Welcome from the Chair
Welcome to the Department of Modern Languages at Wright State University! The department currently offers majors in French, German, Spanish, Modern Languages (a combination of languages), and collaborative majors in International Business and International Studies. These are exciting times at Wright State, and we are in the process of introducing a number of new initiatives – developments that will increase the breadth and depth of our offerings. The focus of one of these initiatives is the promotion of Chinese as an eventual core language in the department. We also offer classes in Russian, Italian (both through second level) and Japanese (through third level); finally, a full first-year sequence of Arabic is being introduced this year at Wright State University for the very first time.
The Department of Modern Languages is committed to providing a fresh and varied program of study, offering some stimulating courses centered upon such subjects as humor, film, business, poetry, law enforcement, and other aspects of the cultures we study through language. Where appropriate, we use the latest technologies available. But... do we teach grammar? Certainly! Ça va sans dire (‘that goes without saying’).
No course of study in modern languages is complete without the opportunity to study or spend time abroad. Therefore the university has a variety of foreign study programs in, among others, Brazil, Chile, China, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Japan, Spain, and several other countries; these can differ in lengths of time (from two weeks to a full year) and some can be more subject-specific. Prospective and current students can get a good overview of what is available by looking at the University Center for International Education website.
Finally, it is important to say that professors are committed to their teaching and they develop close mentoring relationships with students. All members of the department are fluent speakers of the languages they teach, and there is also a significant number of native speakers in the department. Beyond their invaluable work as teachers, members of the faculty are also active as scholars, collectively producing impressive numbers of books and articles on a wide range of subjects.
We take pride in our faculty and our students, and look forward to welcoming you to the department in person!
Stefan Pugh
Chair of Modern Languages
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