Master\'s in Philosophy and Theology

Candidates demonstrate knowledge of the nature, process, and components of language at the postsecondary level, as described in the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL): Program Standards for the Preparation of Foreign Language Teachers (2002) and reflected in the Foreign Language Framework for California Public Schools, Kindergarten through Grade Twelve (2003). Candidates demonstrate both broad and deep conceptual understanding of the subject matter, including the universal characteristics of human languages and the ways in which linguistics describes and categorizes language structures. They analyze the processes by which languages change over time, understand how languages vary geographically, socially, and ethnographically, and recognize the family relationships among different languages. Candidates show an awareness of the communicative functions of language and how those functions vary depending upon the context and purpose of communication. They demonstrate a thorough understanding of language acquisition, including the processes by which new languages are acquired and the developmental patterns of language learning, and recognize that language acquisition involves the interrelationship of language and culture.