Mar 28, 2024  
2013-2014 Academic Catalog 
    
2013-2014 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Alternate Language Study Option (ALSO) Program


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Director:

Claire Moisan

The Alternate Language Study Option (ALSO) program is designed for self-motivated and self-disciplined students who want to learn a language not taught through the regular curriculum at Grinnell in order to prepare for an off-campus study program or to enrich their liberal arts education.

The program provides a four-semester, two-year sequence of beginning-level self-instructional study in a variety of languages. The specific languages offered depend on the number of students interested and the availability of materials and native tutors.

ALSO students are expected to set up and adhere to a schedule of intensive daily individual study, supplemented by three practice sessions per week conducted by a native speaker of the language. Student learners use standard texts and accompanying multimedia programs; the native tutor, trained and monitored by the director, leads exercises on assigned material, and aids students in the development of their oral and aural skills. The student’s progress is tested twice a semester by an outside examiner, a qualified instructor of the designated language from an established university-level program. Final grades are assigned by the outside examiner in conjunction with the director. ALSO courses use the current grading scale without the S/D/F option.

In applying for the ALSO program, students must state their reasons for studying the language of their choice, and they must submit a letter of recommendation from their advisers and from a member of the foreign language faculty at Grinnell. Prerequisite: second-year standing, satisfactory completion of one year of a foreign-language course or LIN 114 (Introduction to General Linguistics)  at Grinnell, and a cumulative grade point average of 2.75.

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