The Modern Languages & Literature Department is home to the study of seven languages taught at a range of skill levels. So if you're looking to continue your language studies from high school or dipping your toes into a foreign language for the first time, the department can fit your needs, thanks to a placement process that takes into consideration previous language education. Gonzaga requires all of those seeking a degree in the College of Arts and Sciences to demonstrate competence in a second language.
How You'll Learn
By devoting ourselves to research within a range of cultural and theoretical areas and innovation in language acquisition, we are committed to promoting a dynamic and diverse learning community wherein students may comfortably develop personal talents and human qualities. Our faculty continually emphasize language performance and intercultural competence and create innovative and exciting opportunities for individual, hands-on experience. Students' success is shown in many ways but most importantly by success in real communicative settings. Our approach allows you to learn a language with upper-level courses in literature, film, society and more, furthering our mission of exposing students to new cultures and developing a tolerance for difference.
Study Abroad
Our program offers opportunities for you to enhance the classroom experience with a semester spent in Jordan, Austria, Italy – or many other spots around the globe.
What You Can do with This Major
Many of our students will use their language ability and intercultural competence in a variety of professional arenas, including government, business, the non-profit sector, teaching or research. Regardless of career path, we seek to prepare our students to contribute to a diverse and changing world as active participants who can work across cultural perspectives.
World Language News and Articles
- Top Ten Reasons to Learn Languages: Language learning opens a world of opportunities. Learn how knowing a second (or third!) language gives you a boost up the ladder to success.
- Have we learned our lesson?: History has taught us the value of foreign languages.
- It's Not Liberal Arts And Literature Majors Who Are Most Underemployed: A degree in foreign languages, literature, and linguistics equals jobs.
