Department: School of Humanities and Global Studies

Teaching English for Educators

While the Department of Public Instruction no longer requires Elementary Education majors to choose a minor area of study, these pre-service teachers will have a number of elective credits remaining after satisfying their major requirements.  The Teaching English for Education Majors Certificate helps such pre-service educators expand their knowledge of teaching English through a targeted grouping of courses. The certificate work prepares them to understand and better meet the language and literacy needs of their students while simultaneously enhancing their marketability. 

Consists of 15 credits in English Language Arts. View course catalog

English as a Second Language

The English as a Second Language program, also known as ESL, is housed in the Department of World Languages and Literatures and is an interdisciplinary minor at UW-Stevens Point.  Courses are designed to give students a framework in linguistics as it’s applied to second language education.  The program provides students with the skills, methods, strategies, and practicum experience for working with English language learners. 

Students get an introduction to linguistics, an introduction to theories of second language acquisition, and acquire the knowledge to work effectively with all age levels.  Present-day applications include working with, hiring, training, and servicing English language learners in a variety of vocations.

The minor is available to undergraduate students who are not pursuing teaching degrees or for those who are pursuing teaching degrees but not interested in pursuing the ESL teaching license.

Requirements 

Consists of a minimum of 16 credits (not including the World Languages prerequisite requirement). 

Prerequisites

  1. Demonstrated proficiency in English
  2. World languages requirement (totaling 8 credits)

For more information, visit the Course Catalog, search by the name of this program, and filter by semester.   

Sample Graduation Plan (Spanish Teaching Certification) with ESL Minor

For more information contact the ESL Advisor and Program Coordinator
Dr. Tobias Barske
Assistant Dean
School of Humanities and Global Studies
tbarske@uwsp.edu
715-346-2334

Collaborative Language Program

The Collaborative Language Program makes less commonly taught languages (LCTLs) available to students at all UW campuses through distributed learning technologies, where courses are taught here and transmitted to other schools or vice versa. Each course is facilitated by a qualified speaker of that language from a UW-System campus.

Currently, UW-Stevens Point receives the following courses from other campuses:

For information about the Universities of Wisconsin Collaborative Language Program click here. 

“Being willing to learn a second language is a window opening yourself to understanding.”
Justine Horvath ’07

World Languages Communicative Proficiency

The World Languages Communicative Proficiency Certificate helps you further develop your proficiency level in one of the target languages taught in the Department of World Languages and Literatures and deepen your understanding of the cultures of the people who speak this language. It can enhance the general education of any student and allow those who have already studied their target language in K-12 to continue their linguistic adventure. Higher proficiency in any second language prepares you from a variety of disciplines to work more effectively with others in your future workplaces – whether those workplaces are in business, higher education, government, or non-profit agencies.

Consists of 12 credits. View course catalog

Required Courses:

  • FLNG 250 – Introduction to World Languages  Credits: 3
  • 9 credits in one world language at 300-400 level taken at UWSP and/or one of our approved study-abroad programs.

Preferred Course Sequence

  • FREN 313/GERM 313/SPAN 313
  • FREN 314/GERM 314/SPAN 314
  • FREN 315/GERM 315/SPAN 315

Other Requirements

Global Seal of Biliteracy:  Apply, test, and receive the certification from the Global Seal of Biliteracy and provide a copy of the certification to the Department of World Languages and Literatures.

German Minor

CONNECT GLOBALLY WITH A GERMAN MINOR AT UW-STEVENS POINT

A minor in German offers students a background in the language at the undergraduate level, an introduction to the study of German literary classics, and knowledge of the history of German culture.  Students pursing music and the arts may be interested in a German minor for a better multi-cultural understanding of the arts.  Business and international studies majors interested in working with companies or in career fields with German affiliates may be interested in the minor as well.  

Consists of 18 credits.

In cooperation with the Office of International Programs, we offer a semester long language immersion program. Be sure to investigate study abroad opportunities in Marburg, Germany.

For more information, visit the Course Catalog, search by the name of this program, and filter by semester.   

UWSP Department of World Languages and Literatures

Spanish Minor

SEE THE WORLD THROUGH MORE THAN ONE LENS WITH A MINOR IN SPANISH AT UW-STEVENS POINT

A Spanish minor is an excellent option for a variety of majors.  Approximately 350 million people worldwide are native Spanish speakers and Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world. In fact, 21 countries have Spanish as their official language: Spain, Equatorial Guinea (Malabo) in West Africa, Mexico, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela. The Spanish-speaking population is one of the fasting growing segments in the world, especially in the United States.

English as a Second Language teachers are in high need.  Additionally, the Hispanic market is today the most rapidly expanding market in the United States. Hispanic consumers have become a driving force in the largest national markets, including southern and northern California, New York, Chicago, Florida, Texas, and others. Some marketing studies show that Hispanics prefer to make buying decisions in Spanish and not surprisingly, there are many career fields in the U.S. are transitioning to bilingual services. 

