Department of English and Modern Foreign Languages

Dr. David R. Carithers, Chair
131 Andy Holt Humanities Building
731-881-7300
fax 731-881-7276

Faculty

Kelle E. Alden, Lynn M. Alexander, Sally G. Brannen, Trisha K. Capansky, David R. Carithers, April L. Elam-Dierks, Lúcia Flórido, Anton Garcia-Fernandez, Randal P. Garza, John V. Glass, Ashley Goulder, Timothy J. Hacker, Charles Hammond, Jr., Kyoko A. Hammond, Ean High, Christopher A. Hill, Melvin G. Hill, Heidi A. Huse, Jeffrey S. Longacre, Daniel J. Nappo, Daniel F. Pigg, Allen M. Shull, David M. Williams

Mission

The mission of the Department of English and Modern Foreign Languages is to provide courses that foster effective communication and clear thinking and that stress social awareness, aesthetic appreciation and intellectual growth. The department lays the basis for self-expression, self-knowledge, written and oral communication and creative adaptation to the changing realities of life. Students and faculty further this development through a variety of service and scholarly activities.

The Department of English and Modern Foreign Languages supports the mission of the university by:

improving cross-cultural understanding, international awareness, and appreciation of one’s own culture;
increasing aesthetic awareness and engagement;
providing undergraduate instruction in certain important languages, literatures, and cultures;
improving the literacy and communication skills of the non-major (reading, writing, grammar, listening, vocabulary building and pronunciation);
preparing advanced-level students for careers or graduate study in which such skills, knowledge and awareness are valuable;
sharing its expertise in languages, literatures and cultures with the outside community and professionals in the field;
promoting international travel and study;
participating in the activities of civic and professional organizations that promote the study of languages, literatures and cultures, and public interest in them.

English Program Student Learning Outcomes

Students who complete the English program will be able to demonstrate that they can:

Analyze a variety of texts, particularly British and American writings;
Integrate relevant sources effectively into their written discourses;
Apply critical theory to language and literature;
Evaluate their learning experiences through the selection and revision of key assignments;
Incorporate concepts from other disciplines into the study of language and literature;
Write for a variety of audiences and purposes.

Spanish Program Student Learning Outcomes

Students who complete the Spanish program will be able to demonstrate that they can:

Analyze a variety of Spanish and Latin American texts;
Communicate effectively in Spanish, both orally and in writing, using appropriate grammar and vocabulary;
Construct effective analytical arguments in Spanish;
Show an understanding of and an appreciation for Spanish and Spanish American culture;
Evaluate their learning experiences through the selection and revision of key assignments;
Incorporate interdisciplinary elements into the study of the Spanish language and Spanish and Spanish American literature and culture.

Majors

The Department of English and Modern Foreign Languages offers majors in English and Spanish (B.A. degree).

Placement and Credit

Placement in First-Year English

Freshmen receive placement advice based on their high school grade-point average and on their ACT English score. Beginning students whose academic records and/or ACT scores show deficiencies in English are required to enroll in the ENGL 105 , ENGL 112 sequence; all other students will enroll in the ENGL 111 , ENGL 112 composition sequence. To verify placement, students will complete a writing sample during the first class period of each introductory course.

Honors

Students who score 28 or above on the English portion of the Enhanced ACT may enroll in the freshman honors sequence (ENGL 111H -ENGL 112H ), which offers enrichment and variety, collegial contact with other excellent students and an obvious designation of distinction on the academic transcript. A student earning an A in ENGL 111 may enroll in ENGL 112H if space is available and with the approval of the instructor.

Placement of Students Who Are Not Native Speakers of English

Students who are not native speakers of English and who have at least a 500 (paper) TOEFL score, at least a 173 (computer) TOEFL score, at least an IBT score of 61, an IELTS score of 6.0, or have completed Level 6 in the Tennessee Intensive English Program may enroll in ENGL 105 without taking an English placement exam. Those students who feel they can achieve a higher placement may take the English Writing Proficiency Placement Exam (administered by the Department of English and Modern Foreign Languages) at the scheduled time and will be placed in ENGL 105 or ENGL 111 , based on the results of this examination.
Students who are not native speakers of English and who are admitted to the university without TOEFL or ACT scores must take the English Placement Exam before enrolling in an English composition course.
Students who are not native speakers of English must be enrolled in or have completed Level 6 of the Tennessee Intensive English Program or have scored at least 500 (paper) or at least 173 (computer) on the TOEFL in order to take the English Writing Proficiency Placement Exam.
The required in-class writing sample taken during the first class meeting in all ENGL 100 and ENGL 111 classes will continue to be an indicator of appropriate English placement for all students in those classes.

