World Languages and Literatures The Department of World Languages and Literatures seeks to furnish Pacific students with both an awareness of and a sensitivity toward the cultural and linguistic diversity of an increasingly interconnected world. For students specializing in language study, the Modern Languages curriculum teaches proficiency in speaking, writing, and comprehending a foreign language as well as emphasizing the importance of cultural contexts.
Majors spend a semester or a year in study abroad.
The curriculum is designed to ensure mastery of the languages studied through intensive conversational training. The faculty of the department is diverse and international. All the members of the faculty carry out research or creative writing projects, publish regularly, and participate actively in professional organizations. The Modern Languages student may concentrate in Chinese, French, German, Japanese, or Spanish as a primary language. Majors are required to complete 12 semester hours in an accredited program outside the United States, offered in the language in which the student is specializing.