Department Mission and Vision

Mission

The Department of World Languages provides programs of study that educate students to live, work, and lead in a complex, technological, and diverse world. The department sees its role as one that prepares our diverse students to become global citizens who will lead the state of Arkansas in the globalized community of the 21st Century.

Vision

The vision for the Department of World Languages is to

  • provide opportunities for students to acquire languages and cultural competencies as necessary skills and knowledge,
  • create signature experiences for students such as faculty-led study abroad programs, structured internships, and service learning,
  • reaffirm the essential role of second language knowledge for all university-educated people,
  • leverage for our accreditation of the undergraduate world language and graduate Master of Arts in Second Languages programs and our national recognition status to enhance visibility throughout the state,
  • foster partnerships and relationships in various communities to advance the university’s global initiatives and to prepare students to be informed global citizens,
  • engage our diverse student population to ensure that all students have the opportunity to become global citizens,
  • respond nimbly to rapidly changing demographics and demands for language learning, and
  • empower students to acquire attitudes, values, and skills that enhance cross-cultural communication.

Student Learning Outcomes by Concentration

B.A. World Languages SLOs (Spanish concentration)

The “5 C’s” (Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, Communities) are the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language’s (ACTFL) World-Readiness Standards. ACTFL is the accrediting body for foreign language teaching in the United States. Components of the Student Learning Outcomes for students completing the Spanish concentration in the B.A. in World Languages program are derived from ACTFL’s World-Readiness Standards, the Association of American Colleges and Universities Value Rubric, and UA Little Rock’s mission statement.

  1. Interpersonal Communication: At the end of this program, students will be able to negotiate meaning in spoken or written conversations.
    Components: Students will interact and negotiate meaning in spoken or written conversations to share information, reactions, feelings, and opinions.
  2. Interpretive Communication: At the end of this program, students will be able to interpret what is heard, read, or viewed in a variety of contexts.
    Components: Students will identify, interpret, and analyze what is heard, read, or viewed in a variety of discourses and topics, including cultural texts or issues within their cultural contexts in order to articulate a textual analysis.
  3. Presentational Communication: At the end of this program, students will be able to present information on a variety of topics through writing and speaking.
    Components: Students will present information, concepts, and ideas to inform, explain, persuade and narrate on a variety of topics using appropriate media and adapting to various audiences of listeners, readers, and viewers.
  4. Communities. At the end of this program, students will be able to communicate with cultural and linguistic competence in multilingual communities at home and around the world.
    Components: Students will describe how interacting and collaborating in Spanish with a Hispanic community at home or abroad relates to a clarified sense of civic identity or commitment to community engagement.