As a college-preparatory school, St. Ursula requires for graduation three years of foreign study. Some students take four (or, in the case of electives in a second foreign language, even more) years. The required three years must be in the study of the same language unless, in the case of Latin only, a student elects to study two years of Latin and then two years of a modern language.

• French
• Latin
• Spanish
• Literature in Translation Courses

FRENCH 2
(2 terms, 1 credit)
French 2 builds upon the vocabulary and structures learned in French 1. The student's communication skills are built upon an expanded foundation of vocabulary and more complicated grammatical structures. During the course of the year, English is phased out and replaced by French.  Francophone culture continues to be explored, while basic cultural information is conveyed.  The ultimate goal is to enable students to appreciate the rich variety of cultures in the French-speaking world while enabling them to use the language in a very real sense.
 
FRENCH 3
(2 terms, 1 credit)
Conducted primarily in French, this course assumes mastery of basic grammar, vocabulary, reading, conversation, and listening comprehension skills. Using this basis, more complex grammar is pursued while further developing communication skills in all areas.  During this course, knowledge of francophone culture is expanded to include the areas of literature, history, film, and art.

FRENCH  CONVERSATION
(2 terms, 1 credit)
Prerequisite:  C+ average or better in French 3 and teacher recommendation
This course concentrates on the development of oral expression and listening skills through the medium of conversation.  Vocabulary building, grammar correction, review, group conversation are integral to the course as is culture, art, literature and current events.

FRENCH 4 HONORS
(2 terms, 1 credit)
Prerequisite: B+ average or better in French 3 and teacher recommendation
Conducted in French, this course focuses on the study of French literature, art, culture, and current events as a means of developing conversational, reading, writing, and listening skills.

FRENCH 5 ADVANCED PLACEMENT
(2 terms, 1 credit)
Prerequisite - Approval of Teacher
This course is offered according to student demand or as an independent study for students who have successfully completed French 4 Honors.  In preparation for the Advanced Placement Exam in French Language, this course is designed to increase student proficiency in speaking, writing, and listening that will enable students to earn college credit in French.

LATIN 2
(2 terms, 1 credit)
 
Students master complete sentence structures, e.g., relative clauses and indirect discourse, and 4 uses of the subjunctive.  Classical mythology and Roman history and daily life are studied in greater depth.  Students begin their first literature unit with Caesar—his writings, life and times.  They will learn the ins and outs of reading an authentic piece of Latin prose using previously learned skills.  They will also learn how to write about the piece, using quotations from the Latin text to support their assertions.  Culture lessons on Julius Caesar himself and on the Roman military will also be explored.

LATIN 3
(2 terms, 1 credit)
Students review the life and times of Caesar in preparation for a unit on the era of the Late Republic.  They will also be assigned a project where each will research one of the emporers of Rome, from Augustus to Justinian. Advanced grammar is taught concurrently with a literature unit on Cicero’s First Oration Against Catiline.  This prose work is complemented by the cultural study of the Late Republic, the setting for this speech. The year concludes with a selection of readings from Ovid, Horace Catullus, and Vergil, who are the poets tested at the AP level.  This will help students determine their interest in continuing on to the AP level, and which AP syllabus they will follow in Latin IV.

LATIN 4-5 ADVANCED PLACEMENT
(2 terms, 1 credit)
Prerequisite:  Approval of Teacher
In this course, students who have completed Latin 1-3 will have the opportunity to apply their knowledge of grammar and vocabulary to reading the works of either Horace and Catullus or Vergil.  Over the course of the semester, we will read poems from the AP syllabus for these two authors in preparation for the Latin literature examination in May.  Along with reading and discussing these selections, students will receive extensive practice in the skills necessary for success on the exam including sight readings; scanning poetry for meter, knowledge of literary devices, and essay writing that utilizes a wide range of information about individual poems.  Students should be prepared to meet independently with the teacher through April to prepare for the exam in May.
 

SPANISH 2
(2 terms, 1 credit)
Level 2 Spanish is a continuation of Level 1.  Level 2 material is reviewed along with the presentation of new vocabulary and grammar points.  The most important grammar points, idioms, and vocabulary will be completed by the end of the second year of language study.  Spanish is used more often in Level 2 classes and English is gradually phased out.  Throughout the second level of instruction, the student works to increase her vocabulary and improve communication skills in the four areas of reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

SPANISH 3
(2 terms, 1 credit)
Spanish 3 is a continuation of levels of 1 and 2 and is geared toward mastery/fluency in the language.  This includes communication skills in conversation, reading, writing, and listening.

SPANISH CONVERSATION
(2 terms, 1 credit)
Prerequisite:  C+ average or better in Spanish 3 and teacher recommendation
This course is designed to enable students to further develop oral expression and listening skills by means of conversation.  Topical vocabulary, current events and culture will be covered as well as the continuation of the Destinos Program.

SPANISH 4 HONORS
(2 terms, 1 credit)
Prerequisite:  B+ average or better in Spanish 3 and teacher recommendation
This course aims to polish the four areas of language acquisition, that of speaking, listening, reading and writing.  Students will have the opportunity to engage in conversational practice as well as reading works of literature by famous authors and studying Spanish and Latin American culture.  They will also finish the Destinos Program.

SPANISH 5 ADVANCED PLACEMENT
(2 terms, 1 credit)
Prerequisite:  Approval of teacher
This course prepares the student to take the Advanced Placement Spanish Language examination for college credit.  The goal is to increase student proficiency in the four language skills which will enable them to succeed at the university level.

CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY
(1 term, ½ credit)
Open to all juniors and seniors; no previous knowledge of mythology is required.
This course will introduce students to the mythology of ancient Greece and Rome, telling the stories of the gods of the classical pantheon, the adventures of heroes and heroines, and legends of tragic lovers.  This course will also take these myths a step further through a study of the historical and social contexts of these myths. Finally we will look at some Hollywood interpretations of these myths (Clash of the Titans, Disney’s Hercules, and Jason and the Argonauts) and compare them to the actual myths we read in class to see how and why moviemakers changed these myths and what their goals are.

FRENCH LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION: 19TH CENTURY
(Juniors or Seniors; no knowledge of French required; 1 term; ½ credit)
This course is a survey of 19th century French literature in English translation.  Literary genres will include romanticism, realism, and naturalism with an emphasis on critical thinking and analysis of novels, short stories, poems, and plays.  Literary works will include such authors as Hugo, Balzac, Maupassant, and Zola.

FRENCH LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION:  20TH CENTURY
(Juniors or Seniors; no knowledge of French required; 1 term; ½ credit)
This course is a multi-genre survey of 20th century French literature in English translation with an emphasis on critical thinking and analysis of novels, short stories, poetry, and plays.  Literary works will include such authors as Jean-Paul Sartre, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Samuel Beckett, and Ionesco.

HISPANIC LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION
(Juniors or Seniors; no knowledge of Spanish required; 1 term; ½ credit)
This course is designed to give the student an overview of Hispanic authors through the study of novels, essays, and poetry.

LATIN-AMERICAN LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION:  WOMEN IN LATIN AMERICAN LITERATURE
(Juniors or Seniors; no knowledge of Spanish required; 1 term; ½ credit)
This course is designed to view the role of women in Latin American society through the study of novels, short stories, and poetry by both female and male authors.