ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Preferably ‘A’ Level or CAPE (Units 1 and
2) Spanish/French, but at least ‘O’Level or CXC General
Proficiency (Grade 1 or 2). For literature, ‘A’ Level or CAPE
English would be an asset.
REGISTRATION
All students wishing to take a course in
Chinese, French, Japanese, Spanish or Comparative Caribbean
Literature must register on-line at the beginning of the
academic year. In addition to registering on-line, new
students registered for language courses should also register
in the Department and the Language Laboratory and must attend
an orientation in the Language Lab in the first week of
Semester I. Any changes in registration must be done
on-line. Failure to change course registration may result in
problems at examination time. NOT ALL COURSES LISTED WILL BE
TAUGHT IF AN INSUFFICIENT NUMBER OF STUDENTS REGISTER.
DESIGNATION OF COURSES
Each course has a numerical code and a
title. The letters ‘CHIN’, 'FREN', 'JAPA'
‘PORT’ and 'SPAN', preceding a code number indicate
Chinese, French, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish courses
respectively. Course codes are designated by four letters
followed by four numbers e.g. SPAN 1402, FREN 2214.
Semester courses in our department are worth 3 credits each.
Most courses are assessed by course work and final exams.
Semester 1 courses have their final exams in December. The
final exams for semester 2 courses are held in April and May.
PRE-REQUISITES & CO-REQUISITES
For second and third year courses,
requirements are detailed later in this pamphlet, but in
general a pass in Level I Language is required for Level II
language and a pass in Level II Language is the prerequisite
for Level III language. Level II and III literature courses
require a pass in Level 1 language as well as a pass in Level
I literature (Spanish, French or English). You are advised
to plan ahead and consider the courses you may wish to take in
subsequent years to ensure that you cover all pre-requisites.
Some courses also have co-requisites. A co-requisite is a
course which must be taken along with a course for which you
wish to register.
OTHER REQUIREMENTS
Students are REQUIRED to attend all
classes and tutorials. All assignments are compulsory.
Disciplinary action, such as debarment from exams or
withdrawal from the Faculty, may result from failure to
observe these requirements.
SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS
All written assignments which form part of
a course assessment must be handed in ON or BEFORE the due
date. Late submissions will not normally be accepted without a
valid medical certificate from the University Health Centre
not later than one week beyond the due date. Students are
reminded to discuss with their lecturer all matters regarding
the delayed submission, and in particular, the precise length
of the extension being requested. Marks will be deducted for
late submission.
LANGUAGE LAB
There will be one scheduled hour of lab
work per week, but students are invited to use the Lab for
self-study and consolidation of their listening skills at any
time during opening hours in the booths reserved for this
purpose.
PROCEDURE FOR IN-COURSE TESTS
In-course tests (including Oral Exams) are
subject to the same rules as the final written exam. Students
who arrive late for a written exam are not normally allowed
extra time. Similarly, if a student misses the time for which
an oral exam has been scheduled the exam will be rescheduled
only if reported formally on the same day and rescheduled
immediately. Where reporting missed oral exam is done one or
more days later, each case will be treated on its own merit
and a rescheduling will be approved only where the reasons are
considered valid. All such cases must be referred to the Head
of Department. In all cases, marks will be deducted.
LANGUAGE PRACTICE
GREAT EMPHASIS IS PLACED ON ORAL COMPETENCE
IN THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE. This is developed mainly by
practice. Conversation classes constitute an important part of
language courses and are kept small to allow for wide
participation. Students are encouraged to watch foreign
language cable channels on the TV in the language lab and talk
with native speakers of the foreign language outside the
classroom.

READING MATERIAL
Reading material in the foreign language
(newspapers, magazines etc.) is available at the Language Lab.
It is highly recommended that you make use of this material to
build up your language competence. The Main Library keeps a
selection of foreign language dictionaries and many
recommended books and articles in the Reserved Book Collection
(RBC).
WARNING!
