A world of languages at UGA

Comment on dit, "world class university?" UGA has the programs and the people that make it second-to-none in teaching and learning foreign languages - a set of capabilities that is the sine qua non for a premier university:

“It’s a truly diverse blend, that both harkens back to the roots of classical liberal arts education as it builds on the world as we know it today and looks forward to both the challenges and the opportunities of the future,” said Noel Fallows, Distinguished Research Professor of Spanish and associate dean in the Franklin College. “You can make the argument that, to be in the conversation of world-class universities, an institution must house the expertise and infrastructure to teach and share the world’s major language traditions. UGA certainly does that.”

The department of Romance Languages offers courses, majors and minors in French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese language and literature. 

“The demand for Spanish is insatiable, simply because it is practical,” said Stacey Casado, a professor and head of the department of Romance Languages. 

The numbers bear this out. Faculty and instructors in Spanish teach more than 4,000 students each semester. Add in another 900 students studying French, 600-plus enrolled in Italian and more than 250 learning Portuguese each semester, and that means there are faculty, instructors and graduate teaching assistants instructing more than 6,000 students every semester.

“It’s a major operation,” Casado said. “If students want to pursue careers here in the U.S., being English–Spanish bilingual gives them a huge advantage in the job market.”

Yoruba. Latin. Arabic. Portuguese. French. Mandarin Chinese. Korean. Swahili. Italian. The list goes on, and it has to. Offering the world of languages to our students is foundational to the very term 'university.' Thanks to the faculty and students who contributed to this article and sharing the importance of their individual language experience to their learning and careers.