subject area—not all combinations may be possible. Interested students must apply and be admitted to the German program; admission is limited and competitive. See Admission Procedures under Secondary and World Language Education. All students, whether completing their first degree or adding on a teaching minor to a prior certification, should expect to complete at least one methods course, practicum and student teaching experience in the minor to be recommended for certification; consult with the program coordinator. The oral proficiency exam and immersion experience discussed above are also required.
Students in Elementary Education may complete this minor as an "academic" minor only. Completion of this course work provides a depth of study in an academic discipline, but does not lead to certification to teach foreign language in the elementary school.
Contact Education Academic Services (EAS), B117 Education, for additional information regarding this minor. Applications to both Elementary and the Early Childhood through Adolescence program are on the EAS Web site, www.education.wisc.edu/eas, beginning October 1 and are due by March 1. (This deadline may change to February 1.)
Students must complete a substantial number of prerequisites before beginning the German minor requirements. The regular German sequence consists of German 101, 102, 203, and 204. After 204, students may continue in composition and conversation courses (225, 226) as well as literature and culture courses (221, 222, 274, 284). The prerequisites for all advanced-level courses in German are (a) 221-222 or 274 or 284 and (b) 226. Students are encouraged to meet with the faculty program coordinator, Professor Charles James, well in advance of beginning the German minor requirements.
The German minor requires a minimum of 18 credits of advanced (numbered 300 and above) course work. The courses listed are German unless otherwise indicated.
337 Advanced Composition and Conversation, 3-4 cr
351 Introduction to German Linguistics, 3-4 cr
Complete 12 credits of any German department courses numbered 300 or above. These must be courses designated by the Department of German as acceptable for the L&S major in German.
All individuals seeking an initial Wisconsin State teacher's license after August 31, 2004, are required to take and pass an approved content examination in the subject area(s) of interest. These tests, the Praxis II: Subject Assessments/Specialty Area Tests, are offered through the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Teacher education students at UW-Madison must take and pass the exam for their program area(s) and submit scores to EAS before entering their final, full-time student teaching semester. See Content Examinations for more information.
Certification also requires each student to develop and maintain a teaching portfolio. For more information, see Portfolio.
This requirement consists of courses, workshops and experiences that broaden understanding of diversity as it relates to the practice of teaching and the field of education. See <I>Multicultural Education and Human Relations Requirement.
All students pursuing teacher certification must have formal training in conflict resolution. See Conflict Resolution Requirement.
Students in the World Language Education program will complete a sequential four-semester professional program. See Professional Education Requirements under Secondary and World Language Education for information on the professional education sequence. Practicum, Methods, and Student Teaching courses for this subject area are:
Curric 243 Practicum in World Languages (K-12), 3 cr
Curric 342 Teaching World Languages (K-8), 3 cr
Curric 343 Teaching World Languages (6-12), 3 cr
Curric 442 Student Teaching in World Languages (K-8), 6 cr
Curric 443 Student Teaching in World Languages (6-12), 6-9 cr
Curric 564 Advanced Problems on the Teaching of World Languages, 3 cr