The department of Literatures, Cultures & Languages offers courses in French, German, Hebrew and Judiac Studies, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Latin, Greek, Chinese and Arabic, but instruction is also available in a number of Critical Languages, including Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Modern Greek, Polish, Portuguese, and Russian, among others. Students may major in Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies, French and Francophone Studies, German, Italian Literary and Cultural Studies, or Spanish.

The department aims to give students a working knowledge of foreign languages for teaching, research, travel, business, diplomatic or governmental work, and for graduate or undergraduate study of the culture of a foreign country.

All languages are taught with an emphasis on four skills, thus enabling students to listen & comprehend, speak, read, and write. The teaching of literature enables students to recognize periods, movements, genres, and major intellectual figures and to relate them to their socio-historical context. The teaching of culture facilitates the acquisition of intercultural skills and interdisciplinary approaches to the field of study.

Students are encouraged to pursue double majors, combining languages or any other major offered by the College of Liberal Arts and Science. Dual degree programs are also available with Euro-Tech (German and Engineering) and Bio-Medical Engineering (French, German, Spanish, Italian and Bio-Medical Engineering).

Study abroad or internship in the countries where the languages of instruction are spoken is strongly recommended and, with the advisor’s consent, students may choose from a variety of programs in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, China, and the Middle East. Students interested in any of these possibilities should consult early with their advisors.