PROPOSAL FOR CHANGE IN PROGRAM
UNIVERSITY CURRICULUM COMMITTEE
University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Wilmington, NC 28403
Type of program change proposed (check all that apply)
Establishment, dissolution, division, or consolidation of academic departments
or other degree-granting entities
Establishment, dissolution, or revision of academic degrees, including majors,
minors, and certificate programs
Policies for maximum and minimum hours required for majors, minors, and
certificates
Total number of hours required for graduation 
University-wide competency requirements (other than basic studies, oral
communication intensive, or computer competency)
Course prefixes
Curricular conflicts between schools and/or colleges
Other general curricular policies which have total university impact
X
Description of proposed program change:
Academic Affairs requests the renaming of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures as
the Department of World Languages and Cultures. The proposal has the support of Dr. Aswani
Volety, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Dr. Denise Battles, Provost and Vice
Chancellor for Academic Affairs.
A number of factors and considerations support our request:
 A comparison to similar UNC institutions in Higher Education indicates a preference for
languages department names that focuses more on institution’s world or global initiatives.
This trend has been studied by respected associations and journals such as the Modern
Language Association, Inside HigherEd and the Chronicle of Higher Education. The Modern
Language Association still retains its Association of Departments of Foreign Languages.

Of UNCW’s 17 peer institutions, approved by the Board of Governors in October 2011, 4
retain Foreign in their title (California State University-Chico, James Madison University,
Rowan University, and Towson University). All others have moved to Modern Languages,
Modern and Classical Languages, or World Languages and Cultures.

“Foreign Languages” negatively affects public perception of our department by students,
colleagues and potential recruits, implicitly distancing world languages and cultures from the
dominant culture. The new department name will better demonstrate the complete range of
our departmental offerings, reflecting not only the traditional language and literature courses
offered by World Languages departments, but also the culturally-centered courses (e.g.
Civilization and Culture, Spanish for Heritage Speakers) and specialized language courses
(e.g. Linguistics, French, German or Spanish for Business).

The change will best reiterate that most popular languages, particularly Spanish, are widely
spoken in the United States.
Name change implementation would be for Fall Semester 2015, officially August 10, 2015.
Signature of Depart. Chairperson:
Signature of Dean:
Kemille Moore
Digitally signed by Kemille Moore
DN: cn=Kemille Moore, o=UNCW, ou=College of Arts and
Sciences, email=moorek@uncw.edu, c=US
Date: 2015.02.06 08:39:47 -05'00'
Action of the University Curriculum Committee:
Signature of the UCC Chairperson:
UCC Approved: 4/01
Michelle Scattin-Tessier Date: 02/06/2015
Date:
Date: