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Faculty
and Staff information
Academic
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Modern
Language Major/Minor
French, German,
Spanish Options
Foreign
Language/Teaching Resources
Study
Abroad
Semester
Abroad
Mexico
J-term (UPDATED Fall 2009)
French
Club
German
Club
Japanese
Club
Spanish
Club (UPDATED Fall 2009)
Spanish
Table (UPDATED Fall 2009)
Modern
Language Lab
New
library books in Spanish
UWRF Collaborative Language Program (Japanese)
Foreign Language Films
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Modern Language Lab

- Where is the lab located?
The language lab is located in room 284 Kleinpell Fine Arts.
- When is it open? During regular Fall and Spring semesters,
the language lab is open from Monday through Thursday, 7:30 am until
4:00 pm, and on Friday from 8:00 am until 3:00 pm. If for any reason
the lab won't be open at these times, a sign will be posted well in
advance. During the summer, and during winter break, lab hours are a
lot more uncertain, so you might want to call first.
- Who works there?
Clio McLagan
runs the shop, and students fill out the staff. Not surprisingly, the
student staff are typically skilled in one or more languages themselves.
They're there to help you out with the lab resources.
- What can you do at the lab?
Tons! Not only are most of the things super fun to play with, they're
great learning tools. Fluency in a second (or third, or fourth) language
is becoming the number one selling point in the job market. The tools
in the lab can help you boost your skill at both speaking and understanding
another language. And when you're over in Qinghai Province or the Sudetenland
you'll need some global awareness -- not to mention local awareness --
to communicate effectively. The newspapers, videos, and multimedia programs
available in the lab can help you develop the skills you'll need, and
build the knowledge base necessary in this ever-smaller world. Set aside
some time in the lab to catch up on international news, to immerse yourself
in a foreign culture, or to get Philippe and his girlfriend back together
again (hey, apartment-hunting in Paris isn't all it's cracked up to be).
- Listen and repeat...
The old workhorse of language study -- audio tapes! Get higher exam results
or simply boggle at the rapid-fire speech of other countries. If your
prof says listen, then listen. It's worth the time. Listening to and comprehending
another language is a skill that you can develop, and the only way to
do it is through practice, practice, practice. Tapes are good for that,
because people don't like it when you hit their rewind button. Your classes
will suddenly become far more interesting, and eventually you'll find
yourself thinking in other languages. What's more, you'll get to
hear how people really say things, which is something textbooks alone
can't give you. And if you feel silly saying "je suis américain"
out loud in the lab, you can always check the tapes out to listen to (and
repeat) at home.
- Start the microwave popcorn
More movies than the Cannes Film Festival! Well, maybe not, but there's
a pretty good available selection. Kick back with films in French, German,
Spanish, or Chinese. Try to follow the subtitles while still catching
some of the action on the screen. Actually, you may be surprised at how
much subtitles can help your comprehension -- just watch the film and
if you ever lose track of the plot (this happens rather frequently in
French cinema) you can always read the translation at the bottom. It's
especially amusing when the translation is poor. So go on, check out a
movie overnight and have a slumber party with Gerard Depardieu. But
don't stop there! The lab's full of all kinds of learning videos
too. French in Action is a running classic. It's a 52-part series
(each installment is only a half-hour long) in beginning and intermediate
French. Find one you don't understand and watch it until you do. It's
all in French, so it's almost like being there -- try to guess whether
they're saying Robert or Hubert. The popular Spanish Destinos
and Nuevos Destinos video series are also available in the lab
for viewing or check-out.
- Magazines, books, and other fun stuff
Browse a Chinese newspaper or some German magazines. Peruse an impossibly
vast collection of French novels. There's a coffee pot and a lounge
for snacking and conversation. That's not enough for you? For the more
serious student, there are lots of dictionaries and things. There's a
bunch of materials on Study Abroad, work abroad, and graduate programs,
and plenty of stuff about opportunities like the Peace Corps and International
Business. On top of everything, the lab is also a darn good study environment.
Grab a cup of java, get comfortable, and hit some books.
- Need more info?
Stop on by or call up the lab at 715.425.3121 and Clio--or one of her
lab assistants--will answer all your questions for you.
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