Welcome to the Department ofÂ Language Studies at UALR, the first program in the United States nationally accredited by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).
We are also Arkansas’ only undergraduate and graduate foreign language teacher education programs nationally recognized by ACTFL/NCATE (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education).
PREAMBLE: In accordance to the Universityâ€™s Mission Statement, DISLS pledges to provide programs of study that will educate students to live, work, and lead in the complex, technological, and diverse world of the 21st century. DISLS sees its role as one that helps the state compete in the global economy of the 21st century and that helps students attain a high-quality standard of living.
VISION STATEMENT: The vision for the Department of International and Second Language Studies (DISLS) is to:
- enhance our competitive edge with other state institutions in second language learning, linguistics, cultural studies, and literary studies ;
- reaffirm the essential role of second language in the liberal arts for any university-educated person
- maintain National Recognition status from ACTFL/NCATE of our undergraduate and graduate foreign language teacher education programs;
- leverage our competitive edge and national recognition status to achieve national accreditation for the undergraduate foreign language and graduate MASL programs;
- provide opportunities for students to acquire languages and cultural competencies as necessary skills for the 21st Century;
- be nimble in our response to the rapidly changing demands for language learning in the 21st Century.
CONNECTION OF THE VISION STATEMENT TO THE UNIVERSITY STRATEGIC PLAN:
UALR will provide programs of study that will educate students to live, work, and lead in the complex, technological, diverse world of the 21st Century.
Objective 1: The university will ensure the quality of its educational programs.
â€˘ The university will strengthen its commitment to cultivating global awareness among students through such initiatives as the possible expansion of the study abroad program, the reorganization of the functions and units related to international students and international studies, the possible addition of an International MBA program, and the infusion of an international focus throughout the curriculum.
â€˘ The university will strengthen the internal system of academic program review.
Objective 4: The university will increase the number of certified, K-12 teachers it graduates by 40 percent in five years.
â€˘ The university will give specific attention to recruiting students into the teaching profession in content areas where shortages are acute, including science, mathematics, foreign languages, special education, and middle childhood education.