The incidence of mutilation and theft of
Library books has been increasing. Apart from being an offence
subject to severe penalties, this creates serious problems not
only for other students in your year, but for generations of
students to come. Much of the material cannot be replaced, or
can be replaced only at heavy costs to the University, thus
lowering the budget for new materials.
PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS PRACTICE, AND
PLEASE DISCOURAGE OR REPORT THOSE WHO DO. IT CANNOT HELP YOU
TO PASS THE COURSES. HELP US TO PRESERVE OUR RESOURCE MATERIAL
FOR ALL TO USE.
PART-TIME STUDENTS
Evening classes are offered for part-time
students only for Level 1 Spanish courses. Part-time students
are normally required to spread their first year programme (30
credits) over 2 academic years. These students are advised to
take the language courses S11A and S11B during their
first academic year. Part-time students who are able to attend
day classes may take Beginners’ French in the first year and
F111 in the summer or F14A and F14B in
the next year to complete Year I requirements.
ALL LEVEL II AND III CLASSES ARE OFFERED
ONLY IN THE DAY.
DEPARTMENTAL COMMITTEE AND COURSE
REPRESENTATIVES
The Department takes very seriously student
concerns about its teaching and its programmes; it therefore
has a full staff-student committee which meets once per
semester to consider student evaluations of its courses and
teaching (delivery of instruction, course content, etc.) as
well as other matters of concern to students. To this end,
each course will have a course representative to provide the
necessary feedback and liaise generally with the Department.
LANGUAGE CLUBS
The Chinese, French, Japanese, Portuguese
and Spanish Clubs are open to all students in the Department.
Each club is what you will make of it. It can be used to
consolidate Language and Literature studies through films,
discussions, guest lectures, weekend retreats and other forms
of entertaining education.
PRIZES AND SCHOLARSHIPS
The Faculty as a whole awards prizes to the
top students in each of the first and second years of the B.A.
programme. In addition, the department has its own awards and
prizes for outstanding performance by students majoring in
French and Spanish.
SPANISH
The Paul Davis Memorial Prize (Mona
only), commemorates a First Class (Hons.) graduate of the
Department who died in 1977 while he was a Teaching Assistant
in Spanish. It is awarded to the student with the best
performance in Spanish Language AND/OR Linguistics in
Years 2 and 3 with a minimum B+ Average.
The Gabriel Coulthard Prize (Mona
only), commemorates a former professor in the Department, who
made a significant contribution to the development of Latin
American Studies, and who died in 1974. This is a Second Year
Prize awarded to the student with the best performance in 2
Spanish American Literature Courses with a minimum B+ Average.
The Kemlin Laurence Prize (available
to students at all 3 Campuses), commemorates a former Lecturer
who first served in this Department from 1960 to 1972, and
then at UWI, St. Augustine, until her death in 1982. This
Prize is awarded to the student with the highest aggregate
mark in Spanish Language and Literature at Levels II and III
with a minimum B average.
Latin American Women’s Club Bursaries
are awarded to Spanish majors based on financial need
and good academic performance and provide partial funding for
study in a Spanish-speaking country.
ANNUAL SPANISH LITERARY COMPETITION
The following prizes are awarded to the
winners of this competition:
Short Story: Premio Cuento Ricardo Palma
(Peru).
Essay : The Ortega y Gasset Trophy
(Spain)
Poetry : Premio Andrés Bello
(Venezuela)
FRENCH
Prix Jambec: This prize was instituted
by an anonymous donor to encourage proficiency in spoken
French. An annual award is available to students in Level 2
French Language for the best performance in spoken French.
French Embassy Prize: This prize is
awarded for the best performance in Years 1, 2, and 3 by a
graduating French major.
Gertrud Buscher Prize: This prize was
instituted in recognition of Dr. Buscher’s services to the
department in 1960-1979. It is awarded to the most outstanding
student in French Language at Mona.
William Mailer Prize: This prize was
instituted in recognition of Mr. Mailer’s outstanding services
to the Department. It is sponsored jointly by the French
Embassy and the Department and awarded to the best First Year
student in French.
