Department Mission

The Department of Modern Languages and Intercultural Studies offers the Bachelor of Arts in French and Spanish, minors in French, Spanish, and German, and a French and Spanish secondary education major.  Course offerings include Chinese and Sign Language, and may include Portuguese, Arabic, and Russian.  The major programs require a departmentally approved study abroad experience.

The Department's mission is to foster students' abilities to think critically, and to communicate accurately and creatively, in another language.  Critical reflection in our department often centers upon the products, practices, and perspectives of language communities both within and outside of the United States.  The course offerings for the major and minor programs are based upon the following academic disciplines of language study within a liberal arts tradition: literature, cultural studies, and applied linguistics. 

In the four skills (reading, writing, speaking, and listening), a major in French and Spanish should expect to reach the ACTFL advanced-low level, while a minor in French, Spanish, or German should expect to reach the ACTFL intermediate level.  This expectation is supported by the department’s belief that a study abroad immersion experience is the best way for students to attain linguistic and cultural proficiency.

With a liberal arts degree from the Department of Modern Languages and Intercultural Studies, language majors have many career options available to them upon graduation: education, international education, international business, media, journalism, government and social work, the medical and legal professions, tourism, and many others. The major also prepares students for graduate work in literature, linguistics, education, and cultural and international studies.