Deep understanding of languages broadens students’ perspective of the world, and exposes students to long histories and civilizations far beyond their own.
Ithaca’s Department of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures (DWLLC) offers a bachelor of arts degree in World Languages and Cultures, with curricula in French and Francophone Studies, German Area Studies, Italian Studies, and Spanish. Our innovative and interdisciplinary major provides students with multiple pathways to completion, either by pursuing expertise in a single language or by combining the study of a primary language with additional coursework in a second language as well courses in linguistics and translation studies. The department also offers minors in French, German, Italian, Spanish, linguistics, and translation studies as well as courses in Chinese.
The study of languages, literatures, and cultures encourages students to develop and master the skills that employers demand in the workplace: the ability to communicate, negotiate, quickly adapt to new situations, and to creatively problem solve when necessary. To that end, recent graduates have found professional success in areas such as law, government and politics, translation/interpreting, finance and business, as well as teaching, social work, and tourism/hospitality.
