In addition to specialization within a language track, all FLL majors will declare an area of “Critical Concentration” which consists of 9 credits of study in one of the following areas: Intensive Area Studies, Comparative Cultural Studies, Film and Visual Culture, Literary Studies, and Medieval and Early Modern Studies. These concentrations are designed to allow students to develop advanced competency in their language area or to develop mastery of a particular aspect of cultural or linguistic study that reaches beyond their language area. “Intensive Area Studies” offers further credits in the language of specialization and is recommended for students planning to complete graduate work in their language area or pursue careers requiring advanced knowledge of their chosen language and related culture area. The other four critical concentrations allow students to develop a comparative perspective on a particular cultural medium as well as to learn about other cultural traditions. Students can choose to specialize in a particular historical period by selecting Medieval and Early Modern Studies or by selecting courses relating to a given period within one of the other three critical concentrations, for example nineteenth-century literature (Literary Studies) or twentieth-century film (Film and Visual Culture).
When selecting courses for their critical concentration from language areas outside of their own field, students should check course prerequisites carefully.