Placement in Modern Foreign Languages

Students who entered with two or more high school units of Spanish or French and who wish to continue in the same language, will take the department’s placement exam and, based on the results of that exam, will be advised to enroll in 115 or a more advanced class. Continuing students in German, Japanese and Portuguese may start with 122 or a more advanced class, depending on their score on the placement exam. The placement exams for French, German and Spanish are available online at the departmental website. College credit will not be given for courses used to remove high school entrance deficiencies.

Credit for Foreign Language Proficiency

Students who enter with proficiency in a foreign language and who place into 122 or above will earn, upon completion of their entry-level class with a B or better, up to eight hours of credit (graded P for Pass), for the classes they have skipped (that is, the one or two classes immediately preceding their entry-level class). Students who earn a D in their entry-level class will receive credit for this class only.

Students can also earn up to 12 hours of credit (graded P) by taking a CLEP test, depending on their score on this nationally normed test. CLEP guidelines will be followed in assigning credit. Additionally, students can receive credit for passing an Advanced Placement test. College Board guidelines are followed in assigning AP credit. In no case will students be awarded more than a total of 12 hours of credit by departmental placement, CLEP, or Advanced Placement.

Removing an Entrance Deficiency

An entrance deficiency in foreign languages can be removed by passing 111, the first semester of the elementary sequence of a foreign language, or 115 if continuing a foreign language begun in high school.

Department Facilities

The Hortense Parrish Writing Center provides students with individualized tutoring and workshops in writing and the use of computers for composition. The department lounge is a place for informal communication with the faculty. The department offers students the opportunity to develop computer skills in first-year composition sections, many located in state-of-the-art computer classrooms.

The department also maintains a multi-purpose Language Resource Center which is supplied and equipped to provide for the following activities: listening to foreign language CDs/DVDs, recording one’s own pronunciation, practicing with computerized foreign language software, viewing foreign language videos via the Internet, reading foreign language periodicals both in print and online and using modern technologies to both record and analyze pronunciation. The department maintains or oversees the distribution of an extensive catalog of these materials that are an integral part of the instructional program.

Financial Aid, Scholarships and Awards

Students who plan to enroll in August should direct inquiries about financial aid to the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships before the preceding March 1.

The Kellie Jones English Scholarship provides financial assistance to a rising junior or senior English or Secondary English Education major with an overall GPA of 3.0 and an English GPA of 3.5 (or higher). Applications are available in the department office; the deadline is late in the Spring semester.

The J. Paul and Myrtle Phillips Scholarship is awarded annually to an English major who is a Tennessee resident with an overall GPA of 3.0 and an English GPA of 3.5 (or higher). Applications are available in the department office; the deadline is late in the Spring semester.

The Muriel Tomlinson Scholarship Award is presented annually to an outstanding foreign language student who is finishing his or her junior or senior year.

The Stephen and Beatrice Mohler Scholarship Award is given annually to an outstanding Spanish student intending to study abroad.

Writing Awards of $150 each are offered annually by the department for the best student-written personal essay, scholarly English paper, scholarly MFL paper, technical writing & business communication, short story and body of poems.

Student Organizations

The French, German, Japanese and Spanish programs sponsor clubs which provide students with extracurricular, cultural activities to enrich their academic programs.

Pi Delta Phi, French National Honor Society, recognizes outstanding achievement in the discipline.

Sigma Delta Pi, National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, recognizes outstanding achievement in the discipline.

Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society, recognizes outstanding English majors and minors.

BeanSwitch, sponsored by the department and the Office of Student Publications and staffed by students, is an annual publication featuring students’ creative work: poetry, fiction, non-fiction, art and photography.

Study Abroad and Internship Experiences

The department encourages students to take advantage of approved internships and study-abroad programs. The department has courses in French, German, Japanese and Spanish which allow for credit for study abroad and will advise students in arranging study and internships in foreign countries. Currently, the department has opportunities for summer immersion programs at some of the following universities: the University of Castilla-La Mancha (Toledo, Spain), the University of Orleans (France), the Technical University of Braunschweig (Germany), Hirosaki University, and Hiroshima Jogakuin University (Japan). Check with the department chair for further information.

Internships and Study Abroad in French, German, Japanese and Spanish

Internships and study abroad in French, German, Japanese or Spanish are to be undertaken under the direction of a UT Martin faculty member or a faculty member from another institution. Prior approval is to be received from the Chair of the Department of English and Modern Foreign Languages. Students wishing to study abroad may do so under the following conditions.

Before departure, students must secure approval of their study-abroad program from their faculty adviser(s), and the Chair of English and Modern Foreign Languages and file their program with the Registrar.
Students must undergo appropriate language testing before departure and upon return.
Students must complete at least one course in the language studied abroad on the UT Martin campus after returning from the study-abroad experience and before graduating. Students also have the responsibility to make sure that the courses taken abroad do not put them in violation of university guidelines which mandate that at least 25% of their coursework be completed at UT Martin.