Your competitors for jobs will be students from around the world who are fluent in two or three languages. Your opportunities in the market place will be directly related to your fluency in at least one other language. You can attain linguistic proficiency by beginning your study of foreign languages in your first semester and by attending a studies abroad program in your junior year.
Even if past encounters with foreign languages have not been positive, the small classes and the considerable individual attention you will receive at Gonzaga provide a pleasant and fruitful experience. These classes allow you to acquire cultural content relevant to the target language and perfect your speaking and writing skills at a fast pace.
Many students realize too late in their studies the importance of languages for a career. Starting a foreign language in your first semester will give you the flexibility to achieve fluency, in the classroom and in a program of study abroad, should you choose to do so. Try a language early! The Modern Languages & Literature Department is home to the study of eight languages taught at a range of skill levels. The department includes majors in French and Spanish, as well as minors in German and Italian. The department also offers Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Tagalog depending on demand.
Gonzaga offers two classical languages, Latin and Greek, for students interested in pursuing linguistic skills with many academic applications.; Students may continue previous high school study, or start from the beginning in either language. Because of traditionally small numbers of students choosing Latin or Greek, upper division coursework is done on a one-to-one basis in tutorial fashion, making the learning environment excellent for individual goals.
The faculty members of the Departments of Classical Civilizations and Modern Languages look forward to seeing you in their classes and sharing their knowledge of the world with you! For more information on either of these programs, visit their web pages. Some programs require students to take a placement exam. If you are a College of Arts & Sciences major, and will likely pursue Arabic, Japanese, Spanish, French, Italian or German, please take the language placement exam, regardless of whether you will take a language first semester or later in your Gonzaga career.
If you have questions about languages or your proficiency and placement levels, please call (509) 313-6723.