The mission of the Foreign Language Department is to equip students linguistically and
culturally to communicate successfully in a pluralistic American society and abroad. We
envision a future in which students will develop and maintain proficiency in
English and at least one other language. To this end, courses in the Department of World Languages
emphasize the five national standards: Communicate in Languages Other Than English; Gain
Knowledge and Understanding of Other Cultures; Connect with Other Disciplines and Acquire
Information; Develop Insight Into the Nature of Language and Culture; and Participate in
Multilingual Communities at Home and Around the world. These standards are presented
within the four basic areas of language learning: listening, speaking, reading, and
writing.