Language Arts Division . .	s
	Foreign Language Department This content is maintained and updated by Susan Petit. Language Courses:  American Sign Language Arabic Chinese French German Italian Japanese Spanish Language Courses Offered Language Faculty: Directory   How to Register for Foreign Language Classes Department Pages: French German Italian Spanish Information: About Our Programs What Course Numbers mean Certificates of Completion   Learn about our Foreign Language Center     Here are some of us! Above, Professors Raney, Carter, Wu, Petit, and Musgrave; on the right, Professor Balestra     Read about World Language Week 2007 and World Language Days 2007 and see the pictures!   The schedules of classes are available on line. We have classes in ASL, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish. Arabic is now offered elsewhere in our district, at Skyline College. For specifics about our fall offerings in each language, see below. A note about our offerings: College of San Mateo, like all of California's community colleges, is in an ongoing budget crisis which means that we have been offering fewer class sections than in the past. We are, however, committed to maintaining our programs. If you don't see listed the courses you would most like to take, please understand that we have been required to eliminate some offerings to stay within a reduced budget, and that we will do our best to bring back courses as soon as possible. We hope that you will understand our situation and realize that we are doing our best to maintain courses and programs.     [top] SEE BELOW FOR INFORMATION ON CERTIFICATES OF COMPLETION   Foreign Language Center   FLC hours spring 2008     Mon Tue Wed Thurs Friday 8:00 Closed Closed Closed Closed Closed 9:00   Baraff Castillo Baraff Castillo Baraff 10:00 Petit Castillo Petit   Castillo Petit 11:00 Lisses Petit Lisses Petit J. Lisses (from 11:40) 12:00 Petit (to 12:45) Baraff (from 12:45) Musgrave Petit (to 12:45) Baraff (from 12:45) Petit Petit 1:00 Baraff (to 1:35)   Castillo Baraff (to 1:35) Castillo Closed 2:00 Musgrave Musgrave Closed Closed Closed 3:00 Closed Closed Closed Closed Closed 4:00 Closed Carter Closed Closed Closed 5:00 Closed Closed Closed Closed Closed 5:40-6:20 5:00-5:40 Gamache; 5:40-6:20 Wu 5:00-6:20 E. Gamache 5:30-6:00 Musgrave; 5:40-6:20 Conway 5:40-6:20 Conway Closed 6:20 on Closed Closed Closed Closed Closed   Foreign language faculty will generally be present when the FLC is open. The exceptions are those times when no faculty name is shown. Please note that sometimes faculty will stay later or arrive earlier than is shown here. For help with a specific language: Chinese: Wu French: Gamache and Petit German: Musgrave Italian: Baraff Japanese: Conway Spanish: Castillo and Lisses     In our Foreign Language Center, students can work on homework; wireless connection allows them to use their own laptops to get on the Internet if they prefer. Faculty are available to help students with homework. CD players, VCRs, and even cassette players are readily available. Students can do on-line exercises, Web research, and writing. We have both Macintosh computers and PCs. We are continually upgrading our materials and services. Left, students in American Sign Language discover how to use the lab to practice signing together.   The center is located in Building 18, Room 112, adjacent to the Speech Lab, the Reading Center, and the Writing Center. Language students may use the center to study in small groups, watch films, use internet resources, access listening materials and other learning tools, and get individual help from faculty. The fall 2007 hours posted above may be modified in the course of the semester. Once the FLC opens, sheets showing the entire schedule can be picked up at the FLC and in the hall of Building 17, outside Room 169, the Language Arts office. The center's phone number is 650-574-6346. About our programs: To help you "go for the world," we normally offer courses that meet weekdays, evenings, or Saturdays, as well as telecourses in French, Italian and Spanish and an online class in writing Chinese. Our experienced, multilingual faculty are dedicated to your learning. We have courses focusing on oral communication with the traveler or businessperson in mind as well as courses that transfer to virtually any four-year college or university. We can make a language come alive for you! Our transfer sequence courses teach speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Vocabulary covers the full range of communication in everyday situations. Our non-transfer courses emphasize speaking and listening; vocabulary focuses on needs of travelers and businesspeople. Our telecourses, using "Destinos" (Spanish), "In Italiano" (Italian), and "French in Action," are designed for those not needing extensive classroom reinforcement of skills. These courses teach all essential aspects of the language. Our special courses are tailored to the needs and interests of those taking particular languages and include Basic Chinese Writing Skills (offered on line), French Literature in Translation, Japanese for Business, and Hispanoamérica Contemporanea. We will offer these classes again