World Language

Chinese I is an introductory course in Mandarin Chinese, the official modern language of China, also known as Putonghua. Students will be introduced to the basic knowledge of Chinese character formation and the pronunciation system. The course focuses on pronunciation training, basic vocabulary and sentence structures, and the development of daily conversational skills. Multimedia resources such as audio files, short video clips, and online interactive games will be used. No prior knowledge of Chinese is required.

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: None.

Chinese II is a continuation of CN120 and is designed to enable the student to converse in everyday Chinese. Students will review and further develop sentence structure, vocabulary, and daily conversational skills. The course also helps students develop a basic understanding of Chinese culture. Multimedia resources such as audio files, short video clips, and online interactive games will be used.

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: CN120

Chinese III is designed to further develop the student's overall language skills through readings and discussions. Vocabulary, sentence structure, and daily conversational skills are the focus of this course with an emphasis on cultural aspects. Pedagogically-tailored materials are used as supplementary materials. Video, audio, and interactive games accompany the authentic readings texts. 

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: CN220

Honors Chinese IV is a continuation of CN320 and is designed to help students continue to develop the reading, listening, speaking, and writing skills in modern Chinese. Both simplified and traditional characters will be found in authentic reading materials; students can choose their character preference in writing. Multimedia resources such as audio files, short video clips, and online interactive games will be used in class. Students will gain a more advanced vocabulary and sophisticated grammar as well as a deeper understanding of Chinese culture. 

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: CN320

For students who have studied French and true beginners alike, Accelerated French I will empower learners to begin expressing themselves in French about a variety of themes relevant to their daily lives at Taft and the world around them. The course uses storytelling, music, videos, reading, writing and conversation to help students form a proficiency foundation and gain confidence in the French language, as well as build an awareness of francophone cultures from around the world. The themes of school, beauty, pastimes and technology are covered. At the end of the year, students will be recommended for FR250 or FR260.

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: None.

Accelerated French II will allow students to express themselves on a broader variety of topics and tenses relevant to their daily lives at Taft, their cultural identities and the francophone world. By engaging students almost entirely in French with video clips and films, music, news articles, short novels, conversations, and writing, this class will build on students’ previous experience and further develop their facility with the language and culture. This course is designed to address the proficiency foundation formed in Accelerated French I by practicing the skills necessary for language students to achieve a solid level of understanding in a variety of different situations. For example, students work with an atlas to learn about map reading and hone their ability to give and receive directions. The themes of geography, traditions, personal wellness, museums, music, environment, and professions are covered.

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: FR250

Honors French II will offer an in-depth immersion experience in a variety of real-world themes in francophone cultures, such as politics, the environment, health and wellbeing, etc. Each unit includes thematic articles and videos, essential questions, debate topics, and offers opportunities for presentational and interpersonal speaking, as well as a variety of types of writing. Students will become more proficient in expressing themselves with increasing ease both verbally and in writing while showing critical intercultural competency as they study the Francophone world. At the end of the year, students will be recommended for Accelerated French III (350) or Honors French III (360).

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: FR150 and recommendation of the teacher.

This class is conducted in French and uses a variety of authentic texts, movies, and other forms of multimedia, to expose students to French. Students will become more proficient in expressing themselves with increasing ease both verbally and in writing while showing critical intercultural competency as they study the Francophone world. Possible themes to be covered are health, education, family, etc. The students will also read one to two short novels from Francophone authors. At the completion of the year students will continue on to FR450.

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: FR250 and recommendation of the teacher.

This third year immersion course explores a number of contemporary themes from the francophone world, including colonialism, post-colonial identity, evolving family structures, challenges in education, technological development, etc., while building greater proficiency in their written and oral expression. Students will read authentic texts and watch videos to develop critical intercultural competence of the Francophone world which includes countries/regions in Europe, Africa, North America, and the Caribbean. Through various forms of written text, radio, and television programs, a variety of proficiency-based assignments (reading, writing and speaking), harkness discussions, and debates, over the course of the year FR360 students will achieve the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in Advanced Francophone Studies (FR830).

