Students will demonstrate a minimum of third-semester competency in another language in addition to English. Some students must take preparatory courses before registering for the third semester. Students may also satisfy this requirement by taking a course beyond the third-semester level in any language other than English or passing a competency exam.

Flagged courses for Second Language Competency include ARAB 201, CHIN 201, FREN 201, GERM 201, ITAL 201, JAPN 201, LATN 201, SPAN 201

Student Learning Outcomes

Produce language interactively both orally and in writing in different social situations.
Present information to an audience of listeners using basic vocabulary and grammatical structures.
Write short texts about familiar topics using the vocabulary, grammatical structures, and social conventions.
Understand and recognize the main idea in conversations and oral messages in accordance with the cultural settings in which they take place.
Understand the main idea in a variety of written texts.

Example Course Description:

SPAN 201 - Third Semester Spanish

Prerequisites: SPAN 102 or SPAN 103 or Passing the appropriate departmental placement test within the previous year Completes the introduction of the basic structures of the language, with continuing emphasis on communicative proficiency. At this level students are encouraged to participate in community service-learning and/or cultural activities within the Spanish-speaking community.

Student Learning Outcomes for American Sign Language (ASL)

Produce ASL messages in face-to-face interactions using ASL vocabulary, grammatical structures, and the social conventions of the Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities.
Present information about familiar topics to a live audience (or create short ASL video texts) using ASL vocabulary, grammatical structures, and the social conventions of the Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities.
Understand and recognize the main idea in ASL conversation and face-to-face ASL messages in accordance with the social and cultural conventions of the Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities.
Understand and recognize the main idea in various live ASL presentations or signed video texts about familiar topics.

Since ASL is not taught at USD, students wanting to fulfill their Core CSLA requirement using ASL competency may do so in one of two ways:

Transfer of Credit: Present documentation (i.e., a course syllabus and transcript) that shows that they completed a class that covered the ASL student learning outcomes 1 through 4.
Demonstration of Competency by completing an approved external exam: Present documentation that they have completed an external exam approved by USD’s Department of Languages, Cultures, and Literatures.