These options apply only to languages that are listed in Appendix II with the designation: "Fulfilled by Options outlined under Appendix III"
1. Passage of the Department's Foreign Language Examination. This examination will be administered by a faculty committee, coordinated by the Graduate Advisers Committee, and is offered towards the end of each semester. In general, candidates will be required to translate two two-hundred word passages into English, the time allowed will be two hours, unless otherwise noted in Appendix II - Language Requirements by Field. Variations of this format will be accepted if the Committee of Language Examiners approves them. Students wishing to be tested must sign-up by the announced deadline date. Only standard printed dictionaries are allowed.
2. Completion of a graduate course (History 280, 285 or 299) with an instructor who is actively engaged in research requiring knowledge of the pertinent language(s). Students wishing to use this option must complete the Language Certification Form (available from the Graduate Assistant), obtain the signatures of the Adviser and instructor of the course (to ensure that the student makes substantial use of the language(s) in the course), and file the form with the Graduate Assistant. At the end of the course, the Graduate Assistant will ask the instructor to certify the student's competence to conduct research in the language(s). This certification is wholly independent of the grade in the course. If necessary, the instructor may administer a language examination to the student.
3. Completion with a grade of at least B of the intermediate level (4th semester) of college level language work or its equivalent at any college campus. The second semester of an intermediate level sequence must be taken for a letter grade. All other language courses leading up to the second semester of the intermediate level can be taken on a S/U basis. Students must have completed any foreign language sequence within 4 years of admission to Berkeley. Students choosing this option should confer with their Adviser and the relevant language department.
4. Completion with a grade of at least B of an upper division course in a language department at Berkeley on the culture and literature associated with that language. The work in the course must be primarily in the foreign language, not in English. Students choosing this option should confer with their Adviser and the relevant language department.
5. Completion at Berkeley of an advanced course in historical literature in the foreign language. The department teaching the course will establish the preliminary requirements and determine whether one or two semesters are needed. The course must include a graded final examination in translation. Students choosing this option should confer with their Adviser and the relevant language department.
6. Native speakers of a language other than English do not automatically fulfill the requirement; the native language must be appropriate to advanced research in that particular discipline, as shown by important journals and research that has been carried out in that language. Also, students may show evidence of native ability in the language through secondary school or university transcripts. The department must submit a memo to the Graduate Division specifying the language and certifying native ability as well as explaining the language’s relevance to the student’s research. Students should begin language preparation upon entering the program.
