Minors in Modern Languages and Literatures

 

The Department offers minors in Arabic Studies, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Modern Languages. You do not have to be a student of the College of Arts and Sciences to minor in a modern language; you need only the approval of your college or school advisor and to complete the departmental requirements. If you wish to complete a double degree, consult with an Arts and Sciences Advisor.  Except for Arabic Studies, French and Italian, all courses in the German, Portuguese, Spanish minors must be taught in the target language. The two 300-level courses for the additional language in the Modern Languages minor must also be taught in the target language.  

Students may also pursue a minor in Chinese Studies or Japanese Studies as an Independent Minor. Please consult the requirements for the College of Arts and Sciences Independent Minor: 

The Independent Minor allows students at the University of Miami to complete a minor in a field that currently do not have a major in the College or elsewhere at the University of Miami. It consists of at least 15 graded credits and it requires one faculty member who will act as point of contact and advisor. Students may declare this minor starting with their second semester at UM and no later than the end of their junior year. A minimum GPA for 2.5 is required to declare this minor. An average of 2.5 is required to continue in the minor. Given that this minor requires students to work closely with a faculty member to select the appropriate courses at a level consistent with each field of study, students will not be able to apply more than two courses (6 credits) already taken to their minor. The 15 credits required, at a minimum, for the Independent Minor may not be counted towards any other major or minor.

Students completing a minor in a modern language are encouraged to study abroad. The International Education and Exchange Program (IEEP in Allen Hall, room 212) sponsors programs for Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish. It is also possible to fulfill some Arts and Sciences distribution requirements abroad. In order to take full advantage of study abroad, students should visit IEEP early in their university careers, discuss course equivalencies with the Study Abroad Advisor for their chosen languages (contact the Department office for names and office hours), and consult with their major advisors. Credit toward the major for courses taken abroad will be determined on an individual basis.

 

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  • Minor in Arabic Studies

    Curriculum Requirements

    Select a minimum of three credit hours in a 200 level Arabic language course: 3
    ARB 201 Intermediate Arabic l
    ARB 202 Intermediate Arabic ll

    ARB 203

    or ARB 207

    Advanced Arabic

    Arabic for Heritage Learners

    ARB 204 

    or ARB 208

    Advanced Arabic ll

    Arabic for Heritage Learners ll
        or the equivalent
    Select a minimum of three additional credit hours in any ARB course at the 200 level. 3
    Select a minimum of three credit hours in one of the following: 1 3
    ARB 310 Topics in Arabic Literature and Culture in Translation
    ARB 312 Arab Cultures: A Cultural History of the Arab World
    ARB 315 Topics in Gender and Sexuality in Translation
    ARB 410 Language and Power in the Arab World
    Select a minimum of three credit hours, outside of ARB courses, in humanities or social science courses focused on the Middle East, North Africa, Islam, or the Arab world. 3
    REL 271 Introduction to Islam
    ARH 260 Islamic Art
    INS 352 Panoramic View of the Middle East
    GEG 382 Political Geography of the Middle East
    POL 387 Politics of the Middle East
    Or another relevant course as approved by the program director
    Select a minimum of three additional credit hours from either an ARB course in the 200 level or above or any approved course focused on the Middle East, North Africa, Islam, or the Arab world 3
    Total Credit Hours 15

     

    1 Arabic Studies courses are taught in English.

    * A minor in Arabic Studies consists of a minimum of 15 credit hours, passed with a "C" or higher.

    ** Up to 9 credit hours taken abroad in an Arabic-speaking country are eligible to fulfill the requirements for the minor.  Up to 6 transfer credit hours from an accredited university or 4-year college in another region of the world are eligible to fulfill the requirements for the minor.  In all cases, whether the credit hours are from a UM-affiliated study abroad program or transfer credit hours from any institution, the credit hours’ UM equivalency, if any, will be determined by the UM Arabic Studies Program Director; ARB 310 must be taken within the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at UM; and the student must fulfill the distribution of requirements and other criteria stipulated above. 

    *** If a student has studied Modern Standard Arabic (fusha) in another setting (e.g., a high school foreign language program or schooling in an Arab country), she/he may request a proficiency evaluation from the Program Director.  If the student’s Modern Standard Arabic is equivalent to, or beyond, the Intermediate level, the student may be exempted from the requirement to earn 3 credit hours in a 200-level Arabic language course; however, the student will still be required to take at least 9 credit hours of ARB courses and a total of 15 credit hours, as stipulated above, to complete the minor. 

  • Minor in French

    Curriculum Requirements

    FRE 202 Intermediate French II (or above) 1 3
    FRE 301 Introduction to French and Francophone Studies 3
    At least 3 credit hours at 300 and/or 400 level 2 3
    Minimum of 6 graded credit hours from UM faculty
    Maximum of 3 transfer credit hours 3
    Study abroad participation in UParis recommended
    Total Credit Hours 12

     

    * Students must earn a grade of C- or higher in every course counting toward the minor, and maintain a minimum overall average of 2.5 in the minor.

