Program Guide in PDF Format - Department of History, UC Berkeley

Appendix III: Options for Fulfilling Foreign Language Requirements in Most FieldsThese options apply only to those languages that are listed in Appendix II with the designation “fulfilled through optionsoutlined under Appendix III.”1. Passage of the department’s foreign language examination. This examination will be administered by a facultycommittee (coordinated by the Graduate Advisors Committee) and is offered towards the end of each semester.In general, students will be required to translate two 200-word passages into English; the time allowed will be twohours, unless otherwise noted in Appendix II. Variations of this format will be accepted if the Committee of LanguageExaminers approves them. Students wishing to be tested must sign up by the announced deadline. Only standardprinted dictionaries are allowed.2. Completion of a graduate course (History 280, 285, or 299) with an instructor who is actively engaged in researchrequiring knowledge of the pertinent language(s). Students wishing to use this option must complete the LanguageCertification Form (available from the Graduate Assistant), obtain the signature of the Head Graduate Advisor andinstructor of the course (to ensure that the student makes substantial use of the language(s) in the course), and file theform with the Graduate Assistant. At the end of the course, the Graduate Assistant will ask the instructor to certify thestudent’s competence to conduct research in the language(s). This certification is wholly independent of the grade inthe course. If necessary, the instructor may administer a language examination to the student.3. Completion of the intermediate level (fourth semester) of college-level language coursework (or its equivalent) atany college campus, with at least a B grade. The second semester of an intermediate level sequence must be taken fora letter grade. All other language courses leading up to the second semester of the intermediate level can be taken ona S/U or P/NP basis. Students must have completed any foreign language sequence within four years of admission toBerkeley. Students choosing this option should confer with their advisor and the relevant language department.4. Completion with a grade of at least B of an upper division course in a language department at Berkeley on the cultureand literature associated with that language. The work in the course must be primarily in the foreign language, not inEnglish. Students choosing this option should confer with their advisor and the relevant language department.5. Completion, at Berkeley, of an advanced course in historical literature in the foreign language. The departmentteaching the course will establish the preliminary requirements and determine whether one or two semesters areneeded. The course must include a graded final examination in translation. Students choosing this option should conferwith their advisor and the relevant language department.6. Native speakers of a language other than English do not automatically fulfill the requirement; the native languagemust be appropriate to advanced research in that particular discipline, as shown by important journals and research thathas been carried out in that language. Students may show evidence of native ability in the language through secondaryschool or university transcripts. Students must submit a letter to the Graduate Assistant explaining the relevance ofthe language to their research. In turn, the department must submit a memo to the Graduate Division specifying thelanguage and certifying native ability as well as explaining the language’s relevance to the student’s research.— 28 —