Beaver’s Arabic, Chinese, French, and Spanish programs are designed to develop proficiency in the four basic language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. At all levels, students develop increasing levels of proficiency through the exploration of the cultural, social, and political landscapes in which the languages are spoken.
Requirements
All students must take a language; any student who thinks that he/she may qualify for a language waiver should carefully read the Language Waiver Policy that is included at the end of the Modern Language course descriptions. Thirty credits in one language are required for graduation, which is the equivalent of 6 terms of the language. Most students continue their foreign language study beyond the basic requirement in order to achieve greater proficiency and to meet the expectations of selective colleges. In order to advance to the next level of a language, students must demonstrate mastery of the necessary skills and receive Department approval.
Honors
Honors and Standard Level students work together in the same sections in all language courses. Students who intend to pursue honors credit will discuss that possibility with their teachers and advisors in the first week of the course and will commit to completing honors-level work within the context of the course. With the exception of the Level 1 courses, all language courses may be taken at the Honors or Standard Level.
Course Descriptions
Arabic
Arabic Introduction to Conversation and Storytelling
Foundations of Arabic
Intermediate Arabic
Advanced Arabic
Chinese
Chinese Introduction to Conversation and Storytelling
Foundations of Chinese
Prerequisites: Demonstration of mastery of Chinese I skills and Departmental RecommendationRequired.
Course topics are briefly outlined below.
Make a Good First Impression: Students will learn to introduce themselves in culturally appropriate ways and learn about formal and informal speech.
Friends from the Start: Students will learn vocabulary related to background information, hobbies, leisure time and celebrations.
Everyday Life: Students will get a chance to compare their life to that of teens in China and around the world today. By the end of the term, students should be comfortable describing their daily lives, from routines and schedules, to hobbies and habits.
Family and Home: Students will discuss the elements that comprise a home, as well as one’s circle of care. Additionally, students will learn about Chinese familial structures and compare and contrast their lives to those of Chinese teens.
Intermediate Chinese
Prerequisites: Demonstration of mastery of Foundations of Chinese skills and Departmental Recommendation Required.
Course topics are briefly outlined below.
Home, School and Work: Students will learn to talk about their life at home, school and their plans for their future education and careers. They will learn the necessary vocabulary to express their likes and dislikes concerning their present life, education and future goals.
Meeting Our Needs: Students will discover vocabulary related to people’s feelings, physical and mental states, courses of actions and routines. They will also learn about people’s lifestyles and customs in China and other Chinese-speaking regions.
Human Interactions: Students will learn how to get to know people better through more in-depth conversations about their backgrounds and interests. They will practice necessary skills and vocabulary to plan outings, pay visits, or invite friends over for homemade meals.
Advanced Chinese
Prerequisites: Demonstration of mastery of Intermediate Chinese skills. Departmental RecommendationRequired.
Course topics are briefly outlined below.
Health & Environment: Students will explore topics including individuals’ wellbeing, exercise, nutrition, access to healthcare, and the interrelationships between human activity and the natural as well as built environmental change.
Learning Chinese Through Media: Through various sources of Chinese media including authentic images, students will learn to discuss new topics from popular culture in China to globalization. Students will also gain more understanding of regional cultural differences in Chinese speaking areas.
French
French Introduction to Conversation and Storytelling
Foundations of French
Prerequisites: French 1 or equivalent and Departmental Recommendation Required.
Course topics are briefly outlined below.
Cuisine & Culture: Students will learn vocabulary related to groceries, ingredients and the kitchen. They will learn different expressions as well as units of measurement used in Francophone countries. They will also learn about the typical gastronomy of different countries.
Human Interactions: Students will study vocabulary related to how people interact. Beginning with discussing their own family, friends and social life, students will build their communication skills as they tell stories and practice more in-depth conversations about their backgrounds and interests. They will then be able to discuss interactions in the Spanish-Speaking world and the difficulties that can arise in different cultures and contexts.
Human Rights: Focusing on some of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, students will develop their oral and written skills in French. From access to food to the right to education, students will be exposed to new vocabulary and grammatical structures. While the course will have an overall global view of these issues, particular attention will be given to issues concerning the Francophone world.
The Francophone World: Students will be exposed to the many identities, traditions, and cultures of the Francophone world. With a heavy focus on Québec and Acadie, as well as Maghreb, students will explore the cultural tensions and histories of these regions through literature and authentic resources.
