Spotlight on the Foreign Languages:
Interview with Dr. Dennis Wiseman
 You may plan on majoring in a foreign language. You may hear the words “foreign language” and start to panic. Either way, this interview with Dr. Dennis Wiseman, chair of the Foreign Language department at Wofford, will provide you with some much-needed information before you begin your freshman year. Dr. Wiseman, a student favorite, has been teaching and mentoring students at Wofford for 27 years. He knows his stuff!
After being here for 27 years, what is your favorite thing about Wofford?
Students. I like my students.
There are so many incoming freshmen who come in nervous about taking the foreign language requirement and then, after a semester, they elect to take the next level. What do you think keeps them interested?
Students have different learning styles. Some learn better by sight, some are audible, and others tangible. In class, we incorporate different activities that help students take best advantage of their particular learning style and also help them develop their weaker styles.
We also use a lot of technology in our classes. The internet is a huge resource for us and students use Powerpoint, Dreamweaver, Garageband, etc. to build presentations and multimedia projects for class.
The growth in the faculty (2 ½ professors when I arrived to 12 now), has made a huge impact on the quality of our department. We have young, energetic professors who enjoy teaching, as well as some who are native speakers.
What makes Foreign Language students employable after they graduate from Wofford?
Foreign language majors have unique experiences to add to their resumes. About 90% of our students participate in Wofford’s Study Abroad program, where, for no more than the cost of attending Wofford, they can travel to another country, immerse themselves in a language and earn credit for all the classes they take.
In the third year culture courses, our students do a multimedia project or capstone project that counts as about 10-15% of their grade. Not only are they honing their language skills through this project, they are also being trained to use technology to put together a sophisticated presentation.
Wofford also allows for students to take an Oral or Written Professional Competency Exam. Students are “graded” on their proficiency in the language and can report that to potential employers.
Can you give me some examples of recent graduates and what they’re doing now?
We have a student who was a German/Business double major who is working as a financial analyst in Germany at Deutsch Bank and another student, a German/English double major, who is working as a copy editor for Bertelesmann, a German multinational publications company. One of our ISB Spanish students took a job upon graduation in marketing for Ernest and Julio Gallo wines in California and Spain.
What is your best foreign language related advice for entering freshmen?
So many students come in dreading their foreign language requirement like they would dread root canal surgery. We have students telling us, “I can’t speak a foreign language,” or “I haven’t had a language in over a year,” or even, “I had a bad teacher.” Don’t be intimidated by what you think is your incapacity. You’ll realize when you arrive that it’s really not root canal surgery and we really are fun.
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