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Wheaton College     Norton, Massachusetts
Academic Advising > Procedures Foreign Language

Procedures for Requesting a Course Substitution to fulfill the Foreign Language Requirement

Students with documented learning disabilities that specifically impact their ability to learn a foreign language can petition for a modification of the College's foreign language requirement. The procedure is as follows:

1. Provide Dean Wilhelm with documentation that is recent and comprehensive

  • The documentation must include a complete psycho educational evaluation or neuropsychological evaluation and must be recent (within 3 years).
  • The documentation must substantiate the specific learning disability and it's specific impact on the student's ability in the area of foreign language acquisition.


    2. Dean Wilhelm will review the documentation, look at the student's past history in foreign language courses (from high school until the date of the petition), and meet with the student to determine if the course substitution is warranted.


    3. If it is determined that the student's request for a substitution is warranted the student must then choose courses for substitution in consultation with Dean Wilhelm (and with his/her advisor). Options include:

  • Two courses from the same language area (ex: Russian) that are taught in English (eg., usually literature in translation)

  • Two semesters of American Sign Language, which is offered at nearby colleges with transferable credit.


    4. The student must complete a petition to the Committee on Academic Standing with the support of Dean Wilhelm. Dean Wilhelm is available to help students complete the petition to ensure they have included all of the necessary information. The petition should include the following relevant information:
    a. a personal statement by the student indicating the reasons for the request, including prior experiences with the subject matter.
    b. The alternative courses the student has chosen in consultation with Dean Wilhelm and the student's faculty advisor.
    c. A written support form Dean Wilhelm based on a review of all the supporting evidence provided.

    Students whose foreign language requirement was waived in high school should not assume that the requirement will be waived at Wheaton College. They will need to follow the procedures outlined above to determine if a course substitution in foreign language is warranted.

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