The Department of Modern & Classical Languages (MCL) is housed in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. With three B.A. degree programs and ten minor programs the department offers quality undergraduate instruction in modern and classical languages, literatures, and cultures. In our programs, students acquire a solid foundation in the languages through the latest instructional methods. They also develop skills in critical thinking through the rigorous study of literary and non-literary texts, film, and other media that reflect cultural traditions and concerns relevant to their areas of study.

Communicative, student-centered instruction in thirteen languages from Europe, Africa, and Asia helps students of every discipline experience the intellectual, professional, and personal enrichment of learning a new language and gaining insight into other cultures from ancient Greece to modern China.

Our new, interdisciplinary graduate program in World Cultures and Literatures incorporates cultural studies approaches to the advanced training in specific languages (French, German, Chinese, or Italian) and/or such fields as Asia, Middle East, European, Latin American, and Latino Studies.

MCL houses the interdisciplinary Jewish Studies and India studies programs.

MCL is distinguished by its top-notch instruction. In fact, faculty in MCL are regularly recognized for their excellent teaching by the Office of the Provost at UH. Here are some of our recent nominees and winners.

Our overall mission is:

• To provide foreign language and intercultural communication skills for students seeking careers in education, business, government, law, health care, marketing, travel and hospitality, and many other fields.
• To foster cross-cultural understanding and communication through the study of world languages, literatures, and cultures in the age of globalization.
• To foster awareness of how language and culture affect other, interrelated issues of identity such as gender, race, class, ethnicity and religion.
• To pursue and promote faculty and student research in languages, literatures, and cultures.