World Culture & Language

Knowledge of world cultures and the ability to use a language other than English to communicate, interpret, and present information is essential for success in the 21st century. It demonstrates that you can be flexible in difficult situations and adaptable in new environments. It also shows that you have the capacity to see the world through multiple perspectives.

For Majors Leading to a BS Degree

If you are in the following major programs, please read on to learn how to satisfy the World Culture & Language University Requirement:

Agricultural Plant and Soil Sciences, BS
Biology, BS
Business Administration, BS
Collaborative Health and Human Services, BS
Communication Design, BS
Computer Science, BS
Environmental Science, Technology, and Policy, BS
Human Development and Family Science, BS
Kinesiology, BS
Liberal Studies, BA
Marine Science, BS
Mathematics, BS
Nursing, BSN
Statistics, BS
Sustainable Hospitality Management, BS

How to Fulfill the Requirement

Take a Class

Students may fulfill the World Culture & Language University Requirement in any of the following ways:

Successfully completing one lower division GE C2 area language course; or
Successfully completing one upper division GE C area World Culture/Language course with no pre-requisite; or
Successfully completing one upper division GE C area course with a language pre-requisite; or
Successfully completing a study abroad course, approved to meet this requirement.

Approved Courses

ASL 101 - Beg American Sign Lang I Units: 3
ASL 102 - Beg American Sign Lang II Units: 3
ASL 201 - Intermediate ASL I Units: 3
ITAL 101 - Beginning Italian I Units: 3
ITAL 102 - Beginning Italian II Units: 3
ITAL 201 - Intermediate Italian I Units: 3
JAPN 101 - Beginning Japanese I Units: 3
JAPN 102 - Beginning Japanese II Units: 3
JAPN 201 - Intermediate Japanese I Units: 3
JAPN 340 - Language for Professions: Japanese Units: 3
JAPN 350 - World Culture and Language: Japanese Units: 3
NURS 350 - Healthcare Assessment within the Latino Population Units: 3
SPAN 101 - Beginning Spanish I Units: 3
SPAN 102 - Beginning Spanish II Units: 3
SPAN 201 - Intermediate Spanish I Units: 3
SPAN 202 - Intermediate Spanish II Units: 3
SPAN 212 - Spanish For Spanish Speakers I Units: 3
SPAN 340 - Language for Professions: Spanish Units: 3
SPAN 350 - World Culture and Language: Spanish Units: 3
WLC 212 - Language and Culture for Heritage Speakers Units: 3

Advanced Placement (AP) Language Proficiency

Students who score a 4 or 5 on the following AP Exams have satisfied the World Culture and Language Requirement:

Chinese Language & Culture
French Language & Culture
German Language & Culture
Italian Language & Culture
Japanese Language & Culture
Latin
Spanish Language & Culture
Spanish Literature & Culture

International Baccalaureate (IB) HL Exam

Students who score a 6 or 7 on the Foreign Language (HL) A1, A2, or B exam have satisfied the World Culture and Language Requirement. Note: the SL Exam does not meet the requirement.

College Level Entrance Program (CLEP) Test Scores

Students who score a 59 or above on the CLEP Level II in French, 60 in Level II German, or 63 in Level II Spanish have satisfied the World Culture and Language Requirement.

Students who score below these levels on the CLEP should determine appropriate placement in order to complete the requirement.

For Majors Leading to a BA Degree

If you are in the following major programs, please read on to learn how to satisfy the World Culture & Language University Requirement:

Cinematic Arts & Technology, BA
Environmental Studies, BA
Ethnic & Gender Studies, BA
Global Studies, BA
Humanities & Communication, BA
Japanese Language & Culture, BA
Music, BA
Psychology, BA
Social & Behavioral Sciences, BA
Spanish Language & Hispanic Cultures, BA
Visual & Public Art, BA

To fulfill the World Culture and Language Requirement, students must demonstrate second language proficiency through the 201 or equivalent level.

How to Fulfill the Requirement

For students in pursuit of a BA degree, the World Culture and Language University Requirement can be satisfied in a number of ways.