Intermediate French
Prerequisites: Demonstration of mastery of Foundations of French skills and Departmental Recommendation Required.
Course topics are briefly outlined below.
Action and Romance: This course will use the abbreviated version of the classic play “Cyrano de Bergerac.” The story will act as a starting point, allowing students to build mastery in the future and conditional tenses by reworking and re-imagining the tale. Additionally, students will be exposed to new tenses and review the past tense.
Art and Society (BVR-X): In this course, students will explore art through various modes such as music and visual art produced by Francophone artists. The class will discuss the context in which these works were created and their impact on society. Students will work closely with these works and use them to develop their own artistic voice.
Identities and Narratives: Students will explore cultural identity and how it is related to place. We will look at themes such as immigration and rural vs urban environments. Students will look at a variety of authentic sources that explore places and the people that inhabit them including Butterfly in the City and Jean de Florette, as well as representations of place and identity in poetry and music. Finally, we will look at how places have influenced and been represented in art.
Technology In Our Lives (BVR-X): Students will be introduced to the vocabulary of technology and social media. Additionally, students will be given the opportunity to research and discuss how technology and social media have affected our everyday life, the factors that have allowed for recent technological advances, as well as any moral and ethical implications. Student created products will include both written and oral communication using different platforms, allowing for a thorough review of foundational grammar, as well as future and conditional tenses.
Advanced French
Course topics are briefly outlined below.
Environments in Crisis: This course focuses on current environmental challenges around the world. Students will be encouraged to analyze the connections between the social contexts and contemporary environmental crises. Students will examine how social media, community engagement, and advocacy initiatives have played key roles in the positive outcomes of environmental problems.
French Theater: In this class, students will explore plays from various centuries and compare and contrast how French theater has evolved. What brought about these differences in both themes and in style? Students will delve into works by Marcel Pagnol, Molière and other Francophone playwrights. Students will analyze what themes came up in these plays which represented the reality in France and the world in those centuries. Through close readings of plays, performances, videos and other sources, students will explore ways French theater has evolved.
Québec of Today and Yesterday: In this class, students will explore Quebec’s rich history and culture. Students will use literature, current events, film, music and other resources to learn about the region of Quebec. This course will explore themes including La Révolution Tranquille, Quebecois identity today, Quebec’s indigenous population, Quebec’s relation to France today and yesterday. The course will also look at Quebec today as well as explore Quebec’s future. Students will read excerpts by Quebecois writers including Michel Tremblay, Wajdi Mouawad. This class will be taught entirely in French.
Revolutions: This course will look at Revolutions across the Francophone world and their effects on national identity. We will begin with the enlightenment philosophy that fueled the French Revolution and other revolutions since. We will look at significant moments in and the causes and aftermaths of the French Revolution, the Haitian Revolution and other revolts and revolutions across the Francophone world. We will look at these revolutions through different lenses using a variety of primary and secondary sources, from official documents to novels, plays, movies and more. The class will also address current conflicts happening in the Francophone world such as in Mali and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Research Seminar (H): This course will offer students the opportunity to explore a topic of their choosing related to their French studies. This course will represent an automatic Honors credit and a culmination of students’ language studies at Beaver. Students will work with the teacher in the class environment to craft a final research project on their topic, while sharing their discoveries with other students in the classroom setting.
Spanish
Spanish Introduction to Conversation and Storytelling
Foundations of Spanish
Prerequisites: Spanish 1 or equivalent and Departmental Recommendation Required.
Human Interactions: Students will study vocabulary related to how people interact. Beginning with discussing their own family, friends and social life, students will build their communication skills as they tell stories and practice more in-depth conversations about their backgrounds and interests. They will then be able to discuss interactions in the Spanish-Speaking world and the difficulties that can arise in different cultures and contexts.
Cuisine & Culture: Students will learn vocabulary related to groceries, ingredients and the kitchen. They will learn different expressions as well as units of measurement used in Spanish-speaking countries. They will also learn about the typical gastronomy of different countries.
Customs and Celebrations: In this course, students will explore different traditions and celebrations practiced in Spanish-speaking countries. They will also learn to talk about their own customs in their families and from their childhood. This course focuses on traditions and customs of Mexico, as well as one of its famous artists, Frida Kahlo, reading a level-appropriate biography in Spanish.
The Spanish-Speaking World: In this course, students will be exposed to the many identities, traditions, and cultures of the Spanish-Speaking World. Through a lens of travel, discussions and resources will cover topics such as: supporting the local economy, keeping an open mind, and educating oneself about the cultural traditions and practices of the host community.