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: FR260

This course is a broad exploration of francophone culture: music, art, storytelling, cuisine, contemporary media and more. With an emphasis on self-guided projects and creative assignments, students will create skits, videos, newscasts, and participate in hands-on experiential activities. The goal of the course is communication and continued interest in the language and culture of the French-speaking world.

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: FR350

Honors Francophone Studies is an advanced immersion course for students seeking an in-depth exploration of francophone cultures and history alongside a profound examination of their own cultural norms.Students will analyze topics related to race, gender, identity, politics, social justice as well as ideologies such as integration and assimilation. All students will be expected to participate in improvised and planned class discussions, debates and produce critical intercultural products using authentic materials, such as films, newspapers, magazines, etc. Students will continue to develop their speaking, writing and interpretive language proficiency skills throughout the course. This is a non-exam course where students will instead develop and produce a cultural artifact reflective of the material covered in class. Analysis of topics such as cultural identity, language contact, integration and assimilation, major contemporary literary artists/authors, and pop culture (music, art, literature, press, and politics). Students will participate in class discussions, debates, and produce reports based on authentic materials taken from newspapers, journals, radio, television, and films. Students will continue to work on the five skills: reading (texts of various genres), writing (expository, persuasive, descriptive, and narrative), speaking (oral presentations and daily conversation practice), listening (songs, movie clips, news reports), and culture.

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: FR360 or FR450

This course is designed for students who have shown exceptional interest, ability, and achievement in French. Though the content changes each year, the objective is the same: students increase their knowledge of and interest in the language by studying the culture, literature, and history of French-speaking countries. The course is divided into two parts that will be determined by the teacher, but that typically fall into categories such as cultural theory, literature, advanced conversation, business French, cinema, phonetics, etc. Evaluation is based on creative assignments and self-guided projects. This course is offered in alternating years opposite Honors Special Topics in French.

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: FR560

Open to all students, this course serves three main functions. First, it provides through a series of graduated readings an introduction to the vocabulary and grammar of Attic Greek (the dialect of Ancient Greek spoken around Athens). Second, it acquaints students with the culture of those who spoke the language (e.g., the philosopher Plato, the historian Thucydides, and the tragedian Sophocles). Third, it examines the influence that these speakers have had on later figures (from an ancient Roman poet like Vergil to a 20th-century novelist like Virginia Woolf).

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: None.

This course serves three functions. First, it provides a sound foundation in the forms, grammar, and vocabulary of the Latin language so that students can read original passages of Latin prose and poetry. Second, through class discussions and primary sources, an appreciation of Latin literature and Roman culture and recognition of their influence upon the literature and cultural patterns of Western civilization is instilled. And third, because the class stresses Latin’s influence on English, students gain a heightened understanding of English vocabulary, grammar, and overall linguistic skills. 

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: None.

This course continues the study of grammar and vocabulary. After a thorough review of grammatical concepts and vocabulary introduced in first-year Latin, students transition to studying increasingly difficult grammatical concepts. Memorization of vocabulary, derivatives, and verb synopses are emphasized as students work to expand their grammatical foundations. Students use their newfound grammatical strengths to translate increasingly difficult Latin sentences.

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: LA150

This course continues the study of grammar and vocabulary at an advanced pace. After a thorough review of grammatical concepts and vocabulary introduced in first-year Latin, students transition to studying increasingly difficult grammatical concepts. Memorization of vocabulary, derivatives, and verb synopses are emphasized as students work to expand their grammatical foundations. This honors course engages in rigorous grammar exercises and Latin composition, and emphasizes the reading experience at the second-year level.

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: LA150 and recommendation of the teacher.

In the first semester, this course finishes learning various subjunctive uses that are not covered in the second year Latin course. After completing a comprehensive grammatical review, students transition to daily translations of intermediate Latin. Students follow an adapted Latin narrative to gain greater confidence in their translation skills. Through a closer look at the historical context of the adapted stories, students gain a greater understanding of Roman history and its impact on modern day life. During the second semester, students continue their exposure to Roman history and culture through various readings. The year culminates with a project that encompasses Roman history, increased fluency in translation, and the use of a commentary while reading a primary text.

