Foreign Language

Division: Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences

Division Chair: Martha Rottman, mrottman@sunyrockland.edu

Department Chair: Mara-Lee Bierman, mbierman@sunyrockland.edu

Department Support Staff: Diane Mena, dmena@sunyrockland.edu

Department Office: Academic II, Room 2329, Phone: 845-574-4330

Why Study Foreign Language?

To travel, work, and live in the global community, today's citizen needs to know the language and culture of more than one country. Language is a universal skill that can be applied to any profession or trade, education, law, business, medicine, social services, travel and tourism, music, diplomacy, anthropology, and government. Most four-year colleges have a graduation requirement of one full year of a foreign language. Rockland Community College offers American Sign Language American Sign Language, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Russian, and Spanish.

Students interested in a degree in Foreign Language can begin their educational goals by pursuing the Associate of Arts (AA) degree in Liberal Arts and Science: Humanities and Social Science.

For more information please contact the Division Chair of Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences.

Occupational Objectives:

Students who wish to pursue a career in foreign language can continue their education by transferring to a four-year institution. Upon completion of their education students can obtain positions in healthcare, law, education, public service, international business and other related areas.

5 Top Reasons

To Study Foreign Language at RCC:

  1. FACULTY: Learn from instructors with the rare combination of practical work experience in the field and advanced academic degrees.
  2. VALUE: Affordable tuition for a quality education. Scholarships, financial aid.
  3. CONVENIENT: Balance part-time study with work, family or other time commitments. On-campus childcare available.
  4. TRANSFER: Agreements with many four-year colleges for seamless transfer to pursue multiple bachelor’s degree options.
  5. SUPPORT: Small class sizes, individual attention, free tutoring.

Opportunities at Rockland Community College:

There are more than 40 student clubs with special interests and socializing opportunities. Activities include sports, student government and clubs like Robotics, Video Game & Animé, Chess, Computers, Art, Christian Fellowship, Environment, Haitian, Habitat for Humanity, Hillel, and Outlook, the award-winning student newspaper.

Discipline Goals:

The foreign language discipline will provide students with a global perspective of language and culture by providing them with the communication skills necessary to participate in an increasingly global society.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of courses in foreign language, students will be able to:

  • Acquire language skills and increasing fluency using practical language
  • Develop an understanding of different cultures and societies
  • Describe the similarities and differences in global and local political systems
  • Develop an understanding and sensitivity towards the diverse languages and culture within the United States