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Foreign Languages Department

We live in a world marked by close contact and interaction among people who speak varied languages and come from varied cultural backgrounds.

Being able to understand and communicate in several languages is increasingly important for persons who want to be civic leaders, business managers, or simply good citizens.

At Emory & Henry, you can establish competency in one or more languages and, at the same time, complete a liberal arts program that will give you the kind of intellectual breadth and lifelong curiosity to be a successful citizen of the world in the 21st century.

Degrees

  • Minor, Foreign Language Other than Spanish

    A student may minor in a foreign language other than Spanish by completing that language’s courses numbered 101, 102, and 201, plus three additional courses, two of which must be on the 300 or 400 level.

  • Bachelor of Arts, French and Francophone Studies

    To provide students an interdisciplinary framework for the study of the history, literature, film and culture of France and the world in which French is an important medium of culture.

  • Bachelor of Arts, French and International Commerce

    To train students in French and acquaint them with the cultures, and fundamental business and economic concepts in order to prepare them for careers in management and leadership in organizations that operate globally.

  • Bachelor of Arts, French- Teacher Preparation

    To enable students to meet Virginia requirements for licensure to teach French.

  • Bachelor of Arts, Hispanic Studies

    To provide students an interdisciplinary framework for the study of the history, literature, and film of the Spanish-speaking world. To become proficient in the four communication goals in Spanish (listening, reading, speaking, and writing), and the cultural component.

  • Bachelor of Arts, Spanish- Teacher Preparation

    To enable students to meet Virginia requirements for licensure to teach Spanish.

Student Research

  • <h4 class="lw_blurbs_title">Grown from Conflict: National and Cultural Identity on the Island of Hispaniola</h4><div class="lw_blurbs_body"><p><img width="611" height="458" alt="​Max interviewing a Haitian student at a university in San Francisco de Macoris.​" src="/live/image/gid/2/width/611/height/458/408_IMG_0350-2.rev.1501860949.JPG" class="lw_image lw_image408 lw_align_left" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/611/height/458/408_IMG_0350-2.rev.1501860949.JPG 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/2/width/611/height/458/408_IMG_0350-2.rev.1501860949.JPG 3x" data-max-w="3200" data-max-h="2400"/></p><p> Spanish and Civic Innovation major, <strong>Max Palmer ’17</strong>, conducted a project that’s field research was conducted outside of the college, some of it was even conducted in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. He explored the mysterious prejudices between Dominicans and Haitians, working to define racism on an island where white european descent has for a long time been the minority.</p></div>

Meet Our Alumni

  • <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/712-kaitlyn-mcnabney" title="Kaitlyn McNabney" aria-label="Kaitlyn McNabney"><img src="/live/image/gid/2/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,300,200/362_KaitlynMcNabney.rev.1500389806.jpg" alt="Kaitlyn McNabney" title="Kaitlyn McNabney" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" data-max-w="300" data-max-h="200"/></a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/712-kaitlyn-mcnabney"><p> Using a Love of Language and Culture to Drive Her Future </p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> Her love for languages and culture has taken her to France, Belgium, Scotland, Ireland, and Brazil. Now, she hopes to use her new found language skills as she works towards earning her Master’s Degree.</p><p> Kaitlyn graduated a semester early with a Bachelor of Arts in both Political Science and French. She wants to pursue a career with an NGO to promote the humanitarian cause. In January 2015, she traveled to Brazil to obtain an internship, learn Portuguese, make connections for possible future job opportunities, and teach English. She has served as Summer Scholars Counselor for the <a href="/summer-programs-camps/summer-scholars-institute-leadership-program/">Emory & Henry Summer Scholars Program</a>, Global Ambassador, Orientation Leader, Peer Mentor, and Peer Tutor. In addition, she was involved in Habitat for Humanity, Rotaract, Pi Sigma Kappa Sorority, and Pi Delta Phi National French Honors Society. One of her favorite experiences at Emory & Henry is being one of the Global Ambassadors. She said, “I love getting to know other people and incorporating those cultures and diversities into our campus life.” </p></div><a href="/live/profiles/712-kaitlyn-mcnabney" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
  • <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/702-jessica-daddio" title="Jessica Daddio" aria-label="Jessica Daddio"><img src="/live/image/gid/2/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1000,666/352_c756fe0a8310d2eb4ac6320e5f487579_f1238.rev.1500385431.jpg" alt="Jessica Daddio" title="Jessica Daddio" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/2/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,1000,666/352_c756fe0a8310d2eb4ac6320e5f487579_f1238.rev.1500385431.jpg 2x" data-max-w="1000" data-max-h="666"/></a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/702-jessica-daddio"><p> Jessica Daddio, Class of 2013</p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> Jessica Daddio has turned her sense of adventure into an exciting career. As travel editor for <em>Blue Ridge Outdoors</em> magazine, Daddio writes articles, shoots photos and produces videos covering travel and adventure opportunities throughout the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic.</p><p> Daddio’s current job seems like an extension of her experience at Emory & Henry, where she participated in the Outdoor Program, leading other students on hiking, kayaking and rock climbing excursions at nearby attractions such as the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and the Appalachian Trail. She also studied abroad in the Amazon Rainforest of Brazil through the National Outdoor Leadership School. These travel and outdoor activities became a key focus of projects Daddio completed for her personalized interdisciplinary major in creative communications, which combined coursework in mass communications, photography and creative writing.</p><p> “I’m doing something I love—something that’s truly important to me,” says Daddio, who also received a double major in French literature. “Emory & Henry prepared me in every sense of the word. There was a supportive community of people who inspired me and encouraged me to chase my dreams and my passions, no matter how far-fetched they seemed. They inspired me to follow my passion and do something I love.”</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/702-jessica-daddio" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>
  • <span class="lw_item_thumb"><a href="/live/profiles/707-martin-stiles" title="Martin Stiles" aria-label="Martin Stiles"><img src="/live/image/gid/2/width/345/height/225/crop/1/src_region/0,0,300,300/357_static1.squarespace.rev.1500388585.png" alt="Martin Stiles" title="Martin Stiles" class="lw_image" width="345" height="225" data-max-w="300" data-max-h="300"/></a></span><div class="lw_widget_text"><h4 class="lw_profiles_headline"><a href="/live/profiles/707-martin-stiles"><p> International Studies Inspired a future in Water Conservation </p></a></h4><div class="lw_profiles_description"><p> His interest in water resources led Marty to pursue a career working in water policy.</p><p> Martin, known to his classmates as Marty, graduated in Spring 2013 from Emory & Henry College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in French. After two years of graduate–level research at Northern Arizona University, he took a job at the Arizona Department of Water Resources. He currently works as a Water Resources Specialist where he takes an interdisciplinary approach to water resources management. Marty has always been interested in anything related to environmental science. When asked for his interests, he immediately listed “eco-systems science, water availability and regulation, and environmental policy.”</p><p> During his undergraduate studies at Emory & Henry, Marty traveled to 15 different countries including Turkey, Morocco, Greece, Italy, Andorra, Germany, Austria, Spain, England, Wales, Iceland, and France, where he studied for 6 months. He said, “International experience drives my interest in water conservation because access to clean drinking water is a human right.” Currently, he is conducting research on the decomposition of leaf material by microbes in streams and the transfer of nutrients to the aquatic food web. To Marty, one of his most memorable experiences in the Emory & Henry Honors Program is the thesis writing process. He said, “it helped to shape my understanding of science writing and is what got me to where I am today.”</p></div><a href="/live/profiles/707-martin-stiles" class="link-with-arrow gold">Keep reading</a></div>