Learning Spanish helps you to gain access to a wealth of Spanish art, music, literature, and film. Becoming bilingual means seeing the world through more than one lens; a skill that can help you in many areas and if you plan to travel, knowing the language of the places you visit will give you insights into the people and culture that a non-Spanish speaker would never have access to.

Consists of 18 credits.

For more information, visit the Course Catalog, search by the name of this program, and filter by semester. 

UWSP Department of World Languages and Literatures

Bilingual-Bicultural Education

Program participants acquire abilities to teach content both in English and another language (either Spanish or Hmong).  If you are an undergraduate student seeking ESL teacher certification or a practicing K-12 teacher with ESL certification, the Bilingual-Bicultural Education Certificate is only a few additional credits beyond the ESL teaching certification.

The certificate can be awarded after completion of coursework including FLED 345/FLED 545 (3 credits), FLED 397/FLED 597, and FLED 399 and requires a minimum of 5 credits. It is administered by the Department of World Languages and Literatures.

Attain this certificate by first successfully completing the English as a Second Language Minor with K-12 Teacher Certification.

For more information, visit the Course Catalog, search by the name of this program, and filter by semester.   

Basic Second Language Proficiency

The Basic Second Language Proficiency Certificate allows students to acquire a second language to reach a basic proficiency level and to focus on understanding cultural knowledge related to the people where this second language is spoken. The certificate provides preparation for students from a variety of disciplines to work more effectively with others in their future workplaces – whether those workplaces are in business, higher education, government or non-profit agencies. The certificate can enhance the general education of any student.

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • Demonstrate an understanding of how languages other than English are similar to and different from the English language.
  • Discuss the importance of speaking a language other than English to become a more engaged global citizen.
  • Discuss how basic language proficiency in a second language represents an asset to professional success.

Required Courses:

Complete first four semesters of a world language offered at UWSP including Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian or Spanish. View course catalog

  • At least one of the courses in the following sequences must be taken at UWSP.
  • If you have enough retro-active credits to cover the sequence and your placement is above this level, take a 300-level language course at UWSP. To receive retro-active credits, you need to earn B- or above in this course.
  • For languages not offered at UWSP (e.g., Hmong), an official ACTFL oral proficiency test score of beginning high may be substituted.
  • FLNG 101 – Intercultural Communication and Global Citizenship Credits: 3

UWSP Course Sequences

Chinese: CHIN 101, 102, 200, 201

French: FREN 101, 102, 211, 212

German: GERM 101, 102, 211, 212

Japanese: JAPN 101, 102, 211, 212

Russian: RUSS 101, 102, 211, 215

Spanish:  SPAN 101, 102, 211, 212

Environmental Justice

The Environmental Justice certificate examines the paired problems of social inequality and environmental pollution. Students take one core course, History 279 Environmental Justice, that provides historical context. Further courses deepen the investigation with perspectives from the humanities and social sciences. In completing courses for the certificate, students also satisfy several General Education requirements.

The 12-credit program is an interdisciplinary certificate administered by the Department of History and International Studies.

For more information, view course catalog. Search by the name of this program, and filter by semester.  

For advising questions contact:

Neil Prendergast
Associate Professor, History and International Studies
neil.prendergast@uwsp.edu

Native American and Indigenous Studies

The Native American and Indigenous Studies certificate prepares students to work effectively with sovereign Indigenous nations in career paths such as law, government, education, health care, resource management, journalism, and many others. Program consists of 9-12 credits, including 3 credits at the 300-level or above.

With a completed certificate students will be able to:

  • Describe diverse examples of indigenous experiences, histories, and cultural traditions.
  • Explain key concepts in Native American and Indigenous Studies, including tribal sovereignty, oral tradition, and decolonization.
  • Apply their knowledge of Native American and Indigenous Studies to their work with indigenous people and organizations.

The certificate requirements balance traditional academic coursework with applied, experiential, and/or service learning. Students choose from a practicum experience, a special work project, or an internship with a Native people or Native organization.

Core Classes:
Choose 6-9 credits representing at least two different disciplines:
ENGL 280 – American Indian Literature
ENGL 382 – Ethnic Literature of the United States
ENGL 386 – Major Authors of Ethnic Literature
HIST 292 – Native American History
HIST 393 – Wisconsin Indians
PHIL 381 – American Indian Environmental Philosophies

Additional 3 Credit Courses:
Choose to apply up to 3 credits to the certificate requirements from:
HIST 285 – Women in American History
HIST 288 – Race and Ethnicity in American History
NRES 150 – People, Resources and the Biosphere
POLI 315 – Minority Group Politics
POLI 330 – Constitutional Law
POLI 375 – Latin American Politics
SOC 270 – Race and Ethnicity
SOC 343 – Cultural Perspectives of Family
SW 365 – Social Work Practice with Diverse Populations

Applied Learning:
Choose up to 3 credits from:
NAIS 199 – Practicum
NAIS 399 – Special Work
NAIS 499 – Internship
(1-12 credits, may be repeated for credit)

12-credit program is an interdisciplinary certificate administered by the Department of History and International Studies. For more information, view course catalog. Search by the name of this program and filter by semester.