Take a Class

For most students, the traditional pathway toward fulfilling the World Culture and Language University Requirement includes:

Successfully completing a course at the 201 level at CSUMB, which may require additional pre-requisites
Successfully completing a course at the 201, or equivalent level, at another college
Participants of CSU-IP and other study abroad programs with pre-approved appropriate course alignment meets campus language proficiency.
An alternative pathway may be available for students with verified learning disability; please contact Student Disability Resources for more information.
Students with intermediate language proficiency in their native/target/heritage language may elect to take one of the following courses:
- JAPN 300 - Introduction to Advanced Communication
  (4 units)
- JAPN 301 - Advanced Japanese Culture, Language and Communication
  (4 units)
- SPAN 212 - Spanish For Spanish Speakers I
  (3 units)*
- SPAN 301 - Comp/Oral Practice
  (4 units)
- WLC 212 - Language and Culture for Heritage Speakers
  (3 units)*

Students with heritage proficiency in the following languages may elect to take WLC 212 - Language and Culture for Heritage Speakers (3 units)*:

American Sign Language
Arabic
Cantonese
Farsi
French
German
Hebrew
Hindi
Italian
Korean
Mandarin
Polish
Portuguese
Punjabi
Russian
Swedish
Tagalog
Thai
Turkish
Vietnamese

* Students should be advised that registration in these courses requires permission numbers; contact wlc@csumb.edu or (831) 582-3863 for more information.

Approved Courses

ASL 201 - Intermediate ASL I Units: 3
ITAL 201 - Intermediate Italian I Units: 3
JAPN 201 - Intermediate Japanese I Units: 3
JAPN 312 - Advanced Japanese for Careers Units: 4
JAPN 340 - Language for Professions: Japanese Units: 3
SPAN 201 - Intermediate Spanish I Units: 3
SPAN 202 - Intermediate Spanish II Units: 3
SPAN 212 - Spanish For Spanish Speakers I Units: 3
SPAN 312 - Current Topics for Spanish Speakers Units: 3
SPAN 340 - Language for Professions: Spanish Units: 3
WLC 212 - Language and Culture for Heritage Speakers Units: 3

Placement

If you have previous education in a language and plan on continuing to study that language at CSUMB, the School of World Languages and Cultures encourages you to enroll in an appropriate level of study based on your experience. Here is some information to help you find the appropriate level:

Online Spanish Placement Exam

You may elect to take this online exam to assist in determining the most appropriate placement for you. The test takes about 20-30 minutes to complete and will then send your score to your email address.

You can access the test at: http://bit.ly/2LrmTeE If you have questions or concerns please email gleonard@csumb.edu

High School Students

One year of high school language study is typically considered equivalent to one semester of college language study.

Therefore, students with two years of high school language study should enroll at the 102 level of the language previously studied. Students with three years of high school study should start at 201.

International Baccalaureate (IB) Students

IB Students who score 5 or below on the IB should consult WLC faculty to determine appropriate placement; suggested placement is 101 for a score of 4 or below; 102 for a score of 5.

Transfer Students

Transfer Students may look at Assist.org to find the relationship and articulation agreement between your school and CSUMB.

Contact

The Faculty members from the School of World Languages & Cultures are able to assist you with correct placement in language courses at CSUMB.

For American Sign Language: Darby Campbell at dcampbell@csumb.edu.

For Italian Language: WLC Department Chair at wlc@csumb.edu

For Japanese Language: Dr. Yoshiko Saito-Abbott at ysaito-abbott@csumb.edu OR Dr. Shigeko Sekine at ssekine@csumb.edu

For Spanish Language:

Students with last names that start with A-H should contact Dr. Christine Fernandez at chrfernandez@csumb.edu regarding placement and advising.
Students with last names that start with I-J and N-R should contact Dr. Carolyn Gonzalez at cargonzalez@csumb.edu regarding placement and advising.
Students with last names that start with K-M and S-Z should contact Dr. Rebecca Pozzi at rpozzi@csumb.edu

Note: Most faculty are not regularly available during the summer; please be sure to allow enough time before registration if you have questions or concerns about placement.