Home Life: In this course, students read a novel called Bianca Nieves y sus siete toritos, which is about the life of a girl growing up in Spain whose father is a torero. They learn to understand Bianca’s complicated home life. In addition, students learn about different cultural aspects of Spain, including, but not limited to family life, and the controversy around bullfighting.
Intermediate Spanish
Course topics are briefly outlined below.
Prerequisites: Demonstration of mastery of Foundations of Spanish skills and Departmental Recommendation Required.
Health & Wellness: In this course, students will explore health-related topics including cultural context of food, access to healthcare, physical exercise, emotional well-being, and the importance of meditation and maintaining a healthy balance with technology. Through the novel that students read called Vida o muerte en el Cusco, students learn about medical emergencies, as well as what it is like to travel through Peru.
Identities and Narratives: In this course, students will explore their identities in the past, present, and future. They will do this by working with various themes such as important events in one’s past, dreams for the future, and communicating identity, as they establish what it means to be an individual in the 21st century.
Urban Life: In this course, students will explore various aspects of life in the city. Students will examine how topics such as pollution, accessibility, and migration shape urban settings. Students will also reflect on the causes and consequences of gentrification around the world and in our local communities
Storytelling: In this course, students will explore aspects of storytelling including short stories, journalism, poetry, and oral histories and the art of the interview.
Art and Society: In this course, students will explore art through various modes such as music and visual art produced by Spanish-speaking artists. The class will discuss the context in which these works were created and their impact on society. Students will work closely with these works and use them to develop their own artistic voice.
Film and Representation: In this course, students will experience some of the Spanish language’s most iconic and memorable film and television phenomena. From Golden Age film to the telenovela, students will build their Spanish skills through retelling and analyzing scenes, characters, and story arcs. In addition, students will explore current events and trends present in each film through the use of news articles, documentaries, and tv clips. Class activities will consist of discussions, oral and written responses, debates, and creative writing.
Advanced Spanish
Course topics are briefly outlined below.
Environments in Crisis: This course focuses on current environmental challenges across Latin America. Students will be encouraged to analyze the connections between the social contexts and contemporary environmental crises. Through case studies, students will explore the interrelationships between human activity and environmental change. The topics to be studied will include the destruction of the rainforest, water pollution, exploitation of natural resources, habitat destruction and endangered species. Students will examine how social media, community engagement, and advocacy initiatives have played key roles in the positive outcomes of environmental problems.
Social Justice in Latin America: In this course, students will investigate the key social justice issues facing the Spanish-speaking populations of the Americas. We will examine struggles for equity among various groups, including indigenous populations, political dissidents, and the poor and disenfranchised. Using a variety of authentic sources from the media, such as news articles, documentaries, music, literature and poetry, we will compare and contrast the multiple perspectives of people of Latin American descent. Students will be expected to demonstrate their understanding and express their opinions in discussions, essays and projects. One of the goals of this course is for students to understand the societal forces that shape the beliefs and attitudes of diverse groups of people.
Intercultural Dynamics: In this course, students will investigate the products of intercultural exchanges that have occurred throughout different periods in history and in different locations throughout the Spanish-speaking world. We will examine the interactions between different groups, cultural and intellectual contributions, and societal structures and/or inequities that lead to conflict. In addition, students will make comparisons to their family/personal cultures and current events in the US. This class will use a variety of sources, including images, news and opinion pieces (clips and articles), fiction, and poetry. Class activities will consist of discussions, oral and written responses, debates, and creative writing.
Research Seminar (H): This course will offer students the opportunity to explore a topic of their choosing related to their Spanish studies. This course will represent an automatic Honors credit and a culmination of students’ language studies at Beaver. Students will work with the teacher in the class environment to craft a final research project on their topic, while sharing their discoveries with other students in the classroom setting.
Current Events: This course aims at improving your knowledge and understanding of Latin American cultures. The goal is to enhance your awareness and understanding of the cultural diversity of the Spanish-speaking world. The course is organized by themes based on contemporary social, political and cultural issues of Spanish-speaking societies. Class activities will consist of discussions, oral and written reports, and debates, emphasizing problem-solving and respect for the opinions of others. This course uses a large selection of materials. We will use movies, the Internet, newspapers, readings, and radio programs that will be discussed during the semester and upon which class activities are based.