World Languages and Cultures at Providence College
World Languages and Cultures at Providence College
Willkommen! Bienvenue! ¡Bienvenidos! Huānyíng! Benvenuti! Majoring in a language is much more than just learning that language. Our majors and minors become proficient Spanish, French, Italian, or German readers, writers, and speakers. But we also want our students to become culturally proficient – understanding how the cultures they are studying are different from their own and also celebrating the connections.
Our faculty integrates exceptional instruction with a curriculum that incorporates linguistics, literature, culture, and area studies – offering students opportunities to use the language they’re studying in native and near-native settings and with each other.
DEGREE PROGRAMS
World Languages and Cultures Majors
The department offers a major in French, Italian, and Spanish, as well as a major in conjunction with the Secondary Education Program in preparation for a career as a language teacher. Many students choose to declare a double major, linking their language major with a major in another field, such as art history, biology, global studies, health policy and management, marketing, political science, and others.
The Department of World Languages and Cultures requires an online placement test for incoming students interested in pursuing the study of French, Italian, or Spanish, and it should be completed prior to May 31 of your incoming year. The test is designed to assess students’ language abilities and to determine which language course students should take.
World Languages and Cultures Minors
The department offers a minor in French, German, Italian, and Spanish to complement a major field of study. In addition, specially designed programs of language study can be created to suit the needs of individual students. We also offer several courses in Arabic and Chinese. The Spanish minor for the Health Professions offers health sciences students a cross cultural, bilingual lens through which to understand and support the healthcare concerns and challenges faced by many non-English speakers in the United States.
BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
Study abroad in one of dozens of countries from Morocco to Germany to Cuba
Become a Fulbright Scholar (PC is recognized as a top-producing Fulbright institution)
Join one of PC’s many language-focused national honors societies
FACULTY
Our students work closely with faculty who are masters of languages and experts on the literature and culture that define the countries of which they teach about. They hold degrees from institutions that include the University of California, Santa Barbara, Boston University, The Ohio State University, and the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.
IN THE NEWS
AFTER PC
93%
of 2020-2024 world languages and cultures graduates are employed and/or attending graduate school
70%
are employed only
16%
are attending school only
7%
are employed and attending school
Due to rounding, some totals may not correspond with the sum of the separate figures.
Selected Places of Employment/Service
AMP Agency
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island
Boston Children’s Hospital
Boston Medical Center
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
CDM Smith
Dorcas International
EBSCO Information Services
Fidelity Investments
HubSpot
International Game Technology (IGT)
JPMorgan Chase
The Leadership Institute
Lockton Companies
Lycee Polyvalent Alexis de Tocqueville
Massachusetts House of Representative
Mathworks
Mount Desert Island Hospital
Providence College
Providence Community Health Center
PTC
Teach for America Corps
Tufts University
Waters Corporation
Selected Graduate Schools
Boston University
Northeastern University
Providence College
Seton Hall University
Suffolk University
Tufts University
University of Connecticut
University of Massachusetts
University of Notre Dame
ADDITIONAL CONTACT INFORMATION
Dr. Alison Caplan
Associate Professor of Spanish / Department Chair
Ruane 214
401.865.2893
languages@providence.edu
