The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures has been offering courses at NC State since 1896. Even a century ago, the university considered an international component to its curriculum as a highly compatible and essential component of the land-grant tradition.

Professor Lawrence Hinkle, Department Head from 1916-1956, wrote in 1922: “The importance of languages in education goes without question. They are of immense practical importance, to say nothing of their cultural value. Nations and people are closer today than ever before, and never has there been a greater need for mutual agreement amongst the peoples of the earth.” As we begin a new millennium, Professor Hinkle’s statement rings truer than ever.

Today, employers seek graduates who can interact confidently and appropriately with diverse populations. Whether preparing for a career in business, government, law, education, human services, science, the military, or the arts, students who develop their foreign-language skills will have a competitive edge. To this end the Department serves the interests of NC State by promoting international awareness and by providing direct contact with other cultures for the social and economic development of the citizens of North Carolina.

The Department offers a wide variety of courses to meet students’ professional and personal needs in order to develop their language proficiency and cultural awareness and to help them be competitive in today’s global society. The Department has a nationally recognized faculty, the latest in multimedia classroom technology, and access to the international community in the U.S. and abroad.

The Department offers elementary and intermediate language courses as well as advanced courses in language, literature, conversation, composition, civilization, and specialized courses such as Business Spanish and French Cinema. There are Bachelor of Arts degrees in French and Spanish with a teacher-education option, and a Bachelor of Arts in in German Studies. Minors are available in Chinese Studies, Classical Greek, Classical Studies, French, German, Hindi- Urdu, Italian Studies, Japanese, Russian Studies, Spanish, and World Literature. There are also courses offered in Arabic, Farsi, Tamil, Bengali, Nepali, Portuguese, and English as a Second Language. There are Master of Arts programs in French and Spanish, and an add-on licensure program in English as a Second Language.

The Department sponsors study-abroad programs to Austria, France, India, Italy, Mexico, Peru, and Spain. In collaboration with the Department of English, the Department co-sponsors a curriculum in World Literature that offers such courses as Masterpieces of Literature, Modern Japanese Culture, and Contemporary Latin-American Literature. Distance-learning courses are offered in Spanish, French, Hindi, and English as a Second Language. Last year the Department taught 10,000 students in over 400 class sections. There are currently 200 majors and over 200 minors. In 2001, the Department was awarded the University’s Award for Teaching and Learning Excellence.

The Foreign Language Computing Lab is a state of the art facility which includes PC and MAC workstations for student use, and an electronic classroom. Each workstation offers Internet access, word processing and spell-check capabilities in many languages, language-specific tutorials, and software packages to supplement the Department’s course offerings.

The Department helps students to prepare themselves to become global citizens who will thrive in the international environment
of the twenty-first century. It looks forward to continuing to provide an international dimension to the students of NC State and to the citizens
of North Carolina.

For an historical overview of the Department, please visit:
One Hundred Years of Foreign Languages & Literatures at NC State
 
 

Last modified:  27 February, 2002