World Languages and Literatures
The study of languages other than English enhances the quality of your liberal arts education and broadens your opportunities, both professionally and personally.
Why Choose a Degree in World Languages?
We know that in an increasingly competitive job market, the mastery of a second (or third or fourth) language can be a key advantage. It opens your mind, broadens your sense of culture and history, and, in an increasingly global society, gives you a postgraduate edge in a wide array of professional fields. In the process of earning a bachelor of arts degree in world languages, you will undertake coursework in two languages—choosing from Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish—and you will discover how your language studies can be applied in careers such as international business, politics, translation, foreign correspondence, medicine, social work, and teaching.
What You’ll Study
In addition to robust course offerings in Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish, Lewis & Clark also provides language courses in Arabic, ancient Greek, and Latin.
Nearly all of our students earn course credit on overseas programs. In addition to general cultural programs that are open to all students, there are programs designed specifically for language study or with a language component in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, ancient Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, and Swahili. Recognizing the importance of learning the language in an environment where it is spoken, the department requires overseas study of all its majors.
Outside the classroom, the Keck Interactive Learning Center is a language center and community area that is packed with linguistic and cultural resources. The Global Languages and Cultures Living-Learning Community is a unique on-campus housing option with an immersive language-based focus. Our students are supported each year with a visiting international Language Assistant who teaches our conversation courses and offers tutoring support for each of our language sections.
Connect With Lewis & Clark!
Complement Your Education With One of These Minors
The most popular minors for our world languages majors are history, political science, and religious studies.
What Students Are Saying About Lewis & Clark
Maia Garrison BA ’27More about MaiaI didn’t really know what I wanted to study before I got here, so I ended up just taking language classes. My advisor told me that there was, in fact, a major for that, so now I can get a degree just for taking classes I’m interested in.
Cody Bowen-Crosby BA ’22More about CodyDon’t pick your school based on a figure from some website; pick your school off of where you think you’ll be happiest and where you want to plant the seeds to start a professional career.
Juan Martín López Meléndez BA ’23More about Juan MartínIntroduction to Linguistics expanded my knowledge about how a language works, and I love learning how linguists analyze languages. One day I hope to do it myself!
What Can You Do With a Degree in World Languages?
Our alumni use their BA in world languages in many endeavors. In addition to receiving Fulbrights and other grants to teach English or do research in countries where they have studied abroad, our students go on to thrive in a wide variety of careers and higher educational paths in education, translation, global relations, and law, among others.
Dedicated Faculty
Our expert professors are your expert mentors. You will learn directly from faculty (no graduate assistants here!) that are nationally recognized in their fields of study and who love to work with and learn from their students. Your professors will inspire you to be a thoughtful and passionate participant in a diverse world. Your small classes will support you as you explore new ideas, find your voice, and speak your truth.
Our faculty’s research interests range widely, from German eco fiction to 21st-century French literature, contemporary Latin American social movements to religious iconography in Soviet Russia.
Molly Robinson More about MollyI love that the common denominator for Lewis & Clark students is a desire and determination to be one’s most authentic self, and to show up in the world in a way that makes it truer and better.
Gordon Kelly More about GordonThe liberal arts take students (and professors) outside their academic comfort zones and encourage them to engage the world from a variety of disciplinary perspectives.
Magalí Rabasa More about MagalíI absolutely love how connected L&C students are—to each other, to our campus community, to their own communities, to their professors, to their fields of study, and to their personal passions and interests.
Invest in Yourself
A private liberal arts education is often more affordable than you think. Last year, Lewis & Clark distributed over $74 million in assistance from institutional, federal, state, and private sources. Additionally, we’re so confident that our first-year students will graduate in four years with their bachelor of arts degree that if you don’t, we’ll cover the extra semester of tuition.
Find Your People
Student-led clubs in each of the languages that we offer organize a wide variety of activities, including conversation groups, movies, karaoke, performances, and game nights. One of the oldest journals at L&C, Polyglot gives the opportunity to students of all levels to publish their work in the language they are studying.
Where Lewis & Clark Will Take You
Jayana Alvarez BA ’19More about JayanaI started working as a translator at various tech companies. More recently, I’ve developed new skills in public relations and marketing to round out my communications knowledge.
Isabel Zangoglia BA ’22More about IsabelL&C’s international affairs program not only provided an incredible foundation for understanding modern international relations, but it also allows you to truly expand your global perspective. The professors challenge you to think critically about our world and the various forces driving global actors, skills and theory that can apply to any career in international affairs, no matter the area.
Marcella Chavez BA ’21More about MarcellaL&C taught me the skills to think critically, which will help me throughout my life
Featured News
Fluent in Russian—and Adventure
Benjamin Popple BA ’26 will head to Kyrgyzstan this summer after earning a coveted Critical Language Scholarship for intensive Russian study.
