For Current Students
Speak Spanish in Santiago. Read Tolstoy in St. Petersburg. Explore Francophone culture in Senegal. Study 20th century history in Tokyo and Munich, or go back to ancient times in Athens.
At Lewis & Clark, we believe that language is the key to understanding the world, which is why we offer study in nine languages: Arabic, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, French, German, Spanish, Latin and Classical Greek. Learning a language other than English opens the mind, broadens one’s sense of culture and history, and—in an increasingly global society—gives students a post-graduation edge in a wide array of professional fields.
Through on-campus and overseas study, the Department of World Languages and Literatures at Lewis & Clark enables students to learn to think, write, speak, and read critically in a second (or third, or fourth, or fifth…) language. Because we believe that learning in the classroom must be supplemented with learning in the field, we require all majors to study abroad, and offer semester and year-long programs in eleven different countries. Students regularly report life-changing experiences during their time abroad, and all return with greater fluency and confidence.
News
Our students won the first place and the third place in the annual Japanese speech contest!
On Saturday, April 19, the 29th Annual Toyama Cup speech contest was held.
The event is sponsored and hosted by Japan’s Toyama prefecture, Oregon’s sister state, and the Japan-America Society of Oregon (JASO). The event consists of a lower and higher level, with the champion of the higher level winning a trip and week-long stay in Toyama, Japan. All winners and runners-up received a variety of gifts from Toyama.
This year, students from Lewis & Clark, Oregon State University, Pacific University, Portland Community College, University of Oregon, and Mt.Hood Community College had a heated competition, where everyone demonstrated impressively high Japanese skills.
After extremely close-fought competitions, Charlotte Jaguzuy (Asian Studies major, Japanese minor ’25) came in first in the upper division, and Nico Quade (English Major ’27) came in third place in the lower division.
Charlotte will go visit the Toyama prefecture this summer as a cultural envoy!
Everyone in the Japanese section is so proud of them!
Teacher of the Year Winner!
It is with great pleasure to announce and congratulate our 2025 Teacher of the Year: Satomi Newsom, Instructor of Japanese. Satomi has inspired students through her dedication, passion, and excellence in teaching. Her commitment to student success and her dynamic contributions to the academic life of our college have truly set her apart.
“Tren de Aragua: A Gang, Not Terrorist Invaders” by Elliott Young
The North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA) is an independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1966 to examine and critique U.S. imperialism and political, economic, and military intervention in the Western hemisphere. In an evolving political and media landscape, we continue to work toward a world in which the nations and peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean are free from oppression, injustice, and economic and political subordination.
Elliott Young is professor of history at Lewis & Clark College and the author of “Forever Prisoners: How the United States Made the World’s Largest Immigrant Detention System.”