Students in this program are strongly encouraged to study in a Spanish-speaking country. See faculty advisors for recommendations of foreign study programs. The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures provides a sequence of courses that leads to familiarity with a particular foreign language and the experience associated with that language. Students may select language programs necessary to their development as educated and aware individuals, and to their pursuit of a career goal. These programs aid students in acquiring fluency in a language, acquiring a thorough understanding of a foreign culture, and experiencing a variety of linguistic approaches to the world. Foreign language concentration programs aim at mastery of the language, an understanding of its literature and culture, and a knowledge of the linguistic processes which make up a native speaker's competence. Such knowledge is needed for teaching, for graduate work, and for other careers requiring specialized linguistic knowledge and skill. All courses, however, are open to any student who has satisfied the prerequisites.