Welcome from the Chair
The end of the first decade of the 21st century is a time of new departures for our department. In addition to our majors in French, German, and Spanish, and collaborative majors in International Business and International Studies, we have introduced a number of new programs over the past year. The focus of one of these is Chinese studies: demand for Chinese language classes has grown over the years, and we now offer an interdisciplinary minor in Chinese Studies involving Modern Languages and several other departments (e.g., History, Political Science, Religion). Wright State has in fact become a hub of Chinese Studies in the Miami Valley region, as we are intimately involved with the Dual Enrollment Program, through which Chinese is taught in area high schools using our books and our syllabus. The Study of Russian has been making a comeback nationally, and this is also the case at Wright State. Consequently, in addition to Russian language classes, we now also offer a new minor in Russian Studies, again an interdisciplinary program, primarily involving History, but also Political Science. Finally, this past year also saw the formal introduction of a Certificate in Linguistics, a collaborative program taught by the departments of Modern Languages and English. Of course our department continues to teach other languages as well, including Arabic and Italian (both through the second level) and Japanese (through the third level). Portuguese is occasionally taught as an intensive, one-quarter course.
No course of study in modern languages is complete without the opportunity to study or spend time abroad. Of course not everyone can study abroad, but we encourage all who can to do so. The university has a variety of foreign study programs in, among others, Brazil, Chile, China, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Japan, Spain, and several other countries; these can differ in length of time (from two or three weeks to a full year) and some can be more subject specific. Prospective and current students can get a good overview of what is available by looking at the University Center for International Education website.
The Department of Modern Languages is committed, as ever, to providing a fresh and varied program of study, offering some stimulating courses centered upon such subjects aas humor, film, business, poetry, law enforcement, and other aspects of the cultures that we study through language. The members of the faculty take pride in their work as teachers and mentors, and we look forward to each and every new incoming student!
Whether you are a prospective student, a parent, or simply interested in what we do, do not hesitate to get in touch with us. With best wishes for the coming year,
Stefan Pugh, Chair