when the budget permits us to do so. Outside of class, College of San Mateo provides internet connections in labs around campus permitting students to communicate with the world. [top] Before we tell more about the programs, let us explain our course numbering. All our languages use the following system: Transfer sequence courses are numbered 110 (no prerequisite), 120, 130, 140, 161, 162, and higher in the 100 and 200 range. Courses numbered 110, 120, and 130 give five units of credit each but may be offered in the form of three-unit courses numbered 111 (no prerequisite) and 112, 121 and 122, and 131 and 132. Courses numbered 140 and above give three units of credit each. Any of these courses may be taken for either a letter grade or a CR/NC grade. Completion of 120 or 122 fulfils the University of California's language entrance requirement. Higher-level classes can be used to fulfill humanities requirements; see the catalog, schedule, and individual language pages for information about special offerings in the languages that interest you. Non-transfer conversation sequence courses are numbered 801 (no prerequisite), 802, 803, 804, 805, and 806. These courses focus on speaking and listening, give two units of credit each, and are offered for CR/NC grades only. Non-transfer basic courses are numbered 810. They give one-half unit of credit and are offered for CR/NC grades only and emphasize the immediate language needs of businesspeople and travelers. Telecourses are numbered 115 (no prerequisite), 116, 117, and 118. They give three units of credit each, are transferable, and may be taken for either a letter grade or a CR/NC grade. Experimental and special courses are numbered 680-690 and 880-889. Except for American Sign Language and the online Chinese writing course, every one of our courses provides practice in listening, speaking, reading, and writing the language (although speaking is necessarily not stressed in the telecourses), and each gives an introduction to the culture(s) where the language is spoken. Prerequisites may be fulfilled through a course taken with us, an equivalent course taken elsewhere, or knowledge of the language in question which is equivalent to what one would have learned in a prerequisite class. To learn whether you can begin with a course after the first one, contact the person teaching the course you would like to take (see the directory on this page) or Professor Susan Petit. To get free, by mail, your own copy of the class schedule, telephone (650) 574-6423. You can also see the schedule on line. [top]     CERTIFICATES OF COMPLETION We offer the opportunity to earn a Certificate of Completion in foreign language, for which students must successfully complete twelve units of coursework at CSM in a single language. Five of those units must be in the classroom transfer sequence (110, 111, 112, 120, 121, 122, 130, 131, 132, 140, etc.). The rest of the units may be in that sequence, in the telecourse sequence (115, 116, 117, 118), or in a non-transfer sequence (801, 802, etc.). (Courses taught in English, such as literature in translation, do not apply.) In special circumstances, the Dean of Language Arts may approve some substitutions. To apply for a certificate, you must be enrolled in a course which can be counted toward the certificate. Applications are made through the Registrar's Office (Admissions and Records), which sets the deadlines each semester. For more information, ask in the Language Arts Division Office (650-574-6314; 17-145) or consult Professor Susan Petit (650-574-6357; <petit@smccd.net>) or Professor Richard Castillo (650-574-6316; <rpcastle@rcn.net>). [CSM Class Schedules] Explanation of course numbering American Sign Language (ASL) is offered day and evening. For current and upcoming schedules, see the on-line schedule.   ASL Activities Above, ASL students on a field trip to the local Deaf Counseling Advocacy and Referral Agency. Professor Michael Cheung is on the left.   Above and below, Professor Cheung's students have a class dinner at a Red Robin restaurant.     [top] Explanation of course numbering Arabic was offered through spring 2003, but now the district is offering it only at Skyline College. You can look up the Skyline offerings at the Skyline Web page. All courses offered in the district (Cañada College, College of San Mateo, and Skyline College) are also listed in the district's schedule of classes. [top] Explanation of course numbering Mandarin Chinese is offered in the day and evening. For current and future offerings, see the on-line schedule. [top] Explanation of course numbering French is offered in the day and evening and through telecourses. For current and future offerings, see the on-line schedule. French Telecourses include all four levels in the sequence and are based on the series "French in Action." French 115 French 116 French 117 French 118 Above, Professor Marilyn Carter presenting at the Simone de Beauvoir Society conference in Montreal, 2007. Telecourses generally have five meetings: orientation, mid-term review, mid-term examination, final review, and final examination. See the schedule of classes or contact the instructor for more information. For more information about the telecourses, email Professor Edwige Gamache. Some of the winners of the CSM Concours de composition en français, spring 2007, with their classmates and friends, at an evening ceremony. The French faculty gave prizes and served refreshments. Below, Professors Marilyn Carter and George Khoury.     