The Department of Modern and Classical Languages provides to Western Washington University students the skills to learn firsthand about major world societies. The department believes that the best way to understand a culture directly is through its language. Latin and Classical Greek provide students with the tools to study directly written works that form the foundation of Western civilization.
Language structure is taught both holistically and analytically.
Wholistic language learning is facilitated by modern methods and multimedia technology, as well as foreign study opportunities. The department supports the analytical instruction of language structure through a full range of language skills courses, as well as a significant number of courses in linguistics. Literary analysis is essential to a student's understanding of the highest achievements in aesthetic expression of a culture's values. The department provides instruction in history and culture, as well as literary theory, with an end to enabling the student to gain access to the intellectual life in the culture. Furthermore, the department imparts skills to future foreign language teachers so that they may similarly enable high school students to begin the acquisition of foreign languages.