Overview
Carolyn Vacca, Chair of the Division of Humanities
The Languages and Cultures minor helps students build the skills and perspectives needed to thrive in today’s interconnected world. Studying languages and cultures deepens global awareness and offers meaningful insights that enrich both personal growth and professional development.
Learning a language strengthens communication skills while encouraging critical and creative thinking. It also builds analytical abilities and cross-cultural competence, skills highly valued across majors and career paths.
Designed with flexibility in mind, this minor allows students to tailor their coursework to match their interests and goals. It pairs well with virtually any major at Fisher, including programs in the natural and social sciences, humanities, business, education, nursing, and the creative arts.
The minor requires 18 credits and offers two tracks, giving students the opportunity to shape a course of study that supports their academic and career aspirations.
The program is a member of Alpha Mu Gamma, the national collegiate foreign language honor society.
Language Placement and Course Sequencing Guidelines
Proper language placement is crucial to enhance the educational experience, as well as the professional preparedness, of our students. Fisher students are placed in language courses based upon their demonstrated level of proficiency. Students who wish to continue language study are strongly advised to enroll in language courses during their first year at Fisher to avoid problems with retention of foreign language structures. Students who believe themselves to have been misplaced should contact the department chair. Students may also apply to be placed at a more advanced level if they consider themselves capable of higher–level performance.
Please note that placement and transfer credit are not equals (e.g., a student may be placed in a language course at the 112 level, but will only receive credit for the 111 course if the student has earned a grade of "C" or better in a college-level equivalent course and an official college transcript has been sent to St. John Fisher University, or with a qualifying score on a related Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or College Level Exam Program (CLEP) official score report, or other credit-by-examination sources accepted by Fisher. Credit for foreign language courses may also be earned through the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Consult the Transfer Credit Policies page for more information.
After successfully completing coursework at one level, a student may not get credit for a lower-level course (e.g., a student who has completed Spanish 112 may not get credit for Spanish 111). Any special cases should be referred to the chair.
Proficiency Level and Placement Guidelines
Guidelines for language placement are as follows:
- Students with no previous language study can register for the Elementary I language course of their choice.
- Students who wish to continue study in a language begun in high school (grades 9-12) may choose to be placed into the appropriate level at Fisher based on one of the following options:
- Number of years of a language taken in high school (refer to the information below).
- Fisher language placement/proficiency exam score (see the Language Placement/Proficiency Exam page for details).
- AP/IB/CLEP examination scores (refer to the information below).
Placement at the 111 Level
- No previous study of the language - or -
- Up to 2 years of language study in high school (9–12)
Placement at the 112 Level
- 3 years of language study in high school - or -
- Qualifying score on Fisher placement/proficiency exam - or -
- College credit earned for language at the 111 level
Placement at the 211 Level
- 4 years of language study in high school - or -
- Qualifying score of Fisher placement/proficiency exam - or -
- AP exam score of 4, or college credit earned for language at the 112 level
Placement at the 212 Level
- 5 or more years of language study at any time - or -
- Qualifying score on Fisher placement/proficiency exam - or -
- AP or IB (higher level) exam score of 5, CLEP score of 50+, or college credit earned for language at the 211 level
Placement at the 300 Level
- Contact the chair or any Spanish faculty member for appropriate placement advice
Study Abroad
Majors and minors are strongly encouraged to complete at least one semester abroad as a way to immerse themselves in the language and culture. Information on the study abroad program is available from the director of study abroad.