The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at Furman is one of the largest and most varied departments on campus. Our diverse faculty have roots in four continents and have lived and studied in numerous countries and at some of the world’s outstanding universities. As teachers and scholars of language, linguistics, literature, culture, pedagogy, and film, our expertise prepares us to offer a wide array of interdisciplinary and discipline-specific courses. In addition to courses counting toward our major programs, we contribute to the First-Year Writing seminar program, as well as minors in Film Studies, Latin American Studies, Linguistics, Medicine, Health and Culture, Poverty Studies, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Alongside our robust offerings in literature, linguistics, and culture, we also offer courses in languages for the professions, such as “French for the Business World,” “German for the Professions,” and “Medical Spanish.” All these courses will prepare you to seek internships locally or abroad and to apply your knowledge in contexts related to your professional goals. Those interested in teaching Spanish or French may take advantage of our teacher certification programs at the graduate level through Furman’s Master of Arts in Teaching (https://www.furman.edu/graduate-studies/education/program-overview/). All our courses emphasize transferable skills, which apply broadly to a wide range of careers and other meaningful pursuits.
We are deeply passionate about our fields and about mentoring our students, whether by overseeing your undergraduate research, internships, or community-based learning projects, accompanying you on May X or semester-long study away programs, engaging you through Language House activities, preparing you to become language educators, or simply helping you navigate your own Furman pathway. In addition to our faculty members, each year a young native speaker from France, Germany, and a Spanish-speaking country resides on campus to facilitate language house programming, discussion groups, and in-class activities. The Modern Language Center (MLC) located in Furman Hall is a hub of intercultural communication and interaction. In this warm, inviting space, you can watch international sports events on our Apple TV, seek tutoring from a peer, play games in French, German, or Spanish, hang out with friends, study, and otherwise engage with many of the 150+ majors we have each year. The MLC is staffed by our MLC Associates, upper-class language majors who provide tutoring and support for the Center’s operations.
Our semester-long study away programs are the ultimate high-impact experience. Faculty accompany students to Madrid and Versailles each year in the fall semester, and to Berlin and Santiago, Chile every other spring. Students experience the target culture firsthand by studying at a local university, residing with a host family, and doing extensive regional travel with their Furman group. Every aspect of the program emphasizes and facilitates full linguistic and cultural immersion.
Whether overseas or in Greenville, in MLL you will experience dynamic instruction and an exciting learning environment that features active language practice and integrated cultural study designed to build your global fluency. Along your pathway you will not only deepen and broaden your language and communication skills, you will also find that our emphasis on guided reflection will help you develop a clearer sense of yourself and the world in the process.
Click here to see more information about the French program.
Click here for more information on the German Studies program.
Click here to see more information about the Spanish program.
