World Languages and Applied Intercultural Studies, M.A., World Languages and Applied Cultural Studies Concentration

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The Department of World Languages and Cultures offers a Concentration in World Languages and Applied Cultural Studies as part of the interdisciplinary Master of Arts degree in World Languages and Applied Intercultural Studies. This concentration is intended to develop skills, connections and career readiness in fields such as translation/interpretation, teaching abroad, entrepreneurship, corporate strategy/outreach, teaching in K-12 schools, artistic creation, activism and social work. The concentration will focus on practical education based on real-world experience and cultural practices, as opposed to the more intense language/literature training typical of MA programs in a specific language.

Students working in languages outside or in addition to French and Spanish will use this program to develop language and cultural skills in Arabic, Chinese, German, Japanese, or Korean. In each case, students will be encouraged to develop, with the assistance of faculty in their language/culture, an individualized course of study focused on the practical development and application of language and cultural skills through study abroad and through connections with the relevant communities in the vast and diverse metropolitan Atlanta area.

This concentration, like the others within the MA program, offers two tracks: a project-based capstone track and an academic thesis track. Both tracks comprise 30 total credit hours and are intended to be finished in five semesters (two academic years plus the summer between them), though it is common for students with full-time jobs to stretch this progress out over a longer period. Students will have the opportunity to choose or change tracks as they develop their program, and the tracks are broadly similar, especially for students in their first year of study. The specifics are detailed below.

Applicants may obtain additional information about the Department of World Languages & Cultures and the MA in World Languages and Applied Intercultural Studies by contacting the Director of Graduate Studies.

Students must have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher in those courses counting toward the MA degree. Only courses passed with a grade of B or higher will count toward the degree.

Tracks

Both tracks have the following requirements:

Six courses (18 credit hours) offered in English from the following core options:

WLC 6128 - Teaching World Languages at the College Level 3 Credit Hours
WLC 8310 - Critical Approaches to Methods and Research 3 Credit Hours
WLC 8320 - Cultural and Literary Analysis and Production 3 Credit Hours
WLC 8330 - The Media, the Arts, and Popular Culture 3 Credit Hours
WLC 8350 - Identities, Borders, and Social Justice in Language Teaching and Learning 3 Credit Hours
WLC 8360 - The Profession, Career and Intercultural Experiences 3 Credit Hours
- A final master’s portfolio.
- An oral exit interview.
- Proficiency in a world language other than the student’s major.

Project-Based Capstone Track

In addition to the above requirements, students will also take:

Three WLC graduate courses (9 credit hours) in French or Spanish from current French or Spanish catalogues (if the student has the target language proficiency)
- or, by arrangement with the appropriate faculty member, in Arabic, Chinese, German, Japanese or Korean (if the student has the target language proficiency)
- or, with approval of the Director of Graduate Studies, from other units of the College of Arts and Sciences
WLC 8998 MA Capstone (3 Credit Hours)

Academic Thesis Track

In addition to the above requirements, students will also take:

Two WLC graduate courses (6 credit hours) in French or Spanish from current French or Spanish catalogues (if the student has the target language proficiency)
- or, by arrangement with the appropriate faculty member, in Arabic, Chinese, German, Japanese or Korean (if the student has the target language proficiency)
- or, with approval of the Director of Graduate Studies, from other units of the College of Arts and Sciences.
WLC 8999 MA Thesis (6 credit hours, over two semesters).