Department Staff
Chairman
Dr. Mohammad Mahmoud El-Matalqah
Ph.D. in French and General Linguistics
Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University
Fes, Marocco
Tel: 032375636 ext: 6030
e-mal:
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Secretary
Mrs Rasmieh Al-Bashabsheh
Tel: 032372380-99 ext.: 6029
Mission
As the primary means of human communication, language is the key to understanding other cultures. Knowledge of other languages make people sensitivity to cultural uniqueness and bind them together as members of one large human family living in a virtually small multi-cultural global village. Through its varied programs, the Department of European Languages at Mu’tah University seeks to prepare students for a more informed, productive and civic involvement in our increasingly diverse and global society. The mission of the Department of European Languages at Mu’tah University is to provide quality education in languages, literatures and cultures. We offer courses that address both the cultural and literary heritages of several European languages. Along with developing language proficiency in reading, writing, speaking, and listening comprehension, the courses offer learning experiences that foster understanding and appreciation of global issues and multicultural perspectives which enable graduates of the department to compete for jobs in a changing global marketplace. Graduates who are linguistically competent in foreign languages and possess understanding of cross and multicultural perspectives are in demand due to the increasing interdependence among nations and the growing cultural diversity in the world. Our goal is to prepare Mutah University students to successfully take their places in the new global century.
Aims and Objectives
Our department objective is to work closely with its students to arrange programs that fit their particular career interests and personal goals. It is hoped that students will have the opportunity to combine their language curriculum with study in other fields that will improve their competitiveness in the job market. The department aims to offer a range of undergraduate programs, allowing students either to study a single language, or combinations of two languages, or one or two languages with interdisciplinary programs that join languages with other majors in the University such as Tourism, Politics, Administration, International studies, Marketing, Accounting or other desired fields. The department, therefore, aims to offer the following types of programs:
1. Two-Language Combined Major Degrees
According to an original plan to be implemented over a period of eight years, the department will offer major degrees that combine two languages. The following programs will be offered
- French and English major is scheduled for the academic year 2005/2006
Indeed, the department has already started with the joint program of French and English major for the academic year 2005-2006 where about 70 students were accepted in the program for the first semester. Two staff members specializing in French have been appointed as well.
- Spanish and English for the academic year 2007/2008
- German and English for the academic year 2009/2010
- Italian and English for the academic year 2011/2012.
The department, however, hopes to accelerate the process of introducing its programs and offer the rest of the majors consecutively over the next four to six years. It would also be possible in the near future to have any two languages combined, and hence, students could have a degree in French and Spanish, or Spanish and German, or German and English, and so on.
2. Single Major Degrees
In the second phase, once the needed faculty are in place, the department will be able to offer majors in single languages. Hence, the department will be able to offer a single major in French studies, Spanish studies, German Studies, and Italian studies.
3. Combined Major Degrees Involving a Language and Another Subject
It is the ambition of the department to offer interdisciplinary programs that join languages with other subjects offered at the university. This could take one of various forms:
- Joining a language with another subject in a joint major
Students could obtain a degree that joins any of the languages in the department with any academic major in the university, for example, they could join French with tourism, or Spanish with Public or Business Administration, or German with Archaeology, or other academic fields in the university.
- Joining a major in one of the languages and a minor in another subject
In this form students could obtain a degree that joins a language as a major and choose as a minor in any other academic field of study at the university.
- Joining a minor in one language and a major in another subject.
In this form students could choose any of the languages in the department as a minor with any other academic field as a major.
As yet the university regulations permit registration in the first option as majors are introduced, however, the university regulations need to be modified to allow students to combine languages with other fields to obtain joint degrees, and to allow students to register for major or minor in languages with other academic fields at the university.
Justifications for such Degree Offerings
- To create at Mu’tah University programs of multi-disciplinary studies, a type of programs that are in demand these days because they offer flexible combinations of fields that are deemed suitable for the changes in the world today and in demand for work and study opportunities in a multi-cultural, multi-perspective global world.
- Such type of flexible programs and degrees suit a wide range of individuals and their needs. In effect, students can choose the type of majors and degrees they need. Traditional single subject programs have produced large numbers of unemployable graduates. To have a better chance of employment, students need to complement their degrees of single subjects with other versatile training. The concentration, therefore, should be away from single subject degrees to programs that are flexible and versatile in nature which better suite work needs and graduates’ interests.
- This type of degree offering creates new forms of degrees with smaller number of graduates in each degree, satisfying both the enrollment needs of the university and the needs of students without saturating certain fields or job opportunities with large numbers of graduates. For instance, if a certain major, such as, French admits 100 students, the department will not graduate the same number in one major or degree, but will be graduating those students with varied degrees: some may graduate with a single major in French, some with French and English, others with French and Spanish, or French and Italian, or French and German, still others with French and Tourism, or Marketing, or International relations, and so on. The same can be said of any other language major.
Resources and Teaching Aids
A room equipped with audio-visual teaching aids designed for students use is available in the department. The following equipments are available: T. V., VCR, and a central cassette recorder and other teaching aids. Language skills curses are given in room. In addition, Students spend weekly hours engaging in extracurricular activities under the supervision of the teaching staff in the department to watch video films and audio-taped programs.
A room equipped with data show equipments will soon be available in the Faculty of Arts that can be used by the department for such activities as giving lectures, using off and online materials, as well as workshops and other activities.
Study Abroad Programs
Studying a broad, even for a short period of time, not only develops students’ competence in language, but also enriches their experience and enhances their understanding and appreciation of other cultures. It prepares students to be involved effectively in our multicultural human society, and hence broadens their chances for study and work opportunities locally and abroad. Also studying abroad motivates students and provides them with much needed incentives to excel.
It is hoped that students in the department will have the chance to spend a summer or a semester at a university in Europe or other parts of the world in which the relevant languages are spoken through for study-abroad programs. For this purpose, the department is currently working, through the appropriate channels in the university, to create such opportunities through establishing student exchange programs with universities in Europe and other countries.
Career Opportunities
In today's economically and politically interdependent world, knowledge of a foreign language and culture opens up opportunities that were practically nonexistent in the past. Career opportunities are broadening in companies with multinational interests and international agencies. The programs in the department of European languages help students prepare for a variety of careers and for graduate school. Language skills and cultural awareness gained in this department are essential for careers in teaching, interpreting, and translating. Also, the functional command of a second language and appropriate cultural insights are crucial for international business, government, law, journalism, tourism and travel industry, civil and foreign service, customs, banking, consulting, market research, and imports/exports. Graduates could seek employment in Jordan and abroad with governmental and private agencies. Graduates from this department could pursue advanced studies in programs such as language and linguistics, literature, comparative studies, and possibly, if they get their degrees with combpination with other academic fields, could pursue higher studies in areas such as Business, Public Administration, Tourism, International studies, and global studies among other areas.
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