    1 Students who begin their minor in FRE 202 will do 6 credits at the 200-level. Students who begin their minor in FRE 203 will do 3 credits at the 200-level. 

    2 Students who begin their French minor in FRE 301 will do 12 credits towards their minor at the 300-level. Students may count FRE 310 toward the minor no more than 1 time (3 credits).

    3 3 credit hours may be transferred from another institution or from a study-abroad program not administered by UM. 

  • Minor in German

    Curriculum Requirements

    GER 202 Intermediate German II (or above) 3
    At least 9 credit hours at 300 and/or 400 level 9
    Minimum of 6 graded credit hours from UM faculty
    Maximum of 3 transfer credit hours
    Total Credit Hours 12

     

    * Students must earn a grade of C- or higher in every course counting toward the minor, and maintain a minimum overall average of 2.5 in the minor.

    * 3 credit hours may be transferred from another institution or from a study-abroad program not administered by UM. 

  • Minor in Italian

    Curriculum Requirements

     

    ITA 202 Intermediate Italian II (or above) 3
    At least 9 credit hours at 300 and/or 400 level 9
    Minimum of 6 graded credit hours from UM faculty
    Maximum of 3 transfer credit hours
    Total Credit Hours 12

     

    * Students must earn a grade of C- or higher in every course counting toward the minor, and maintain a minimum overall average of 2.5 in the minor.

    * 3 credit hours may be transferred from another institution or from a study-abroad program not administered by UM. 

    * Only one course in English with a topic in Italian may count towards the minor.

  • Minor in Portuguese

    Curriculum Requirements

    POR 202  Intermediate Portuguese ll (or above) 3
    At least 9 credit hours at 300 and/or 400 level 9
    Minimum of 6 graded credit hours from UM faculty
    Maximum of 3 transfer credit hours
    Total Credit Hours 12

     

    * Students must earn a grade of C- or higher in every course counting toward the minor, and maintain a minimum overall average of 2.5 in the minor 
    * All courses towards the minor in Portuguese must be taught in the target language.
    * 3 credit hours may be transferred from another institution or from a study-abroad program not administered by UM.

  • Minor in Spanish

    Curriculum Requirements

    For students who entered University of Miami after Fall 2020

    SPA 202

    Intermediate Spanish II1

    		 3

    SPA 203 or 

    SPA 208

    Advanced Spanish (or above) or

    Advanced Spanish for Heritage Learners

    		 3
    At least 6 credit hours of SPA at 300 and/or 400 level2 6
    Total Credit Hours 12

     

    1 SPA 202 is for Second Language Learners only.  Heritage learners must take an additional elective to fulfill the requirements for the minor.

    2 3 credit hours may be transferred from another institution or from a study-abroad program not administered by UM. 

    * Students must earn a grade of C- or higher in every course counting toward the minor, and maintain a minimum overall average of 2.5 in the minor.

    * All courses towards the minor in Spanish must be taught in the target language.

     

    For students who entered University of Miami prior to Fall 2020

    SPA 203 or 

    SPA 208

    Advanced Spanish (or above) or

    Advanced Spanish for Heritage Learners

    		 3
    At least 9 credit hours of SPA at 300 and/or 400 level 9
    Minimum of 6 graded credit hours from UM faculty
    Maximum of 3 transfer credit hours
    Total Credit Hours 12

     

    * Students must earn a grade of C- or higher in every course counting toward the minor, and maintain a minimum overall average of 2.5 in the minor.

    * All courses towards the minor in Spanish must be taught in the target language.

    * 3 credit hours may be transferred from another institution or from a study-abroad program not administered by UM. 

  • Minor in Two Modern Languages

    Curriculum Requirements

    Primary Language 6
    Primary Language 300-Level or above 6
    Secondary Language Any Level 12
    Total Credit Hours 24

     

    * For example, POR 201, POR 202, POR 301 and POR 321 along with SPA 101, SPA 102, SPA 201 and SPA 202 would constitute a Minor in Two Modern Languages; so would CHI 202, CHI 203, CHI 204 and CHI 310 along with FRE 101, FRE 102, FRE 201 and FRE 202. Many other combinations are possible. Please consult with the language and program advisors.

    ** This minor must include 6 graded credit hours per language from the University of Miami. 

    *** Students must earn a grade of C- or higher in every course counting toward the minor, and maintain a minimum overall average of 2.5 in the minor.

    **** One course in English (numbered 310 through 319) may count towards the Minor in Two Modern Languages with the approval of the language and program advisor.

    ***** When Arabic, Chinese or Japanese are the primary language, 204 courses may count as one of the two 300-level courses. 

    ****** Completing the Minor in Two Modern Languages will fulfill the foreign language requirement.