Policies

All classes offered through the Language Center observe the following administrative guidelines:

Statement on Academic Integrity and Outside Assistance

All students are expected to read and uphold the Stanford Honor Code with regard to language course classwork, activities, and assignments. Academic integrity is at the heart of language acquisition; only you are responsible for your own learning and can demonstrate what you can do. Unless specified otherwise, the expectation is that all work is your own without the use of any collaborative tools.

To ensure that you understand how the Honor Code applies to language courses, please carefully review the information below.

Permitted

For collaborative or group work, your instructor will issue guidelines on what is appropriate. Your instructor may also ask you to declare the amount and type of assistance you have received on any written or oral assignment.
It is always helpful to have another person listen to you practice your oral presentations and provide feedback on your manner of expression. For this reason, assistance in the preparation of oral assignments is encouraged.
While preparing for oral interviews it is always helpful to practice conversation with native speakers or someone more knowledgeable as a way to increase your comfort level.
Digital language tools may be helpful if used judiciously and only with the guidance of your instructor.

Unpermitted

Under no circumstances is another person, tool, or service to generate an essay for you or to contribute to the ideas or substantive expression of individual assignments.
Plagiarism (i.e., unattributed, direct copying of text and/or ideas from a source other than yourself) is not allowable. In language courses, this includes translations of source material into the target language.
The use of translation services and apps during language exams, including but not limited to tools such as Google Translate, is not allowable. This is considered to be unpermitted aid and a hindrance to student learning.
Divulging the content of an oral interview and assessments to others is not permitted, as this violates Stanford's Honor Code.

Statement on Disabilities

Students who may need an academic accommodation based on the impact of a disability must initiate the request with the Office of Accessible Education (OAE). Professional staff will evaluate the request with required documentation, recommend reasonable accommodations, and prepare an Accommodation Letter for faculty. Students should contact the OAE as soon as possible since timely notice is needed to coordinate accommodations. The OAE is located at 563 Salvatierra Walk; phone: 650-723-1066; To get started, or to re-initiate services, please visit oae.stanford.edu.

Statement on Inclusivity

All language courses at Stanford are inclusive. Everybody has a name and a pronoun. Instructors are committed to referring to students with the correct pronoun. Please feel free to correct the instructor if there is an error.

Accommodation in Stressful Times

Language instructors care deeply about your well-being. Small classes mean individual support in your language learning. Please speak with your instructor if you are having any academic or personal difficulties. It is very important that we stay connected, especially during troubled times. We can be flexible about assignment and project completion dates. However, we want you to continue to attend class. We are a community and we need to support one another.

Language Center Attendance and Make Up Guidelines

In accordance with University standards, students should plan to attend all class sessions of their language courses and review the respective syllabus for specific details. Language courses are governed by the Language Center guidelines on attendance and make-ups as below, consistent with the Language Center mission.

Attendance Guidelines

Stanford Language Center Course Attendance Guidelines

Please refer to course syllabi for additional details.

Stanford language classes are taught in the target language. Class attendance and participation are essential to acquiring active language skills through in-person practice of conversation, reading, writing, and listening in real time. Attendance is essential to develop the skills to interact in the language. For this reason, students are expected to attend and actively participate in all class meetings.

Learning begins in the first week of classes. Shopping is not permitted and students will not be permitted to join a class after missing the first full week of instruction.

Absence and Make-Up Policy

Given the importance of attendance and participation to student learning, the below policies and expectations have been adopted for all language courses. If a student expects regular or extensive absences for any reason, the Language Center recommends taking a language class during a different quarter.

We provide some flexibility to all students. Students may miss up to two class hours with no penalty. Each subsequent missed class hour counts as a one percent (1%) deduction from the final course grade.
Students who will miss class for official University-sponsored activities such as athletic competition should notify their instructor during the first week of class, providing a list of anticipated missed class dates. The instructor will then work with the student to make arrangements for the student to make up the missed class. If a student needs to be absent for health reasons or a personal emergency, they should consult with their instructor as soon as possible to consider the number of classes that will be missed and to review options. In some cases, the instructor may make arrangements for the student to make up a missed class.
When approved by the instructor, absences must be made up within two weeks of the absence date and no later than the end of Week 9; make up sessions are not held during end-quarter or final exam periods.

Students with OAE disability-related academic accommodations that may require absences for medical reasons should consult with the program coordinator for that language prior to enrolling in a language course.

Auditing of Language Classes

Per Stanford University policy, auditors are not permitted in language classes.

Requesting a Less Commonly Taught Language

The Stanford Language Center does its best to accommodate students who request language services outside regular Language Center offerings.

Requests for instruction in languages not regularly offered need to be made one academic year in advance of beginning instruction. This time lag is necessary because the Language Center needs to find qualified instructors and to budget for courses outside the regular curriculum. Please use the following request forms to request instruction in a language.

To request an African or Middle Eastern Language not already taught at Stanford: AME Request Form

To request another language not already taught at Stanford: SLP Request Form