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: LA250

In the first semester, this course studies the tumultuous history of Rome in the original Latin language through a text of the teacher’s choice, varying from Livy’s Ab Urbe Condita to Sallust’s Bellum Catilinae or Cicero’s own speeches against Catiline. Through these readings, students are introduced to a political climate that was unsteady at best and vitriolic at worst. By a close examination of these authors' styles and literary importance, students begin to see the history unfold through the words of these writers. In the second semester, the course shifts focus to the poetry of the Late Republic. Students read famous mythological stories from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, poems on love from Ovid’s Amores, and supplementary readings from the authors Catullus, Virgil, Martial, and others. Students learn how to analyze literature for the subtle nuances that each author brought to his work, and they learn to recognize poetic devices and recite poetry in both dactylic hexameter and elegiac couplet. 

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: LA260

**Not Offered for the 2026-27 Academic Year**

Accelerated Latin IV  will explore writing from a prose author of mutual interest to the instructor and the students in order to learn about the history, culture, and daily lives of the Ancient Romans and their world. Students will analyze the genre and style of the writing within its cultural and literary context and develop critical reading and thinking skills through class discussions, quizzes, and written exercises.

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: LA350

**Not Offered for the 2026-27 Academic Year**

Accelerated Latin IV will shift focus from prose to poetry, exploring a work and author of mutual interest to the instructor and the students in order to learn about the history, culture, and daily lives of the Ancient Romans and their world. Students will analyze the genre and style of the writing within its cultural and literary context and develop critical reading and thinking skills through class discussions, quizzes, and written exercises. Additionally, students will focus on the meter of the poetry and its effect upon the writing and understanding of the work.

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: LA350

**Not Offered for the 2026-27 Academic Year**

Students in Honors Latin Literature will explore the themes of nation and empire via readings from Virgil, Caesar, and other authors of mutual interest to the course's teacher and students. Special attention is paid to syntactical details as well as the effects of meter, imagery, and figures of speech. This course is open to students who have completed Honors Latin III with distinction or have the permission of the Department Head. Students who complete this course may opt to take the Advanced Placement Latin Examination in May.

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: LA360 or LA453 and LA454

Students in Honors Latin Literature continue to hone their linguistic skills while also developing their critical, historical, and literary sensitivities. As they become more comfortable reading and translating authentic Latin literature, they focus increasingly on contextualizing and analyzing what they read. Two sets of semester-long elective courses are offered in alternating years and may be taken in either sequence. “Conquest & Conspiracy” introduces students to such prose texts as Cicero’s orations, Sallust’s histories, and Caesar’s commentaries. In order to prepare any interested students for the AP Latin Exam in May, each year of the sequence concludes with a special unit on four AP Latin “Course Project” passages, many of which extend beyond the authors of Rome’s early imperial era. 

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: High honors in LA360 or departmental permission.

Students in Honors Latin Literature continue to hone their linguistic skills while also developing their critical, historical, and literary sensitivities. As they become more comfortable reading and translating authentic Latin literature, they focus increasingly on contextualizing and analyzing what they read. Two sets of semester-long elective courses are offered in alternating years and may be taken in either sequence. “Epic & Empire” treats such poetic texts as Vergil’s Aeneid, Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and Lucan’s Bellum Civile. In order to prepare any interested students for the AP Latin Exam in May, each year of the sequence concludes with a special unit on four AP Latin “Course Project” passages, many of which extend beyond the authors of Rome’s early imperial era. 

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: High honors in LA360 or departmental permission.

Accelerated Spanish I is a year-long course for students with limited to no exposure to Spanish. Accelerated Spanish I students will receive instruction primarily in the target language while also considering the metacognition behind learning another language. The course will focus on developing a foundational understanding of grammar and vocabulary and building the skills of listening, reading, writing, and speaking. Students will practice different modes (interpretive, presentational, interpersonal) of the four major language pillars (speaking, reading, writing, listening) to differentiate their communicative and comprehension abilities. It will also focus on Hispanic culture around the world and incorporate cultural lessons into the study of the language.

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: None.

