Department of World Languages and Cultures


Department of World Languages and Cultures

linguistic competency, cultural literacy, and the analytical framework to engage successfully and on a high level with the people and culture of a language community other than their own. To that end, we seek to combine the practical aspects of language acquisition with the development of interpretive skills at all levels of instruction. The emphasis on the practical goes back to the department’s inception. The entry under “Modern Languages” in the 1868–69 University of Deseret First Annual Catalogue reads: “In the department of Modern Languages, every effort will be made to render them practical. So far as possible, they will be made the communication medium between the Professor and [their] Classes.”

WLC faculty contribute to the university’s research mission in literary and cultural studies, linguistics, and second language pedagogy. The department teaches languages (22 in total), works of literature, and cultures, from beginning language classes to advanced and graduate seminars in various subject areas. WLC awards undergraduate and graduate degrees, minors, and certificates, providing the instruction that makes the university BA language requirement possible.

The department is affiliated with several programs and centers housed in the College of Humanities and beyond, contributing teaching and research expertise and serving a variety of student interests. In addition, we support the university’s public life mission through lectures and programming in the community, community-based research projects, Community-Engaged Learning and Continuing Education courses, and close cooperation with Utah’s Dual Language Immersion and Bridge programs.

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