Students wishing to obtain Villanova credits in French, Italian, Portuguese, or Spanish while being abroad will need to adhere to the following guidelines. Please note: only courses in language, linguistics, literature, and cultural studies will qualify for credit in the Department of Romance Languages; requests for credit in other disciplines, even if the course is taught in the target language, should be brought directly to the department that offers those courses at Villanova.
Study Abroad Programs for RLL Majors and Minors:
Credits will be obtained only when students enroll in programs approved previously by the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures. Students are encouraged to participate in the Department’s own program of study, or programs that the Department has previously selected and approved.
Programs approved by the RLL Department satisfy most, if not all, of the following criteria:
· The language for which credit is requested is the main language spoken at the program site and therefore a student can immerse him/herself in the language and culture.
· The program is affiliated with and managed by a well-established university.
· The student’s primary residence (not including program-related excursions) is fully immersive where the target language is the lingua franca: possibilities include a host family or an integrative dormitory in which the majority of students are native speakers in the target language.
· The program offers a variety of courses from which the Department’s majors can choose.
· The program regularly organizes academically relevant cultural activities. Depending on the student’s level of the language, the program offers a hybrid curriculum (i.e. students take a combination of courses for foreigners and direct-enrollment courses at the university).
· The program has a long-standing tradition and reputation for academic excellence.
Procedure:
The process begins in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, when a student schedules an appointment with the appropriate faculty member in charge of study abroad, to discuss the program and the courses in question. To this initial meeting, the student may bring:
· A clear idea of his/her academic goals while abroad.
· A list of the courses that he/she would like to take.
· Majors and minors will also need to bring information related to at least two programs that meet both the Department’s criteria and the student’s goals (the Department has a list of pre-approved programs to facilitate this step).
· The RLL advisors will find the equivalents according to the current Villanova course catalog (available in NOVASIS). Once the Department’s study abroad advisor and the student agree on the program and the equivalent courses within Romance Languages, the student obtains the approval from the department chairperson and, should they wish to take courses in other disciplines, the student schedules appointments with the appropriate person in the corresponding departments.
· Finally, once all of the courses are approved, the student brings his/her approved form to the Office of International Studies, where he/she will receive assistance regarding the remaining details of the study abroad experience, including (but not limited to): visa requirements, travel insurance, etc.
Approved by the Faculty of the Romance Languages Department on October 31, 2012