William Mailer Scholarship: This is
open to Final Year students majoring in French. Selection will
be made annually on the basis of Second Year results.
Bridget Jones Memorial Award: This
award, named in honour of Dr. Bridget Jones, former Senior
Lecturer in the French Department, is designed to provide
assistance to French students at the Mona Campus.
French Government "Postes d’Assistant"
All students taking French beyond the First
Year are normally expected to have spent at least one vacation
in a Francophone country. A number of students and graduates
of the Department have been able to spend between 9 months and
a year in France or the French Antilles as English Language
Tutors in French schools. Notices inviting applications for
scholarships and teaching posts from Jamaican Nationals are
published by the French Embassy in Jamaica, usually early in
the calendar year. Students are advised to consult these on
the Departmental Notice Board and in the Press.
Students from countries other than Jamaica
who are thinking of applying are advised to write as early as
possible in the academic year to the office responsible for
their territory:
For Jamaica and the Bahamas: French
Embassy, 13 Hillcrest Ave., Kingston 6
For Trinidad, Barbados, Easter Caribbean
States and Guyana: French Embassy, Furness Withy
Building, 50 Independence Square, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad.
University of Bordeaux Teaching
Assistantships
Graduating students of French may apply for
one-year English Language Teaching Assistantships at the
University of Bordeaux.
STUDY ABROAD
French
Université Antilles-Guyane (U.A.G.)
A student exchange exists with the
Université Antilles-Guyane. Under this arrangement, students
in French will be able to spend one semester or an academic
year at the Schoelcher Campus of U.A.G., in Martinique.
Students participating in this exchange programme are normally
second-year (Level 2) students.
UWI-UAG-Université Bordeaux 4 (Political
Sciences)
For International Relations Students
interested to pursue their studies up to the Masters Level (5-
year programme), you are offered in this programme the
possibility of spending 1 year in Bordeaux and 1 year at the
UAG during your undergraduate studies and 1 more year in
Bordeaux at the Masters level. For further information contact
the Department of Government in the Faculty of Social
Sciences.
Japanese
Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme.
Graduating students may apply for posts as
English Language Teaching Assistants in Japanese High Schools
and other Learning Institutitons. Applications should be
submitted in October/November. Please check the Faculty and
the Department Notice Boards or contact the Japanese Embassy
for details.
Japanes Scholarship.
Each year the Japanese governement offers a
postgraduate scholarship to study in a Japanese University.
Please check the Faculty and the Department Notice Boards or
contact the Japanese Embassy for details.
Spanish
UWI/Colombia Exchange
Spanish students can participate in the 4-week
summer exchange programme between UWI Campuses and
Universities in Colombia. This exchange will normally take
place between June and July.
University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras or
Mayagüez.
It is possible to spend one semester at the
Rio Piedras or the Mayagüez Campus of the University of Puerto
Rico normally during your second-year at the UWI (Level 2
Students). Please check the University Regulations and contact
the Office of Admissions for further information.
Teaching Assistantships – Colombia
Graduating students of Spanish may apply
for posts as English Language teaching Assistants in Colombian
Universities. Please check the Department Notice board for
details or contact the Latin American and Caribbean Centre (LACC).
UWI/Costa-Rica Exchange and Quality
Leadership Programme
Ten UWI Level II and III students
registered in the Quality Leadership Programme have the
opportunity to visit the University of Costa Rica in June.
This exchange programme is primarily cultural and includes
community service and language learning. A knowledge of
Spanish, though not required, would be an asset for those
selected to represent Mona. Contact Mr. Malcolm Lowrie at
Student Development Services for further details.
POSTGRADUATE STUDIES
Besides the Ph.D and M.Phil degrees, the
Department offers an M.A. in Translation Studies. To be
admitted to the MA in Translation Studies students must have
passed Level III French and Spanish. Details may be found at
the end of the Pamphlet.
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