Honors Spanish I is a year-long course for students with limited to no exposure to Spanish. Honors Spanish I students will explore the same themes, content, and grammatical structures as Accelerated Spanish I students, but the Honors students will be expected to produce the language with greater fluency, receive instruction more exclusively in the target language, and explore both grammatical and cultural topics in greater depth. The course will focus on developing a strong, foundational understanding of grammar and vocabulary and building the skills of listening, reading, writing, and speaking. Students will practice different modes (interpretive, presentational, interpersonal) of the four major language pillars (speaking, reading, writing, listening) to differentiate their communicative and comprehension abilities. It will also focus on Hispanic culture around the world and incorporate cultural lessons into the study of the language.

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: None.

Honors Spanish II offers an intensive study of grammatical structures and vocabulary through an in-depth immersion experience in a variety of real-world themes and cultures such as the environment, cultural customs, social justice, and publicity. Each unit includes thematic articles and videos, can-do statements, and offers opportunities for presentational and interpersonal speaking, as well as a variety of types of writing, through bi-weekly journal entries. The use of audio and visual materials both in class and in the Pinto Language Lab is a regular component of the course. In the fall, students watch the animated film, Coco, and as part of the social justice unit, they watch the Chilean film, NO. In the spring, the students study the Mexican Revolution through the context of the play Nosotros somos Dios. At the end of the year, students will be recommended for Accelerated Spanish III (350) or Honors Spanish III (360).

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: SP160

This course seeks to solidify all of the grammatical points presented in Spanish 1 and 2 through thematic units that aim to give the students the tools to communicate their preferences and conduct basic conversations in authentic settings. Thematic units are based around the geography, the arts, cuisine, and the traditions and customs of Spain and Latin America. The students are also responsible for reading and reporting on current events in Spanish speaking countries on a weekly basis. 

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: SP240

This course is a comprehensive review of the grammar presented in the first two years as well as an introduction to more advanced Spanish grammar. The course aims to increase students' communicative skills by reinforcing grammatical structures and by stimulating students to think about a variety of issues and concerns of the Hispanic world. Students will read selected literature, view films and videos, and make regular use of the Pinto Language Lab.

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: SP250

This course is designed to challenge those students who have demonstrated both high ability and interest in the second year and who intend to study Spanish at the Advanced Placement levels. Students read selections from both classic and modern literature and are introduced to a variety of cultural and historical topics. Although this course presupposes a command of grammar, a review grammar text supplements the literary and cultural readers. Students also work extensively in the Pinto Language Lab, and oral proficiency is stressed. The objective throughout the year is to prepare students for the Advanced Placement Spanish courses.

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: SP260

This course will examine the Spanish Civil War: the history and political climate that shaped it and the literature, film, and art that the brutal event inspired. Understanding Spain's Civil War is essential to understanding modern Spain as it is in the 21st century, moving forward but while trying to reconcile the lingering wounds of the war and subsequent dictatorship.

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: SP350

This course offers an overview of the artistic output of humans on the Iberian Peninsula and the Americas from prehistoric times to today, from the cave paintings of Altamira to Mexican muralists and beyond. Students will examine art, architecture, literature, film, and music. Everything will be put into its historical context so that students can understand how and why the art was produced, bringing the material to life for them.

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: SP350

This semester-long course is designed to explore the history, communities, and culture of a variety of Spanish-speaking countries through cinema. Students will complete preparatory readings, explore the historical context of the films, work with related vocabulary and expressions, and discuss the specific themes of the films while making connections and comparisons across countries, cultures, and different contexts. This class will be fully conducted in Spanish.

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: SP360

Hispanic literature is a semester-long course designed to help students develop and enhance their understanding of the Spanish language and culture through the exploration of different genres written by Latino authors. This course conducted entirely in Spanish, studies important twentieth-century texts from Spain and Latin America. The readings include short stories, theater, novels, and poetry. The goal of this course is to enable each student to acquire the necessary skills for the enjoyment and examination of literary and cultural issues in the Spanish-speaking world. 

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: SP360

Our students will explore complex current topics such as national identity, political resistance, gender and politics, and migration, while deepening their understanding of Spanish grammatical structures and vocabulary. The course will provide students with the critical tools necessary to engage with Spanish-speaking cultures from local, national, and transnational perspectives. This class is conducted entirely in Spanish.

Note: Available to grades 9-12.

Prerequisites: SP462 and SP463