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 2019-2023 world languages and cultures graduates are employed and/or attending graduate school
64%
are employed only
22%
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
Apple Inc.
Bergstresser & Pollock
Boston Children’s Hospital
Boston Medical Center
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Guidepoint
HubSpot
JP Morgan
Liberty Mutual Insurance
Lifespan
Oracle NetSuite
Providence Community Health Center
Samuel Christensen Law Firm PLLC
Sentinel Benefits and Financial Group
The Leadership Institute
Tufts University
Elementary/ Secondary schools throughout the U.S. and internationally
Selected Graduate Schools
Boston University
Brown University
Christie’s Education
Clemson University
Mente Argentina
Northeastern University School of Law
Notre Dame Law School
Providence College
Seton Hall Law
Southern Methodist University
Dedman School of Law
Suffolk University
Temple University
University of Connecticut School of Law
University of Massachusetts Boston
William James College
ADDITIONAL CONTACT INFORMATION
Dr. Alison Caplan
Associate Professor of Spanish / Department Chair
Ruane 214
401.865.2893
languages@providence.edu