Left and above, winners from Mme Petit's day French class.       Check our French page for more information and for photos. The French faculty are delighted to announce the success of their students in the 2006 Grand Concours Universitaire of the American Association of Teachers of French of Northern California, in which Gabrielle Cihlarova (Mme Petit) won second place in the first-year competition and Ursula Dominguez (Mme Petit) and Amy de la Salle (Mme Carter) earned honorable mentions. Congratulations to our winners! [top] Explanation of course numbering German courses are offered in the evening. For current and future offerings, see the on-line schedule. The German faculty are pleased to announce that student Eric Tsang was a regional finalist in the National German Examination, a test taken by about 25,000 American students each year. This is a competition open only to students who have not spent more than two consecutive weeks in a German-speaking country since age six. Winners earn a trip to Germany. Congratulations, Eric! Check the German page for more information.   [top] Explanation of course numbering Italian is offered in the day and evening and through telecourses. For current and future offerings, see the on-line schedule. Italian Telecourses include all four levels in the sequence. Italian 115 Italian 116 Italian 117 Italian 118  Telecourses generally have five meetings: orientation, mid-term review, mid-term examination, final review, and final examination. See the schedule of classes for more information.   Also check our Italian page for more information. [top] Explanation of course numbering Japanese course are offered in the day and evening. For current and future offerings, see the on-line schedule. Explanation of course numbering Spanish is offered day and evening. For more information about current and future offerings, see the on-line schedule.   Spanish Telecourses include all four levels in the sequence, based on the series "Destinos." Spanish 115 Spanish 116 Spanish 117 Spanish 118 Telecourses generally have five meetings: orientation, mid-term review, mid-term examination, final review, and final examination. See the schedule of classes or contact the instructor for more information. For more information about the telecourses, email Professor Richard Castillo or phone him at 650-574-6316. Check the Spanish page for more information. We can help you understand and express yourself in the language you have chosen. Ask College of San Mateo's professional counseling staff to help you find the course which fits your needs, call the Language Arts Division directly for more information at (650) 574-6314, or call or e-mail a faculty member who teaches the language that interests you. (See our directory below.) [top] Meet the Faculty Below is a list of the faculty in the Foreign Language Department at College of San Mateo, together with desk phone numbers (where applicable), PhoneMail numbers (if they are different from the desk phone numbers), office numbers, and email addresses (for many). Some of the faculty are creating their own web pages to tell you a bit about themselves and their work. Follow the links (in the first column of the table below) to find out more about our Foreign Language teachers! A phone number beginning with 6 is an extension which you can dial directly from campus. You can also reach it from off campus by first dialing (650) 574. These extensions ring the phones on faculty desks and, for those faculty who do not share phones, will let you leave a message at the same number. Phone numbers beginning with 19 let you leave a message for faculty who share a physical telephone but have individual PhoneMail mailboxes. These numbers have changed as of December 22, 2005. From on campus, dial 7301 and the 19000 number; from off campus, dial (650) 378-7301 and then, when prompted, the 19000 extension number. For office addresses, building numbers are listed first, followed by room numbers. Room number 131 in Building 17, for instance, is written 17-131. Some faculty do not have offices but can be contacted via the Division Office, 17-169. "TBA" means "to be assigned." Name Dept. Phone Office email Tiziana Salvato Balestra Italian   via 17-169 t_balestra@yahoo.com Barbara Baraff Italian 19201 17-101 baraffb@smccd.edu Marilyn Carter French 6695 / 19024 17-145 carterm@smccd.edu Richard Castillo Spanish 6316 17-171 rpcastle@rcn.com Michael Cheung American Sign Language   17-101 art22cook@yahoo.com Harry Collis Spanish 19312 via 17-169 . Machiko Conway Japanese 19481 via 17-169 . Anne Dinelli Spanish 19270 via 17-169 . Maria Espinoza Spanish 19105 15-149 espinozam@smccd.edu Ana Fernández León Spanish via 17-169 afernandezleon@comcast.net Edwige Gamache French 19033 17-101 egam1@comcast.net Luji Gao Chinese 6670 / 19116 17-101 . Michael Johnson American Sign Language TDD: See below* 17-101 msjohnson57@gmail.com George Khoury French 19230 via 17-169 khouryg@smccd.edu Jennifer Lisses Spanish 6675 17-136 lisses@smccd.edu Brian Malzkuhn American Sign Language   TBA TBA Guy Marra Italian 6333 / 19109 17-101 italtele00@hotmail.com Diane Musgrave German 6351 17-128 musgraved@smccd.edu Leda Mussio Italian 15-117 Susan Petit French 6357 17-145 petit@smccd.edu Roslyn Raney German 19361 via 17-169 roslynr@pacbell.net John Tavernakis Spanish mrtavernakis@hotmail.com Etsko Wright Japanese . via 17-169 . Jing Wu Chinese 6341 17-109 wu@smccd.edu Renshi Xuan Japanese 6333 / 19096 17-101 renshix@yahoo.com Grace Yu Chinese 6377 / 19248 15-117 ... *For TDD assistance, call 1-800-735-2922 & ask operator for 574-6533.   [top] Are You Studying Business?  Improve your chances of success in the business world by learning a new language here at CSM. American businesses are increasingly international, and learning a language other than English can help you to . . . work with customers and employees from other countries, be considered for opportunities to work or study abroad, travel around the world for your job, conduct successful negotiations with companies in other countries, stay abreast of business and other news in foreign newspapers, understand world markets, and take advantage of many other opportunities that are closed to those who know only English. A recent survey of 300 business executives revealed that the skill most lacking in their workforce was knowledge of a foreign language. Get ahead of the pack now! Consider these facts about the languages we teach: Chinese (Mandarin): spoken by over one billion people in mainland China and Taiwan. It is also used widely in international trading in Southeast Asia and is an official language of the Olympics. China is a major American trade partner and supplies us with many manufactured goods. Many American businesses are trying to open up this huge market to US-made products. French: spoken by 75 million people as a first language mainly in France, Quebec, Belgium, and Switzerland (and also in the Caribbean, South Pacific, Indian Ocean, etc.), and as a second language by nearly 200 million around the world. It is a major language of business and trade in Europe and Africa, the second most widely used language on the Internet, and an official language of the European Union, the UN, UNESCO, and the Olympics. France buys many American products and supplies us with pharmaceuticals, engineered products, wine and fine foods, and goods including fashions, perfumes, and cosmetics. German: spoken by 90 million people in Europe and as a second language by 200 million worldwide. It is a key business language in the European Union and in Eastern Europe. Germany is a major trading partner of the United States; more than 750 major American firms do business in Germany, and some 1100 German firms do business here. German is important in management, marketing, and sales. Italian: spoken by 60 million in Italy and nearly two million in Switzerland and elsewhere in Europe, as well as six million in North and South America. All major semiconductor and related companies have offices in Italy. Italy is in the forefront of high fashion and auto design, not to mention architecture, music, and cuisine. Japanese: spoken by over 125 million people, the language is widely used in other countries, including Korea, Taiwan, Australia, and throughout Southeast Asia. Japan is one of our largest trading partners. The US ships many raw materials to Japan and purchases huge amounts of manufactured goods in return. Japan is vital to Silicon Valley companies; many technology companies work closely with their Japanese counterparts. Knowledge of the society, culture, and traditions of Japan is an asset in developing relations with the Pacific Rim economic community. Spanish: spoken by over 300 million people in Mexico and Spain, in nearly all of Central and South America, and in much of the Caribbean as well as by many residents of California and the Southwest. NAFTA has increased the importance of Spanish, with Latin America buying our goods and manufacturing and assembling many products we import. Knowledge of the language is especially useful in serving the Spanish-speaking market here at home as well as abroad. Finally, it's not foreign, but American Sign Language is used by millions of Americans and provides a major means of communication with the deaf and hard of hearing. Signers are employed by government offices, schools, courts, doctors and hospitals, places of worship, theaters, and other concerns which need to communicate with the public. Increase your business opportunities by learning to communicate in another language. At CSM, you can study any of these languages! We offer day and evening classes during the regular year and in the summer. We provide both transfer and non-transfer courses in most of the languages. See the schedule of classes for current courses. For more information on courses or to find out what level to enroll in, call Professor Susan Petit at (650) 574-6357 or email her. Let us help open the world to you. [top] site updated 01/28/08

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